Graduating from high school or college is a significant milestone. Through the years since the first day of kindergarten, your school pride never wavered, and now, it’s time to celebrate that major life accomplishment. Before you go on and continue with your next plans in life, party first! Invite your classmates and school friends, and get clever with your graduation party. Here are some ideas that can help you get started:
Decorations
Rose gold backdrop
It’s not a party without a backdrop. If you like to host a graduation party with your dearest girlfriends from school, a rose gold backdrop is the prettiest option. Buy a rose gold party backdrop set complete with foil balloons for a sparkly, trendy, and pretty photo op.
Graduation party tablecloth
Make your grad party look festive with these graduation party table covers. They come in different school colors, so show your school spirit by choosing one that’s the same as your school or university.
Wood pallet wall backdrop
If you’re hosting your party outdoors in your backyard or garden, it’s best to add natural elements through your décor. Reusing a wood pallet and decorating it with balloons will be a great idea. Get some oversized pallets and make them stand like a wall. Just make sure it’s tall enough so that the balloons you will add at the topmost part will not be blocked by the heads of your guests (so it would look great for pictures!).
Decorate the top portion of the wood pallet with a balloon garland made with this balloon set. Finally, add gold balloons just right below your balloon garland.
Outdoor graduation banners
Decorate for the party, starting with the outdoors of your home. Welcome them inside with a congratulatory hanging banner. You can attach it to both sides of your front door or hanging from your porch ceiling. Either way, it adds a classy and festive look to your house party.
Photo highlights
Your squad will definitely squeal with delight once they see your photo highlight display at the party. Long before graduation, search for fun pictures with your friends from Facebook or your phone album, and print them out. Start from the freshman year until the last days before your graduation for the best nostalgia effect. Display them on jute twine string with wooden clothespins and let it serve as a banner on a wall. After the party, you can use this to decorate your bedroom!
Flowers in a mason jar
Get some mason jars and fill them with simple flowers you can get in your backyard or from the supermarket. It’s almost effortless, but it can elevate the look of your dining tables. Using a jute string, attach these graduation tag cutouts that are perfect for the occasion.
Tassel garland
A tassel garland looks basic, but it can create a big impact on any room. Use it to decorate your fireplace mantel, buffet table, or buffet wall.
“Bright future” drink straws
Finishing your studies means you’re one step ahead for a brighter tomorrow. Incorporate that optimism in little details like the drink straws. Instead of graduation caps, this one is decorated with shades and light bulbs, symbolizing a bright future. It’s a fun way to decorate your beverage bar.
Food and Drinks
Diploma food
Celebrate your success with edible diplomas! Foods that are rolled can be decorated with a ribbon tie to make them look like a diploma. Here are some ideas:
- Choco hazelnut diploma rolls – This is a chocolate-filled pastry dessert made of puff pastry sheets, Nutella spread, and sliced almonds. Spread Nutella and sprinkle almonds on one side of a pastry sheet, roll it like a diploma, bake, and tie a ribbon around it.
- Grilled cheese rolls – Make some grilled cheese sandwich in a roll style. Flatten white bread slices, then place a slice of cheddar cheese on top. Roll and cook in a skillet with butter, and serve. Use chives for tying it up like a diploma.
- Wafer rolls – Serve some chocolate wafer sticks and use gummy strips like a ribbon to tie it up.
- Or, you may simply serve food on rolls like a burrito, soft taco, shawarma, or any lunch rolls.
“One Smart Cookie” spread
Celebrate your smarts with a table full of sweet and crunchy baked goods – chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies. Serve them in white trays, so the goodies take center stage. Using a chalkboard, make a chalk lettering that says “She’s/He’s One Smart Cookie” as a centerpiece, then use mini chalkboards to label every type of cookie. You may also make special cookies to give away and wrap in these adhesive cookie bags.
Graduation peanut butter push up pops
Make a throwback to your childhood by serving peanut butter push pops. Remember Nestle’s Push Up Pops from your childhood? Make an upscale spin using chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, mini Reese’s cups, and Ghirardelli squares. Alternate layers of chocolate cake and peanut butter buttercream on the push-up pops, then instead of putting a lid, top it off with Reese’s cups and Ghirardelli squares to make it look like a graduation cap. “Glue” them together with more buttercream. Finally, make the “graduation cap” tassel by adding a large button sprinkle in the middle of the Ghirardelli squares and using the gummy spaghetti as a rope draped along one side.
Rustic drink station
If you’re hosting your graduation party in your backyard or any outdoor setting, it’s fun to make a rustic drink station. Purchase a few wooden crates and galvanized drink buckets and interestingly stack them. Serve your bottles of water, soda, and beer in here.
Graduation candy buffet
Adults and kids alike love candies, so you don’t have to stop loving them after graduation so you can finally “adult.” Serve candy as a crowd-pleaser, but we have a better idea – make puns out of it. Set up a candy buffet with this tabletop chalkboard and create a chalkboard lettering that says “A Sweet Ending to a New Beginning.” Then, use these mini chalkboards to label the candies.
Serve Tootsie Rolls and label it with “Honor Rolls,” Smarties as “Smarty Pants,” 100 Grand as “Student Loans,” gummy worms as “Bookworms,” mini Nerds as “Nerds,” and Ring Pops as “Class Rings.” It’s a punny way to display candy that everyone will admire!
Graduation cap Rolos
If you like to try the graduation candy buffet mentioned above, don’t forget “Graduation caps!” Serve your favorite Rolos in the form of grad caps. To do this, get a pack of Rolos and cut out squares from black construction paper. Glue it on top of the Rolo, and place a little gold ribbon that goes to one corner of the paper.
Donut board
A donut wall stands is easy to set up and display your donuts. It makes an appealing donut display that your guests can’t resist!
Keepsakes and Favors
Adventure book scrapbook
Do you like scrapbooking? If you do and you have lots of awesome photos with your friends, make a scrapbook out of it and let them sign it at the party. After graduation, you and your friends would most likely part ways, so keep the memory of them fresh by making a scrapbook and getting them to sign it with a message at the party.
signature guest book board
Have everyone sign and write a little message on this board for you to keep and remember them by. The past school year has not been easy, so make it special!
Graduation card-shaped box
Before you part ways, have your friends write a letter or a message to you and have them drop it in this graduation card-shaped box. Texting and instant messaging are good, but there’s always something special and sentimental about a handwritten card.
But if you invited your family (Hi Nana, Auntie Helen, and Uncle Greg!), keep this box for dropping their money envelopes for the graduate!
Heart drop guest book
Instead of having a typical guest book, why not use this heart-drop guest book Have your guests drop by and sign the little wooden hearts and drop them into this frame. You will be able to hang up this frame and remember everyone who celebrated your graduation party with you. Though it’s typically used for weddings, it’s also perfect for graduations parties where you share your special milestone with the ones you love.
Graduation cap box
Pack your small candy favors in a cute grad cap box It will surely be a hit at your graduation party! Simply fill it in with candy for guests to take home.
Graduation cap mason jars
Instead of using not-so-eco-friendly goodie bags, you can give your graduation party favors in an awesome mason jar topped with a graduation cap! It’s easy to make, perfect for the occasion, and reusable once the candy or pastry contents are gone.
Fill mason jars with candy or cookies you’d like your guests to take home. Decorate the lid by using a strip of black card stock around the sides. Then, top it off with a square piece of the black card stock to make it look like a graduation cap. Finally, add some tassels using twine and yellow paper cutouts.
Bright future candies
Say “thanks for helping make my future bright” with lightbulb souvenirs. Just unscrew the cap and fill it with M&M’s or gumballs.