The Ultimate Graduation Party Checklist
Nicole Duddy
Contributor
A round of applause and a big congratulations to this year’s graduates! After long years of hard work, you can celebrate your achievements with those who supported you through it. Before beginning the next chapter of your life, take the time to relax and enjoy a celebration dedicated to you and your class’ accomplishments.
Whether you're graduating from high school or college, this graduation party checklist has a plethora of great ideas and tips to create your own celebration that’s degree-worthy.
Keep reading for the Ultimate Graduation Party Checklist:
Choose a Venue
Backyard Space
The late spring into summer (hopefully) means warm and sunny weather, so this is your opportunity to host the graduation party right in your own backyard. Not only are backyard events an easy spot for your party, but there’s also no time limit to when your celebration has to end since the space can easily be transitioned with string lights and firepits.
Your backyard also provides the perfect opportunity for an unforgettable graduation pool party! Whether guests choose to swim or not, the open pool will help create an inviting ambience that feels like summer.
Event Hall
Instead of hosting and attending individual graduation parties, why not suggest throwing a celebration with all of your friends? This gives everyone a chance to celebrate one last hurrah together and reel in the memories of the past four years. An event hall provides ample space for this large celebration that can accommodate any number of guests, entertainers, and activities you have planned.
Send Invitations
Every party needs some sort of invitation distribution. Whether this is a piece of mail, an online invitation, or even just a simple text message, you’re going to want to provide guests the date, time, and location of the graduation party festivities. It’s best to send invites out at least a month in advance so people can mark it down in their calendars.
Book Vendors and Rentals
Caterers
Depending on the size of your guest list, you might want to leave the preparation and cooking to the professionals, so you can enjoy the party you worked so hard to plan. These dedicated chefs can make your favorite dishes and deliver them to your event or even cook on site if needed. From finger foods to buffets and everything in between, you can find a catering company to create it.
Bartender
If the goal is to keep everyone’s glass filled during the graduation party, you’ll want to book a bartender to mix up everyone’s favorite drinks. From Old Fashioneds, to Dirty Shirleys, and fruity mocktails, these professional mixologists can do it all to make your event extra special.
Event Rentals
Designing an event from scratch can be fun since you have a lot of creative freedom to do what you want. However, not everyone has the supplies to make their vision a reality. To help with this and keep costs down, you can hire an event rental company. These businesses will have everything you need without the commitment of buying and storing everything afterward. Including everything like tables, chairs, linens, signs, and even dance floors, an event rental company will act as your one stop shop.
Photographer
By hiring a photographer, you can remember the graduation forever through beautiful images that can be kept in family photo albums and posted on social media. Take a polished portrait with your new diploma to show off your success, and have a class picture with your caps thrown in the air. During the celebration, the photographer can also capture other precious moments from the party so you can look back at them for generations to come.
Book Entertainment
Live Band
Every party needs music, especially for an event as exciting as a graduation party! An upbeat band will help liven up the atmosphere whether they’re playing in the background or they’re the source of an unforgettable dance party. As the band plays their rendition of all the top-charting hits, you and guests can dance, sing, and request songs throughout the day.
DJ
Some people prefer the sound of a DJ to create an exciting party atmosphere. If you’d prefer to go this route, you can find a local DJ on The Bash to play all the latest hits for your graduation party. Work with them prior to the party to create the ultimate song lineup and use our summer party playlist for more inspiration.
Comedian
Graduation party guests tend to have an extremely wide age range including newborn cousins, great grandparents, and everyone in between. A comedian makes one of the best entertainment options because they can tailor their routine to the dynamic of the crowd. Browse different categories of comedians on The Bash to get everyone at your party laughing.
Photo Booth
Everyone is going to want to take pictures with the guest of honor, so rather than taking pictures on everyone’s phone, consider booking a photo booth to do the work for you. Photo booth vendors will include props, backdrops, and all the necessary equipment to capture silly and sentimental moments throughout the day. The best part is that the pictures can be printed out at the party or distributed digitally afterwards.
Select a Menu: Food & Drinks
Pizza
With many hungry guests waiting, you might want something simple, versatile, and easy to serve. Pizza has always been a fan favorite amongst party-goers, so why not implement it into your food selections? From meaty lover feasts to gluten-free bases, this meal choice can accommodate everyone’s taste buds and served easily.
