Hello everyone,
Last week I hosted a graduation party to celebrate my accomplishments with my family and friends. The planning process was so fun as it allowed me to be creative and think outside the box when it came to decor and activities to capture the day. In this post, I am going to outline everything you need to host the best graduation party! Many of these tips and ideas can be applied to any party theme as well.
DECOR
For the decor, I followed a black, white and gold theme throughout. The party was hosted in my backyard, therefore, I wanted to be sure that decor was evenly displayed throughout the entire space to ensure that no matter where guests were there was something festive. I searched on Amazon for decor as well as made my own designs on Canva.
Balloon Arch
The first thing that came to my mind was a balloon arch. I have seen them at so many parties and I knew this was the perfect opportunity to create my own. I purchased this one from Amazon and it worked out great! I highly recommend purchasing an electric balloon pump if you can, as it makes the blow-up process so much faster. I also went ahead and purchased this graduation sign to place the balloon arch around as I felt it looked more complete. This balloon arch made such a statement and was the perfect backdrop for photos.
Welcome Table
When brainstorming ideas for the party I knew that I wanted to have a welcome table. For the table I created my own graphics on Canva in order to capture exactly what I wanted.
Firstly, I had welcome cocktails for guests to sip on as they entered the party. I called them ‘Gradperol Spritz” to play on the infamous Aperol Spritz that I knew all my guests loved. I would pick whatever drink you know to be a fan favourite for your guests. I bought a frame and created a sign that said “Cheers to the Grads”. This section of the welcome table was such a hit among my guests. It was an invitation to get comfortable, mingle and most importantly have fun!
The second thing I included on this welcome table was a place for guests to wish the graduates luck and share some wisdom. I thought it would be a great way to make guests feel included and particiapte in a fun activity. It also meant that I would have messages to read and refer back to forever. To change it up, instead of having an actual book for people to sign, I purchased a frame and took out the glass. This allowed the card stock of the frame to be exposed for guests to write on. Additionally, I purchased multi-coloured markers so that everyone could get creative. For signage, I created a sign on Canva that said “Congradulate the Graduates” as a fun play on words and to guide guests on what to write. This part of the welcome table was such a hit, and it was even more special to read all the messages guests wrote.
Polariod
I don’t know about you but I love polaroid photos. I find them so special and way more fun than regular iPhone photos. As another fun party activity, I put out my polaroid camera and purchased the film. With a sign that said “Capture the Moment” I encouraged guests to take the polaroid and snap pictures throughout the night. Once again, this was such a hit during the party. Not only did we have fun taking the photos; everyone got to go home with their own polaroids from the night. This was such a simple decor item, all it took was a frame and a printer.
Graduation Banner
I found these graduation banners on Amazon and I instantly knew they would make such a great addition to the party decor. I attached them to my fence but they would look great on either side of a door or as wall decor. In between them, I found this #FINALLYDONE banner that added the perfect touch to the area. This also encouraged people to use the hashtag ‘FinallyDone” when posting photos of the party.
FOOD
For food, I got most creative with the dessert table. Amazon had so many cute decor items.
Firstly, I purchased these graduation cupcake toppers for cupcakes that I made. I also purchased some super cute gold and white cupcake tins to keep within theme. As you can tell with all aspects of this party I wanted to ensure that gold, white and black were represented everywhere. I could not be happier with how these cupcakes turned out. Not only did they taste good, they looked so cute on the dessert table.
Secondly, I purchased this graduation cake topper for the cake I ordered. For the cake itself, I asked the decorator to write “The Tassel was Worth the Hassle” which I thought was a fun saying for guests to read. I placed the cake topper on the cake and it was immediety transformed.
Lastly, I created a sign on Canva to welcome people to the dessert table. It said “A Sweet Ending to a New Begining”. Once again this was a play on words to the dessert table and graduation party. It was little touches like this that made all the difference.
If this post inspired you for your next gathering let me know in the comments!
ALTG 
One response to “HOW TO HOST THE BEST GRADUATION PARTY!”
It was definitely a fantastic event, Laura, your ideas and attention to detail made it very special for sure. It was a great day to spend with family and friends to celebrate such a huge milestone in Laura’s life journey. Well done!
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