Graduation is a perfect time to celebrate! Throwing an open house to honor your graduate's entrance into the adult world is a great way of expressing and celebrating your excitement for their new adventure. This party theme will give the new graduate a big congratulations on all their accomplishments.

Graduation

First Things First

Choosing a party place will be one of the major tasks on your checklist. Many people have open house graduation parties at their home, banquet halls, community centers or local pools. Often parents will collaborate and throw joint parties to save a little money.

You will want to set up a designated parking area to avoid problems with neighbors or blocking the streets. Some times neighborhood churches or community locations will allow you to use their parking lots with prior notice. This is something you can show on the invitations.

Once the place is chosen you can start working on putting together your graduation invitations. You will want to make sure that they are sent out to family, friends and teachers at least 3-4 weeks before the party. Include an RSVP if you want, asking for a response 1-2 weeks before the party. Most Open House Parties will last 3-5 hours or more.

The Setup

When throwing a graduation open house, choose to have the party catered or stick with the very popular buffet style theme. Setting up several food stations throughout the area is a good way to keep guests circulating and to help avoiding a long line at the food table. Great graduation foods are: hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, fried chicken, finger foods and sandwiches. Cake, cupcakes, or ice cream bars are great desert ideas. Set up several locations for guests to sit and chat whether they are benches, or folding chairs, bench swings, sturdy canvass seats.

When choosing the party decor you will want to play off of the graduates favorite color, the school color or the classic black and gold graduation colors. Using balloons, streamers, banners, tables clothes, plates, cups and eating utensils in the same color scheme.

• Picture displays are a fun and creative way to show off your shining star featuring pictures from childhood up to graduation day! You can hang pictures of the food tables or display as centerpieces on tables. Set up a poster board with the graduate's picture in the middle ~ ask guests to sign it for a great keepsake. Create a slide show that will be played during the party to captivate your guests.
• Set up an award table, showcasing the graduates achievements. Have a gift table with a large box for cards to be put inside.
• Set out disposable cameras throughout the space and ask guests to snap candid pictures. Video taping the event will make for a great treasured memories. Let your graduate chose favorite songs to be played in the background or if you want to get even more exciting, set up a dance floor and let the music roll!
• Send your guests home with a special trinket to remember the event. Some cute ideas are: Customized M&M's, candy bars, bookmarks, pins, pens or personalized cookies.

Make sure to keep track of gifts and who they came from so that your graduate will be sure to send Thank you notes to all of your guests within a week or two after the party.

This post is brought to you by Philadelphia Caterers.
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Graduation cap photo provided by billaday via flickr.

How to Throw an Amazing Graduation Party!

Don the robe, get in line, smile for camera and wait for Pomp and Circumstance. Got it. Don't walk too closely behind the person in front of you, shake a few hands, and return to your seat. Say your congratulations, your goodbyes and wish everyone luck. Great job. Now what? It's time to party! Throwing a graduation party is like answering an open-ended question. There is no right or wrong answer, and the possibilities are endless! It's a fantastic opportunity to get creative, have some fun and send your graduate off into the world in style. However, having so many choices can be overwhelming. By sticking to a few basics, you can have your graduation cake and eat it too.

Read more tips and ideas about throwing a Graduation Party from the Celebration Advisor.

Need a Caterer for your Graduation Party?

Whether you are celebrating a promotion in the office, throwing a lavish party at home or planning the BEST reception in Connecticut, Marianne Wilson Catering will bring their passion for food to your party!

Read More about Marianne Wilson Catering: Food, with Passion!

Celebrate Special Occasions With Butterfly Releases!

Wedding butterfly releases are like nothing you have ever seen.  Imagine walking out into the light as a new couple as dozens of Monarchs are released, landing on flowers and fluttering among the crowd of loved ones wishing you well.

Read More about Beginning a New Life With a Wedding Butterfly Release From Butterfly Sales Outlet.

Plant A Memory With Plantable Cards and Favors!

Wedding and party favors are a great way to give each guest a small keepsake to remember your big event. Plant A Memory has gone a step above that with her plantable favors. Wedding guests can take their little tree seedling favor, or plantable cards and add them to their garden or landscaping to grow for years to come.

Read More about growing lasting memories with Plant A Memory Wedding & Party Favors.

• Everything You Ought To Know About THANK-YOU NOTES
• How to Throw An Amazing Graduation Party!
• Capping It All Off: Customized Graduations Caps are Here to Stay!
• 4 Easy Things To Remember For A Great Party
• Two Parties, One Deck — What To Do?

Don the robe, get in line, smile for camera and wait for Pomp and Circumstance. Got it. Don't walk too closely behind the person in front of you, shake a few hands, and return to your seat. Say your congratulations, your goodbyes and wish everyone luck. Great job. Now what? It's time to party!

Throwing a graduation party is like answering an open-ended question. There is no right or wrong answer, and the possibilities are endless! It's a fantastic opportunity to get creative, have some fun and send your graduate off into the world in style.

However, having so many choices can be overwhelming. By sticking to a few basics, you can have your graduation cake and eat it too.

1. To Theme or Not to Theme?

Not every graduation party needs a theme. However, now is the time to take that great idea you've been carrying around and go for it! Choose something of interest to your graduate–a favorite movie, location, or sports team. Just about anything and everything can be used as theme for a graduation party. That being said, it's important to keep in mind who is coming to the party before choosing a theme.

2. Guests.

Because many of your graduate's friends will be celebrating with their families on graduation night, it's safe to assume the same will be true for your graduate. Plan accordingly. If grandparents, families with small children or aunts and uncles are going to be in attendance, it may be wise to leave the D.J. and disco ball behind in favor of seating and more traditional fare.

You can still have a fun theme, just follow more mature guidelines. Take advantage of a talented cake designer, florist or decorator to create a fun atmosphere with a grown-up vibe. Otherwise, choose a weekend before or after graduation to throw a party for your graduate's friends.

3. Gifts?

This is one occasion where gifts are truly optional. Your graduate has probably been receiving monetary gifts in the mail for months (don't forget to send thank-you notes!). It's not necessary for guests to feel obligated to bring something more. Some guests may call and ask what to bring. Remind them that it's their presence that is most important.

Three easy considerations is all it takes for a graduation party to go off without a hitch! Remember, it's all about the graduate! Large, small, rowdy or quaint, your special person is taking a major leap into a new life. A few easy steps is all it takes to make that leap a little more special.

Photos Courtesy of clevercupcakes and TN Something Special Cakes.

This post is sponsored by Boston, Massachusetts party bands.

Ask The Celebration Advisor:

Really need some advice/ideas.  I've been asked to help plan a 60th wedding anniversary/high school graduation celebration on the same day..same deck.  The deck has two separate sides, so two themes are feasible, but am at a loss as to how to make them connect in some fun way.  (Grandparents & grandson).
Any ideas?  I'm thinking garden party on one side..dance party on other?  I've done a couple weddings and floral design, but this one has me pulling my hair out!  HELP!!!

–Trish

Celebration Advisor Reply:

First of all, congratulations on celebrating two major milestones! No matter what ideas you choose, I'm sure it's going to be a special day!

I like your idea of hosting two separate parties that work well together. Having a more mature get together on one side, featuring seating areas and hors d'oeuvres, and a space for dancing and gathering on the other side will allow guests to move between the two spaces and celebrate as a family.

Unify the spaces using a single color palette for the entire party. Choose a couple of neutral colors and an accent color that will suit both parties. For an example we will use white, silver and blue. One the anniversary side, choose white table cloths, flowers and silver vases to create an elegant, comfortable atmosphere. Add blue napkins, ribbons and candies for a punch of color.

On the graduation party side, bring in sliver, white and blue balloons to create an upbeat vibe. Rent a strobe light or disco ball to complete the dance floor feel. Serve snacks on blue plates, or mix a blue punch as a colorful drink option. Fill out the decor with greenery, snacks and other decorations you find at your local supply store. Get creative! Guests can share one cake, and your invitations can serve double-duty by sticking to a single color palette.

Color is a great way to unify the two parties, while appealing to the substantially different demographics. From a distance, the deck will look cohesive, but guests will feel at home on both sides and maybe even mix and mingle between the two areas.

This Celebration Advisor post is sponsored by Wedding and Party Network.

It's finally your senior year of high school, the year every student waits for. Of course its obvious to know why, after 12 years of being in school, this is finally the last year! How exiting! Preparing for graduation can be a long yet exciting process. What better way to top of this moment, than by throwing your graduating friend a graduation party. It's time for party planning!

Theme- Having a themed party always makes the atmosphere a lot more fun. A very popular theme used for many parties is a Hawaiian theme! Hawaiian colors are bright and tend to make people think of either the beach or a Hawaiian shirt. It's your decision whether you want the party indoors or outdoors. Personally, I d prefer an outdoors party. Having a party outdoors gives you a lot more space. Meaning more room to PARTY!

Decorations- Decorating is one of the best parts when it comes to planning and throwing a party. The decorations are one of the first things your guests will notice. Think about making them really stand out! Try using different outstanding bright colors (neon orange, baby blue, lime green, etc.). One idea that is easy and fun to set-up up would be some colorful beach chairs and even a few lit-up tiki torches. Another decorative idea would be to go to your local party store and shop for a few party supplies. You could include Hawaiian-colored plates, cups, napkins, etc.

Food- Yummy, here comes the best part! An easy cooking idea that everyone is sure to enjoy would be to have a grill-out. Grilling out some buttered shrimp, Hawaiian flank stake, or Hawaiian grilled chicken and having a fresh Hawaiian salad as a side dish would be a delicious idea. To drink making a homemade Hawaiian fruit punch would be very fruity and delicious. A tasty suggestion for dessert would be to have a large platter of mixed mouthwatering fruits like strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, etc. After all, the pineapple is one of the most common fruits found on the island. But if you really want to sweeten things up a bit, a coconut cake would definitely be the icing on the cake for your overall meal.

Music- Since this is a graduation party, you're more likely to have many people there with different tastes in music. What better way to please everyone than to get a DJ to entertain the party. A DJ is definitely a great choice, since they usually have a wide variety of music choices to play. This way everyone gets to dance out to their favorite music thought the party. The fun will never stop.

This graduation party is to celebrate for a couple of reasons. One, to throw them a party and congratulate them for getting this far. And two, to celebrate for this chapter they have completed in their life, and the start of a new chapter that's about to begin. Not only will they appreciate the party you threw for them, but this is sure to be a memory they will never forget!