Graduation parties can be big blow outs, family affairs or you could even choose an Open House. An Open House works well if a lot of your graduate's friends are also having parties around the same time - that way friends can come and go between parties and get to see everyone and enjoy all the fun at each event. Just remember when planning that there will be all age groups showing up : family, friends, godparents, grandparents, etc.

You will want the party to be about the Graduate, so let him or her help with the planning as much as possible. Do they want a theme party? A small, quiet family get together? Do they want it at home or at a restaurant/swimming pool/hotel ? base the theme and the general planning of the graduation party around their likes/hobbies and you are guaranteed a winner!

Once you have selected a graduation party theme, center your invitations, decorations, and party favors around the theme. At ReasonToParty, our party planners will be happy to help you plan a never-to-be-forgotten graduation party!

Graduation Party Planning Checklist

Set the Budget - Determine up front what you can spend and what you cannot, no matter the size of the graduation party.

Determine Location - At your Home, a Restaurant, a hotel, community center, Sports Complex, etc.

Pick a theme/color scheme - Based on the Graduate's preferences, hobbies, and of course, your budget.

Entertainment or Games and Activities - this depends on the location, the guest list and the type of party. If its at a restaurant/hall - what are you allowed to do? If the party is outdoors at your home, will the neighbors approve?

Plan for Food - Are you cooking or catering? For a larger event, you may opt to cater so you have one less thing to worry about. For an informal party at your home for a small group, it may be best to cook or purchase pre-made food trays.

Send invitations - Get the word out as soon as you have the date settled and the location secured. Don't forget to include a response card with the invitation for your head count for food.

Purchase Decorations/Party Favors - Do this right after sending out invitations. You already know your theme/colors, so why wait? Don't forget your signage or banners for outside, as well as balloons, table clothes, cut outs, plastic cutlery and party supplies and anything else you want. Also, get your party favors to coordinate with your theme, or something special that the Graduate likes and wants to present to guests. These could include - key tags, key chains, picture frames, theme related articles, custom candy bars/wrappers, mini nerf footballs, custom made CDs of the year's tops songs, calendars, bookmarks, etc. Need some ideas - email us today with your theme and budget and we'll be glad to get you ideas!

Fun ideas for a Graduation Party:

Make a time capsule! Have your guests bring something that represents their years in high school, or the year of the graduation. Add everything to a box and either bury it or give to someone for safe keeping. Meet back in 10 years and open up to reveal the secrets within!

King or Queen for a Day! Blow up pictures of the Guest of Honor/Graduate from birth to now and display around the party area.

Great favors for any graduation party! Announce It! Custom candy bar wrappers... use current pictures with a diploma and cap or even baby pictures for a cute surprise!

Graduation Party Tips

After you decide on your color scheme or theme for the Graduation party, choose invitations, decorations, and favors to match your theme…we'll be happy to provide you with help on the details!

The following basic ideas will work with any theme or size graduation party:

Send formal or informal invitations depending on the type of party you are hosting.

You can also use this as a fun way to send out unique Graduation Party invitations. If you are sending out traditional paper or imprinted invites, sprinkle some confetti to match your decorating colors inside. You could attach a computer generated or handwritten tag to an item related to your theme. For example, you can create a mock diploma to use as an invite, or use a miniature graduation cap. For a luau theme, use a lei or a pair of inexpensive sunglasses …use your imagination! Use curling ribbon, satin ribbon, or pipe cleaners to attach the tag with all the party details.

Send the graduation party invites out as early as possible (at least 3 weeks prior to the graduation party) so that your party isn't lost in the shuffle. If possible, check dates with the parents of the graduate's good friends in order to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Location, location, location. Your home, a park, Country Club, community center, bowling alley, school gymnasium, local YMCA…anywhere that can accommodate your graduation party group is a great place to hold your event.

If your graduate has one or two very close friends, why not combine the party (if the teens like the idea!). Rent a tent, set it up outside your home. Most rental businesses stock these tents .. many will even deliver and set them up.