BBQ
For those hoping to have their graduation party outside, you can treat your guests to an exciting summer barbeque experience. Fire up the grill and fill the air with sizzling sounds and the smells of charcoal-grilled meat and veggies. Steaks, burgers, skewers, ribs, and more, you can easily throw them all on the BBQ to cook.
Sandwiches
Sometimes people aren’t that hungry for something super filling, so it’s always good to have multiple options available. Sandwiches are a light yet yummy food choice that always seem to be a hit. It doesn’t matter if you decide to make them yourself or get them catered, this type of finger food is easy and gets the job done. Some of our favorites for a graduation party include an italian combo, meatball subs, and veggie-lovers.
Champagne
Nothing signals the start of a celebration quite like the pop of a champagne bottle! You can whip out the bubbly as people enter the event or hand them out to toast the new grad. You can always mix this idea up by serving non-alcoholic sparkling wine or juice for everyone to join the toast.
Pro tip: Champagne towers provide the perfect celebratory photo opportunity for the college graduate. Stack plastic champagne glasses into a pyramid and watch the sparkling wine travel down to fill each glass.
Cocktails
Is there a cocktail more fitting for the occasion than The Graduate? This tasty beverage is a popular vodka drink made with various liquors and juices. If you want to learn more about this cocktail and how to make it, follow this helpful recipe here.
Punch
Another drink option you can put together is a classic fruit punch. With the endless flavors available, you can make a few punch bowls of different flavors and place them on your beverage table. These drinks are also suitable for those who want something fruity and refreshing that isn’t an alcoholic cocktail. Here’s a handy list by Taste of Home that you browse and take inspiration from.
Cake
One menu item you should definitely remember is the graduation cake! Every celebration deserves a cake, so honoring an achievement such as a graduation should be no different. If your party is dedicated to your class, have an edible picture recreated on the face of the cake with edible icing. To enhance the sweets table further, you could have graduation-themed cupcakes surrounding the cake decorated with the school’s colors.
Finalize Decor
Balloons
When it comes to decorating your event space, balloons can help transform it from a standard room to a party atmosphere with a few supplies. To differentiate your celebration from any other type of event, you can get graduation themed balloons and place them around the venue. These can be simple circular balloons with congratulations written on them or extravagant decoration pieces such as this grad balloon box from Amazon. Don’t forget to pick up large mylar balloons of the graduation year!
Photo Wall
Set up a photo wall with pictures of the graduate throughout their school years. This can be a great conversation starter and a fun way to reminisce about old times. Photo walls are the perfect decor because they double as a picture backdrop.
Lighting
Lighting is crucial to set the mood of any get-together. When the sun goes down, you’ll want plenty of ambient lighting indoors and out to keep guests comfortable. If this party is outdoors, you can incorporate string lights, tiki torches, and firepits to create a warm glow.
Graduation Cap & Gown Display
You’ll only wear the cap and gown once, so at least get a second use out of it by doubling it as party decor. Using a wooden coat rack, you can hang the gown and top it off with the cap to accent a table with a guestbook, memory display, or the dessert spread. This is a simple DIY project that a party host of any experience can put together.
Plan Party Activities
Guess the Grad Baby
Guess the grad baby is the perfect game to play with your whole graduating class, or at least your friend group. Its title might sound quite explanatory, but it involves a slideshow of baby pictures of the recent graduates. As each picture is shown, guests have to guess who the baby grew up to be. With this game, you can expect a lot of laughter and awes from the crowd. It’s also a fun way to reflect on how far everyone has come!
Pin the Tassel on the Cap
This game is a reimagining of the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey. For this, you will need a cutout of a graduation cap to stick on a wall and homemade tassels from crafting paper. Each participant is blindfolded and turned around three times before they make their way towards the wall to put the tassel where they think it should go. You can even customize this game to feature the graduate with this poster from Etsy.
Karaoke
For the grand finale of your event, bring everyone together for a karaoke session. Guests can let their hair down and show their talents for all to hear. Whether it’s a solo act or a group effort, your party attendees will have the chance to spot the next superstar in the making. If you don’t have your own karaoke machine, book a karaoke DJ to provide all the necessary equipment and music so everyone can live out their pop star dream.
Send Thank You Notes
After the party, it’s important to thank all the guests who came to celebrate your big milestone. Nothing says “thank you” like a nice handwritten card!
Find more graduation party inspiration on The Bash.
