<p>Valleymom, I am with you and would love to hear more ideas about parties.<br>
My S graduates on a Wednesday afternoon, the school then has an overnight lockin activity so we just sent out invitations for a Friday night party. We are planning on about 25 families and about 20 of S’s friends, so it is a mixed group. Thanks to redr002’s suggestion I’ve already ordered party banners. Kissy, thanks for the meatball recipe and by the way is tabbyzmom correct about no additional ingredients in the meatballs?
Thanks to all who contributed this above ideas.
A party at my home for approximately 70 is a challenge so I’d love to hear more menu, decorating and planning ideas.</p>
<p>Bump!</p>
<p>Anyone have any ideas to share?</p>
<p>Hot plate or sterno? Which would keep the food warmer?</p>
<p>Suzinfla- To the best of my recollection, I told Tabbyzmom that I think I added onion to the ground beef- the rest of the ingredients are for the sauce. It’s a very simple but tasty recipe. </p>
<p>My vote for food warming goes to sterno. I’ve sween things burn on hotplates and, if you’re serving a large crowd, it would be difficult/expensive to get that many hotplates. The nesco roasters are also handy. Party stores have the disposable aluminum food warmers with sterno inserts which I like from the clean up aspect. Less work=better!</p>
<p>Re: invitations. I mailed invites to all the adults on the list and my daughter handed our flyer/invites at school. Yes, that meant there were about 50+ invites at school but it really came down to the 30-40 kids she knew the best. Her graduating class was 900 so there’s too much overlap with parties to think that all 75+ people would come (and they didn’t). That is usually how the kids do it for their friends - just hand out invites at school.</p>
<p>Around here graduation parties are a BIG deal. People go crazy with themes and lots and lots of decorations. I really didn’t. I kept the food simple - just big old hams and Costco salads and chips and pretzels and appetizer type stuff for adults. Sodas were in a help yourself cooler. I got a cake but also added cookies and Costco cream puffs (I love those puppies - I could eat a whole bucket myself) and brownie bites because people tend to like finger food items more. Do NOT get a huge cake - with kids running from house to house they grab some food everywhere and really don’t go much for cake. The only exception to the big cake rule is if you want leftover cake and are a size 2 - because you’ll be eating it for days and days and gaining weight accordingly!</p>
<p>The biggest thing I regret not doing is a photo album. That is also huge here (I swear we have more scrapbooking stores than Starbucks!). Kids LOVE to sit around and look at pictures of themselves. I am so non-creative that I froze at the idea of doing a scrapbook type thing and did nothing. The only picture-y thing I did was string up my daughter’s school pictures - you know the set you pay a small fortune for every year? I had one for every year from Kindergarden through senior year and I put them on a string across the opening to the living room so you could see how she had changed. </p>
<p>I sitll wish I had done a photo album and I could have just taken every picture she had and stuck it in a album without any order or fancy scrapbook borders and it would have been fun to see. </p>
<p>We did the party the weekend before and that worked really well. It left graduation weekend very mellow - even with both my mother and mother-in-law in the house. We went to Sun. afternoon grad and then to an early dinner at Maggianos and then the school puts on a lock-in grad party (with great prizes and games). I really liked that the party was behind us and that we could enjoy the grandma’s visit and focus on the graduation itself without worrying about a party. It was very emotional for me and I liked being able to just sink myself into it without anything to think about but the moment itself.</p>
<p>I like the scrapbook idea, Fredo. I had made display boards - one for photos and another for awards, newspaper clippings, etc. My D has the photo board hanging in her dorm room now, but I like the “permanence” of the album.</p>
<p>Cakes-they ended up being decorations that husband took to work on Monday.<br>
I added 1 or 2 eggs & seasoned breadcrumbs to the meat in the meatballs-seemed to keep them together longer. Used crock pots and the Roaster with buffet inserts.</p>
<p>Thanks to all and especially to Fredo. I really like the idea of stringing the pictures. I did a scrapbook for 8th grade, but it is so much harder with High School. I don’t have too many casual pictures. I think a board might work.
Thanks also for the perspective on turnout and food. DS’s graduation is less than a month away, so much to do…</p>
<p>I was just surfing on graduation parties - looking for ideas - and discovered that Jostens.com has a guide for graduation and senior year with a few ideas in it. Also, I haven’t tried it, but snapfish.com will take your pictures and make posters, invities, etc. out of them. So many decisions!</p>
<p>I solved the whole problem by booking a family trip to Europe leaving the morning after graduation! No party - we’re outta here!</p>
<p>An alternative to the hectic spring grad party.</p>
<p>Two years ago when S1 graduated, we were having trouble trying to schedule his party. He didn’t want to conflict with friends’ parties (heaven forbid he missed one) and since our relatives would all be traveling from out of state we needed to wait until our neices and nehews were done with school. </p>
<p>We decided to have his party in August, the weekend before he left for school. We made it a “Come wish S well as he heads off to University” party. Everyone loved the idea. It was great to get S’s friends and their parents together one last time right before all the kids went off to their respective schools and since it was during the summer, it was much easier for all our relatives to travel here.</p>
<p>I’ve decided to do a grad party since my son’s 18th birthday is the same week…more bang for the buck.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the great suggestions offered here…especially the suggestion of having the grad party on a separate day…not graduation day.</p>
<p>my-3-sons-
I love the idea of the August going to university party! So many people will be having grad parties, but I bet few will have going to college parties. You could use the new school colors for your kid, or you could make posters for all the schools you know kids are going to. I’m making plans right now!</p>