Fill a table with memorabilia…diploma, awards, prom photos, honors, senior pictures, mortarboard, yearbooks, pom poms, textbooks, pennants, etc. The graduation party will be more personal and unique this way.

Set up a photo backdrop area, (a balloon arch, metallic curtain) so that the graduate pictures taken with individuals and/or groups. Take plenty of photographs during the graduation party to document this once-in-a-lifetime event!

Click Here to see Graduation Party Supplies at Makesparties

In your invitation, ask each guest to come to the party with his or her own tribute, toast or remembrance, in lieu of a gift. Such as: A personal note, a message in song form, a tape recorded message, a doodle, a video segment, a poem, a skit, a photo collage, slide presentation, or a homemade music video. These makes for great memories!

Or, set up a video camera in an area that's decorated and ask guests to stop by during the party and record a message for the Graduate.

Cover a wall with seamless paper and ask guests to leave messages, clever doodles, or creative outlines of themselves for the guest of honor. These can then be clipped after the party and preserve them in a scrapbook!

If there will be out of town guests, call a few hotels in your area and ask about group discount rates and try to block a few rooms for the night of the event/weekend; then guests can call in and pay for their own room. On a separate insert in your invitation, include hotel names, rates, and a code for your block rate. Don't forget to add a small map of where the hotels are located along with driving directions to the party/event.

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Graduation Party Food Ideas

Do as little cooking as possible on party day! Choose foods that can be prepared a day or two prior to your event, (or hire caterers, if its in your budget) and purchase prepared food from restaurants, delis, food service markets. This gives you more time to enjoy the party, your guests and your stress-free day!

Graduation Party and Themed Party Recipes at ReasonToParty! Click Here

Click Here to see Graduation Party Supplies at Makesparties

Buffet ideas:

Veggies & dip
Built-your-own Tacos or Nachos
Burgers & hot dogs

Mini eggrolls
Giant deli sandwiches

Mini pizzas
Chicken strips (have several different sauces)
Chicken wings
BBQ Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs
Water chestnuts wrapped in bacon
Sandwiches made on mini buns (about 3-4 bite size).

Prepare as much as possible ahead of time. Store your hot items in an oven set at 200 degrees. Place bowls of munchies around the party room so your guests can mingle around. Snacks such as nuts, M&Ms, Chex Mix, and dips are always a hit and easy to prepare and serve.

Make layers out of your food presentations and dress up your table. Pile up books, upside down buckets, or even bricks on the table, cover them with gossamer or tablecloths in your theme or colors.

For buffet help and general amounts of food and drinks to prepare for each person, click here

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Fantasy Location Graduation Party Theme Ideas

TROPICAL PARADISE
YACHTING AROUND THE GLOBE
A DUDE RANCH
LAS VEGAS/MONACO
SULTRY SOUTH AMERICA
NEW ORLEANS
HOLLYWOOD

Embellish the party room to resemble the fantasy location, including authentic music and lighting. Food is also an important part of your theme.

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Hobby & Interest Graduation Themes

Alternately, you can center your theme around the graduate's interests, passions, hobbies....

SPORTS:
Golf
Football
Soccer
Cheerleading
Bowling
Sailing/Boating
MUSIC

These are only some ideas that you could use to plan your Graduation party.

Click Here to see Graduation Party Supplies at Makesparties

Decorating for Graduation Parties

Decorating for a graduation party can be easy and fun! Start by choosing your colors. It is best if you use one or two main colors. If you select only one color, try to add little touches of another color or a lighter or darker shade of the same color. Or, add small splashes of white, black, gold or silver. This will not take away from your main color but will make the decorating even more dramatic.

WHAT COLORS SHOULD I CHOOSE?
The most popular colors for graduation parties are the school colors of the graduate, but many students are now choosing favorite colors for decorating… whatever works best for your Graduate and his/her vision for their party.

If the graduation party is a theme party, choose theme-related colors. Choose color- based basics, then add some fun props related to your theme.

