New Beginnings – Planning a Graduation Party

Graduation Season

Spring is here and Graduation is on the minds of many anxious students and their parents.  Colleges are chosen, plans made and now it is time for senior prom, a graduation party, and a season of new beginnings.

Last year I was deep in the midst of that change with two children graduating. Meanwhile, I worked on plans to move across the country. My husband, already working a couple of thousand miles from home, spent much of his time out of town and commuting. That meant it was my job to clean out our house and help my friends plan a high school graduation party for our boys who had been great friends since elementary school.

This Time Last Year

What a difference a year can make! Last year was a whirlwind and I found little time to record the journey while I was caught up in it. Thankfully I have pictures! Looking back through my camera roll from last year I am reminded of how wonderfully talented my friends are. They did a great job planning, organizing and pulling off a fabulous graduation party. They also made it a fun and enriching experience for all involved.

One of our biggest challenges was finding a space appropriate to the event.  Feeling the party would be too large, and parking too scarce, at any of our houses, we needed a rental space. We also needed that space to be close to home. When plans to host the celebration at a favorite restaurant fell through we scrambled for an alternate location.

Transformation

The small town assembly hall we found fit most of our needs. It offered a large room with a functional kitchen. It also provided space for a fair amount of parking. What it lacked we hoped to compensate for with planning and imagination. Together we resolved to transform the space to meet our expectations.

Soon brainstorming sessions and Pinterest boards turned into drawings and lists. Then, from the lists, tasks were assigned and distributed. Before long a plan that would turn the unadorned space into a comfortable party room decked out in school colors took shape.

The transformation of our rented hall began bright and early on the morning of the party. First we set up long tables at the sides of the room. Next we added round tables and folding chairs to the gathering space.

As the sun rose higher we hung preassembled decorations. We draped fabric attached to dowel rods from the ceiling. We also suspended a metallic backdrop featuring a large “2012” photo collage behind the graduate tables.

Along one wall each graduate was provided a space to display a framed photo collage, a gift card holder and other personal memorabilia.

The round tables were dressed with flowers and candles and the chairs were draped with gathered fabric.

Refreshment

The dessert display commanded special attention. White paper covered textbooks lifted cake stands into position to display a wide variety of cupcakes. Burlap and rick-rack covered risers displayed a series of large glass canisters holding our grads’ favorite cookies. Burlap and gingham covered cans were filled with wrapped candy while mason jars held dipped pretzel logs and red and black licorice sticks. I added Snickerdoodle Cupcakes, Oreo Truffles and Snickerdoodle Blondies to an assortment of homemade treats that would rival any small town bake sale.

White table covers were decorated with black and white photos of the graduates clipped with clothespins to a piece of twine draped along the length of the table.

Individual sized cartons of milk and striped paper straws completed the dessert theme and chalkboard-ready foam board, cut to size and edged with brown tape to resemble old-fashioned school blackboards, added a nice touch to the decor.

Passing the Baton

The group effort ended in smiles and laughter. The graduates were feted and the parents spent.  After an efficient clean-up that included lots of hugs and a few tears we wrapped up our celebration and passed the baton to the class of 2013. On to the next phase of the journey!