High school graduations are a wonderful milestone. Your teen has worked hard to graduate and now it’s time to celebrate them and their accomplishments!
There’s a lot to think about when planning a graduation party, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Read on for tips to make your celebration a success.
Involve Your Grad from the Start
Before you dive into full planning mode, it’s important to talk with your graduate about what they want for their celebration. Should it be an intimate event at a restaurant? Or maybe just a simple backyard barbecue? There are a ton of options that range from formal to casual, so you’ll want to make sure your teen has a say and the celebration reflects their style and preferences.
Choose Your Date and Guest List Early
Your grad will no doubt have a list of people who absolutely must be at the celebration (and you may have your own as well). In order to pick a date where most everyone can make it, reach out to the VIPs as early as you can—at least a month in advance. Ask the invitees to save the date on their calendar so you can lock them in.
Set a Reasonable Budget
Once you know what kind of celebration you’d like and roughly how many people you’ll invite, it’s time to decide on a budget. This is often an area where compromise is essential. For example, if you and your grad have a long list of guests, you may have to choose a more affordable venue that will fit a lot of people. When running the numbers, you’ll want to account for every detail, so remember to think about food, printed invitations, decorations, entertainment, activities, party favors, and thank you notes.
Think About a Theme
If you’d like to have a cohesive look and feel to every element of your celebration (think invites, decorations, and thank you notes), choosing a theme is a great place to start. You could do something classic like using their high school’s colors and mascot, or you could reflect their unique passions and hobbies (maybe a football-themed party for your quarterback or a theater-themed event for your aspiring actor). You could also do a “through the years” theme where you feature pictures of your grad from birth to the present. No matter your preference, make sure your grad is involved in this decision.
Send the Invites Sooner Than Later
Even though you already had your VIPs save the date, you’ll want all of your guests to do the same as early as possible. No matter if you choose print or electronic invites, this is your first opportunity to create something with your party theme, so have fun with it! This is a great time to use your grad’s senior photo. If you’re unable to invite all of your loved ones, including those who live far away, you can still send them graduation announcements.
Get Creative with Party Decor
When planning your celebration decorations, first consider your location. If you’re hosting the party at home, you have more space to work with. But if you’re using a restaurant or rented venue, you will likely have fewer places to decorate. But no matter the space, it’s time to get creative! You can really personalize the decor by using pictures of your grad. Consider creating some posters, collages, or banners to hang throughout the space. You could do a nice mix of their high school years with childhood photos. And of course, make sure to coordinate your theme colors throughout.
Say Thank You in Style
Once the celebration’s over and the gifts are opened, it’s time to send the thank you notes. If you ordered print invitations, you can consider ordering thank you cards to match. If you opted for electronic invites, you can still send paper thank yous or just use your invite platform to share your thanks (this can also be a good time to share photos from the party).
Have Fun!
After all your hard work and planning, let yourself sit back and enjoy the day. It can be helpful to delegate and divide responsibilities during the party to make sure that everything doesn’t fall on one person. After all, it’s your time to celebrate as well!
Looking for photos to use? If your child has had photos taken with Freed, you can order prints, digital photos, or gifts directly from the portal. Additionally, you can contact us to set up a senior shoot.