Stars – gold or silver and black
Mardi Gras – purple, green, yellow and gold
Nautical – navy blue, red & white
Fifties – black, white, hot or pastel pink
Luau – lots of bright colors – green, yellow, blue, hot pink

Cinderella – pastel blue, white and silver
Hollywood – black & gold or silver
Casino Night – black & red, with splashes of green & white

Western – red, black, and white
Oriental – black, red and gold
60's & 70's Retro – lime green, hot pink, purple, banana yellow, or turquoise
Music – black and white with little splashes of red

DECORATIVE ELEMENTS FOR ANY SETTING

SPORTS ACCESSORIES – sports theme graduation parties are very popular. Custom imprinted balls, foam hands, cheer phones, pennants, pom poms, stadium cups, custom sport towels…all make great decorations that can also be used as Graduation party favors! Add real-life sports props too!

GOSSAMER – Gossamer is a fabulous, lightweight fabric that creates fabulous touches at a very reasonable price. It drapes, hangs and holds its shape beautifully. Decorate with Gossamer!

BACKGROUND PAPER – Cover walls, windows, floors and doors with rolls of decorative flat paper, Seamless Paper, or Poly Vinyl. They come in a vast array of colors and patterns…marble, stars, checkered, brick, cobblestone, water, etc.

Shop for CORRUGATED PAPER, COLUMNS ,TWINKLE LIGHTS, GOSSAMER, BACKGROUND PAPER and SPORTS ACCESSORIES

Click Here to see Graduation Party Supplies at Makesparties

Graduation Party Favors

Every Graduation Party should be marked with a favor to treasure. The Graduation party favors do not have to be expensive or extravagant, and we can help you find favors to fit every budget.

Use your Graduation party favors as decorating items for the party itself, then send them home with the guests.

If you need any help in selecting the perfect favors or in locating any of the favors mentioned at ReasonToParty, please let us know... Email us today!

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Hot Graduation Party Themes for Teens

These themes are great for any graduation party!

CO-ED FUN (or just for girls!)
Backward Party Graduation Party Theme
Retro Mania
Amateur Night - Karaoke Party
Tacky Times Graduation Party Theme

Hollywood Party
Set the Night to Music
Hawaiian Luau
Beach Bash Graduation Party
Wild, Wild West Graduation theme party
Flower Power Graduation Party Theme
Rockin' the Night Away - 50's style
Sporting/Hobby Theme Graduation Parties
Limousine Scavenger Hunt
Everything's Coming up Roses!
Mardi Gras Graduation Party Theme
Pajama Jam
Asian Fantasy
Mexican Fiesta Graduation Themed Party
A Night on the Orient Express
How Brightly You Shine Graduation Party theme
Night of a Thousand Stars Graduation party Theme
Celestial Graduation Party
Star Light, Star Bright
Pool Graduation Party
A World of Wonder Awaits
Toga Graduation Party
It's a Jungle out there!
Movie Mania Graduation Theme Party

FORMAL FUN

Black tie and fancy dress are great fun, or just set a dress code appropriate to your party theme…and enjoy!

Remember to take tons of pictures, and give your guests a special favor so they'll never forget your night in the spotlight!
Celestial Party
Masquerade Ball

Backward Party
Silver & Gold Ball
Set the Night to Music
Everything's Coming up Roses!
Pajama Ball
Night of a Thousand Stars
Star Studded Night
Dance the Night Away
Hollywood Party
A World of Wonder Awaits

Be sure to ask us how we can help you decorate with tableware, tablecovers and centerpieces for your Graduation Party too!

Reason To party is your source for Graduation Party Supplies, Party Favors, Graduation Party Decorations and ideas, tips and planning advice for your Graduation Party!

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Party Planning

Plan the perfect Graduation Party using a theme or the Graduate's favorite or school colors. The party tips, recipes and theme ideas below should help anyone plan a Graduation party that will be remembered for years to come.

Graduation Party Planning Checklist

Fun ideas for a Graduation Party: