Choosing a Party Date

Picking a date for your graduation party is your first major commitment. Check your personal calendar and the school calendar for major end-of-the-year school functions. Although you may not be involved, some of the people on your invitation list might be.

There will be several events that you may not even be aware of that may conflict with your date. For example, the end-of-the-year school team/club banquets. Call your coaches and teacher advisors for information on “unscheduled” events.

Warning ... Weekends in June are very busy. First of all, a lot of people will be having graduation parties on the same weekend as the graduation ceremony. In fact this is one of the reasons we decided to write our book.  We want to encourage parents to spread out their graduation parties. So we can all attend more parties!

Be sure to check with neighbors. You don’t want to have a graduation party at the same time. Parking could be a problem.

When you think about the date, also think about if you would like to celebrate in the morning, the middle of the day, or the evening. Again we encourage you to be different.

We recommend a three-hour window for your celebration.  Two hours is kind of short and four hours can be long.

Out of town guests?

Are some of your out-of-town guests going to want to bring their school-age children? When does school get out for them?

As soon as you’ve picked your date, let out-of-town family and friends know so they can plan a trip. A postcard or phone call will do. You will probably follow up with a formal invitation closer to the date.

Want a great turn out?

We strongly recommend having your party before graduation. People are excited to attend the open houses, and are not exhausted from going to so many. You also have a much better chance with caterers and rental companies if you plan a celebration in May instead of June. However, look out for Memorial Day and our favorite, Mother’s Day. The parties that are held in May, before Memorial Day, usually get the best turn-out.

Does your school organize a Baccalaureate service (a nondenominational service)? If so, hosting your party immediately following this service is a great choice. People who attend the service are especially grateful to have a chance to visit with old friends.

Want to save money?