How to Throw a Minimal Graduation Party on a Budget

Having a graduate in the family is surely one of the proudest moments for every parent. And usually, parents can’t wait to honour their graduates and throw a party for that occasion for all those hours dedicated to studying. However, due to many other ongoing costs that being a graduate brings, it’s sometimes hard for parents to organize a graduation party on a budget. Some even give up on this idea of celebration due to finances. Nevertheless, to throw an amazing graduation party you don’t need to have unlimited funds at your disposal – you can do it even with a limited budget. There are some tips and tricks to follow when it comes to throwing the ultimate budget graduation party. The first thing you should do is set your budget, followed by choosing the type of party you’d like to host. Next, you should select a proper venue as well as food and drinks. And finally, you should send out invites to your guests.

1. Set your budget

The first thing you should do when planning any party is to set your budget as it will dictate all the other things. Factors that will highly affect your budget include the number of guests, the food you’ll be serving as well as the choice of venue. Consider how many people you want to invite – is it going to be a huge party or a rather intimate gathering? As for the food - finger food or full meals? How about the venue – are you going to organize the party at home or rent a space? All these things affect our budget significantly.

2. Choose the party type

When it comes to choosing the type of party, you should first think about the timing. Are you going to invite people around meals or mid-day? For instance, if you’re planning an evening party that’s around dinner, a budget-friendly idea is a potluck. It is always a fun way to get together and celebrate. You could ask some family members and a couple of friends to bring a few dishes. In this way, you can invite more people and still be on a budget. Other options include a brunch or an afternoon dessert bar, which are also plausible options. You can always make a party more amusing with some additional activities such as hiring a video booth or a photobooth for creating some fun memories.

3. Select a venue

Now that you’ve got your budget and timing, it’s high time to select a venue. Of course, your home is the cheapest venue where you can throw the party. However, you should consider your space carefully and whether it can host all the guests you’ve planned to invite. If you do go for your home as the best option and decide to host the party outside, think about the shade – is there enough and what your backup option will be in case of bad weather such as rain. Also, have in mind that you should prepare your home for the party as well as clean up afterwards. Perhaps, renting a venue isn’t such a bad option. You can always rent parks and community centers for a reasonable price.

4. Send out invites

The easiest way to save money when it comes to invites is to send free ones. You can use some of the electronic invite services and send out your custom invitations. You can make them more personal by including some photos. You can also print some photos with all the information on the back – however, this comes with some printing costs. There are also many online printing options that often come with a discount code.

5. Consider food and drinks

Meal and drink planning is essential for hosting a successful party. As one of the first steps, you have already decided the time of the day for hosting the party and you already know that you’ll be serving a specific meal such as brunch, dinner, or mid-day dessert bar and you can now plan what exactly you will serve. You can make the food yourself, order catering or, as already mentioned, host a potluck party – the choice is yours.

Planning a graduation party is an exciting process, which doesn’t have to be tiring and tedious when having these few simple tips and tricks in mind.