Graduation Parties and Presents
It is graduation season! There will be thousands upon thousands of people graduating at all levels and it is time to celebrate. What is most important at this time is recognizing the sense of achievement that has been accomplished by the graduate and making them feel good about themselves.
Some guidelines come in handy when considering exactly what to do for your graduate. First, consider your options.
1.Budget size: How much money do you have available to allocate to this graduation fest? This is the backbone of the whole ceremony and will mainly determine the intricate details of the party (and gift). Once you have come up with a budget estimate, then it is time to carry out your plan.
2.What level is your candidate graduating from? Is it preschool, grammar school, middle school, high school, college or advanced degree? This is important because all the other factors will be centered on the age and experience of the graduate. For instance, you may not want an all night party for a preschooler while a party at the zoo may not appeal to a student graduating high school.
3.What is the gender of the graduate? This is especially important when choosing a gift for the graduate. A gift certificate to a nail manicurist may appeal more to a female graduate whereas tickets to a favorite team game may be appreciated more by a male candidate. This is relative to the person in question and you may find many a men who may choose the manicure over the game tickets!
Gifts:
What to give the graduate on his special day depends on many factors. In addition to the guidelines mentioned above, you may also want to consider the relationship you have with the graduate. If he is an acquaintance, a non personal gift such as a good book may be a better option that a gift card to a lingerie store. Leave such personal items to close friends and people with whom they have an intimate relationship.
Enlist the help of a good gift shop attendant. Most of them will have good suggestions of what to buy based on the information that you provide to them. Online resources are now available to help with gifts too. You can use this by searching the term “graduation gifts” on most search engines and then narrowing the results down based on your criteria.
The party:
If you are the host of the graduation party, it is now time to plan. Consider the following:
When to have the party: Most parties may be postponed to the weekend day following the graduation. The advantage of this plan is that you may get most of the invitees in as more people are able to attend weekend functions relative to those held on the week day. Some may be held on graduation night and not lose the excitement of the whole occasion. Some may even be held at a later date to accommodate other previously planned events such as weddings. Also important is the time of day when the party will be held. Consider late afternoon parties for preschoolers to ensure that they are not too tired and sleep times are not adjusted greatly. An all night party for a high school student may be a way for a parent to let them know that their sense of responsibility has been noted and they can stay out longer.
Who to invite: Guests to a graduation party should be those that have had a direct influence on the graduate. For a preschooler, that may be immediate family members while for a college student, a high school coach that influenced them to get that scholarship would be a worthy guest.
Invitations: These largely depend on the kind of guests that you are inviting and the nature of the occasion. Are you having a theme party? Are the guests likely to prefer formal invites or will casual ones do just fine? Is it ok to invite them by email? How soon should they go out and by what date should the RVSP be in? All this is dependent on how formal party you are throwing is. Formal parties will need formal invites while email may be ok for a casual beach party for a middle school student.
What to serve: Alcohol for instance may not be a good choice for a party where the guest of honor is under the legal age limit to drink. As for food, your options are endless; you may opt for catering, eating out, cooking at home or asking the guests to bring something to eat and drink. Catering may be considered if the party is formal while asking people to bring their own food is a good choice if the party is being thrown by a fellow college student.
How to make it fun: Party rentals can be used to create a fun atmosphere at the party. A preschooler may appreciate a jump house while a high school student may find a limo ride to and from the ceremony a great honor. For some parties, decorations may be bought or rented. There are people that specialize in party d�©cor and you may hire some to create the kind of atmosphere that you want to create. Suggestions for party activities such as games, or speeches are mainly dependent on the graduate and whether the party is formal or not.
In conclusion, the idea is to have a party and gift that acknowledges the hard work that the graduate has put in to deserve the honor of graduation. If you have no idea of what to do, where to find party supplies or any party related information, there are numerous resources that are available on the internet, from referrals and on the yellow pages that will ensure that the event is a success.
