Graduation Party Tips

Blain’s Farm & Fleet has some great tips for throwing a great graduation party that will honor your grad’s achievement.

It’s that time of year: graduation season is upon us, and it’s time to plan a party for your graduate. Planning a graduation party can be overwhelming, but Blain’s Farm & Fleet has a few tips to take some of the stress out of celebrating your graduate’s accomplishment.

1. Set a Budget

This is one thing that can simplify your party. By setting a budget, you eliminate a lot of choices that are too expensive. If you only have a little to spend, throw the party at your house in your backyard and skip the cost of renting a venue. How high or low you set your budget will also help limit the number of people you can invite. The more guests, the more money you’ll have to spend on food, chairs, games, and your venue.

2. Pick Your Venue

Things really start to take shape once you pick a place to throw your graduation party. The place will narrow down some of the choices you have to make about decorations and food. If you’re renting an indoor venue, then you can get just about any kind of food you want. If you’re throwing the party outdoors, you’ll want to stick to an outdoor-friendly menu of grilled meat like burgers or hot dogs. A build-your-own ice cream sundae bar might not work so well in the spring or summer sun. Be prepared with plenty of shelter for guests in case of rain. Blain’s Farm & Fleet has a wide variety of canopies and shelters that will keep your guests comfortable and happy.

3. Set Your Time and Date

Pick a time and date for your graduation party that will be convenient for your guests. Try to plan it so it won’t conflict with holidays like Mother’s Day or Memorial Day. Choosing your date and time also plays into your planning and prep. If you’re on a tight budget, have a shorter party so you don’t have to supply more food and games. If you’re having an outdoor party that will last into the night, make sure you have some bug repellent, tiki torches, or citronella candles to keep any pests off your guests. You also may want to have some outdoor lights set up to keep the party alive. If you want to have a bonfire, your graduation party could last well into the wee hours of the morning.

4. Plan Your Menu

Most of your graduation party budget will probably be spent on food. If you’re planning an outdoor party, grilling is usually a great menu choice. Grilled burgers and hot dogs are a crowd pleaser, and you want to pick foods that a lot of people will like. Blain’s Farm & Fleet has all of the grills, grilling supplies, and grilling tips you need. Another food idea is to feature your grad’s favorite food. Do they like mac & cheese? Serve a bunch of different macaroni dishes and salads. Do they like Mexican food? Have a chili or salsa bar, or serve walking tacos. Are they a pizza fan? Order pizza or make a variety of homemade pizzas in a pizza oven. Be sure to have plenty of party snacks handy, like nuts, pretzels and chips, and party mixes. No graduation party is a hit without plenty of food. We have plenty of great recipes for you to try!

5. Invite Your Guests

Once you know what you’re having, you should know enough to estimate how much food you can get under your budget. This will tell you how many guests you can invite to your graduation party. If you can only afford food to feed fifty people, then you don’t want to invite many more than fifty people. It’s okay to go over your max number a little bit with your invitations, because not everyone you invite will be able to make it. You can make hand-made invitations or order custom invites if your budget allows.

6. Plan Activities

Now that you know the average age and style of the guests you invited, you can plan appropriate activities. Card and board games are great for indoors. If you rented an indoor venue with music and enough room, you can have dancing or limbo. For outdoors, you can set up volleyball, bean-bag toss, badminton, basketball, and a ton of other great games for any age or activity level.

7. Decorate

You can pick a theme related to your graduate’s interests, like their favorite sport or hobby. Also, make a collage of photos of your grad from childhood until graduation. Friends and family will get to know your graduate even better than they did before. This is also a great opportunity for people to relive memories and tell great stories that will make your party a blast. The key to a great graduation party is to bring family and friends together to celebrate your graduate.