Graduating from college is a huge accomplishment in life. After four long years (or longer) of studying hard, all that work has finally paid off. The only appropriate thing to do is to throw a party of course. Gather friends and family, some food and drinks and celebrate! We know not everyone is an event planner, so, if you are planning to throw a graduation party, read the steps below to throw a killer event for your grad.
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Establish a Budget
First things first, determine the amount you are willing to spend on the graduation party. Remember, if you are planning on a ton of people, you will need a bigger venue, more food catering and beverages and it will cost more money. Establishing your budget first will help you narrow down the venues, caterers and décor that are attainable!
Make your Guest List
Creating a guest list can be a bit of a task. First you will want to make note of the people that are closest and most important to your college graduate and invite them to the celebration, such as family and long-time friends. From there, depending on your budget, you can reach out to past teachers, coaches, high school friends or maybe distant relatives that would be happy to see how much your graduate has accomplished!
Pick a Date
Next step is to pick a date! Choosing the same weekend as the graduation ceremony might be a little stressful to coordinate and may make it more difficult for other graduates that would be invited to attend. Make sure to coordinate with your graduate in advance to see if they have other parties they are invited to on the weekends following the ceremony so you can work around them get the most people available to join the party.
Pick a Venue
If you are going all out on this graduation celebration, with a huge guest list and boujee décor, selecting a venue may take some thorough research and money! Be sure to call well in advance if you are looking for a formal or larger venue to host the party. Another option that could cut costs is hosting the party at a relative's house or right in your own backyard. Just make sure the venue is size relative to the number of guests you are having.
Send Invitations
Once you have a date and venue, you will need to send out invitations to your guest list. You can create invitations online on a variety of websites to print and have mailed or you can custom create an email invitation to send to your guest list. Many people also now opt for the easy Facebook event invite where you can post all necessary information and event details and they can RSVP virtually! Choose whatever option you think is easiest for your guests.
Food and Beverage
Food and beverage are easily the most important part of any party. What is a graduation party without them?! Reaching out to a company that specializes in celebration catering will make things much easier on you as they typically offer packages or menu curation for you!
Depending on the vibe of the celebration, you will want to choose your party food accordingly. You can get a huge array of finger foods for guests to pick at or you can get a buffet style meal. For more upscale events, you may opt for a fancier sit-down lunch or dinner. Another crucial part of the party is beverage, if you are looking for beer, wine and liquor, you may want to consider hiring bar staff to assist your guests in making/passing out drinks.
Lastly, the part we have been waiting for, dessert! No party is complete without a nice big graduation cake! Sheet style cakes typically, are most popular with graduation parties and will feed a large amount of people. If you want something more grab and go or convenient for guests to eat on the move, maybe consider adding in cupcakes or small treats for the taking!
Décor and Theme
Most likely your graduation party is going to be decorated with school colors but some people like the idea of a whole theme to base the party around. Check with your catering vendor to come up with some neat menu ideas to match your theme or school colors. You can even decorate the cake in school colors! If you are looking for table décor or big displays you could reach out to an event designer or floral shop or you can even use Milk Street Café to handle all of your event planning needs.
Whatever it is you may choose for food, drink, and décor, Milk Street Café has an option for you. For a themed party we also offer specialty curated menus and dishes, accommodate any allergies your guest may have, and offer bartending services! We can even customize your décor to your schools' colors. Check out our full menu here https://catering.milkstreetcafe.com to get inspired.... You can easily order online for delivery too. For full party planning services, please call our team of experts for help at 617-542-3663.