Graduation Party Ideas

It's that time of year when many young people in America are getting ready to embark on the next chapter in life. Graduation. For the parents, it's also about successfully planning a party for the graduate.

Use our simple timeline to keep everyting on track. Gatherings Timeline  

Theme Ideas

Hawaiian Luau

Invitation: Make a flier or buy a luau invitation at your local party/stationery store, but instead of sending it alone, prove you're creative and include a flower hair comb for the ladies and a flower wrist bracelet for the men. Tell them they must wear the enclosed pieces, and you want them to dress luau-creative. That will get them talking long before the party!

Setting the Mood: Good luau music not only sets the mood but you learn to do the Hula or the Limbo.

Decorations:
- Place bamboo torches outside your door.
- Adorn your porch rail or doorway with parrot and/or luau lights for a festive effect.
- Use pink flamingos to adorn your front yard or line them up the driveway or front sidewalk.
- Use netting as your backdrop.
- Have a big basket of multi-color leis (thin leis, thick leis, silk flower leis, solid silk flower leis) inside the door where people can help themselves to a few. This will make for fun photo opportunities (you can send them later as a thank you for attending the party). 
- Make a life-size custom cutout of the graduate with a speech bubble welcoming your guests.
- Hang paper lanterns, tribal masks, wind chimes and wooden parrots.
- Add shells, sand and perhaps a mini-pool to the backyard.
- Place metallic palm trees and wooden totem poles around the yard/patio.
- Set candle votives in citronella around outside.

Name Tags:  Use starfish or sand dollars and write the name of the person on it. String ribbon around it to hang on the guests' necks.

Buffets: Use grass skirts for a table skirt around the buffet table. Try green plastic or linen tablecloths on all serving tables Add tropical Mylar balloons in the shape of fish, palm trees and other related shapes, so buffets can be seen from anywhere at the party. Use beachcomber hats (multi-color or plain) upside down to hold different snacks and munchies. Provide tropical toothpicks as a final touch. Use baskets on each buffet to hold luncheon napkins, plates, cutlery and cups.

Tables: At a luau it is traditional to sit on the beach. Don’t have a beach? Place picnic tablecloths on the ground for younger guest to use. Make sure to use tropical colors for your tablecloths - yellow, green, hot pink, melon, orange and bright blue. Add your own seashells, maracas and sand. 

Favors: Fish squirts (little rubber fish that you fill with water, squeeze and squirt) are great fun if the party is outside. Another idea is to send guests home with their own plastic tropical beverage glasses. These can be found in housewares stores.

Helpful Links:

• Luau Recipes
• History of the Luau
• Some more Hawaiian Recipes
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