Planning a graduation party on a budget

[wendow]

But graduation balloons would be re-usable, and don't you have four children, @wendow?!

Your party sounds amazing and you're getting some great ideas from everyone here! It sounds like your daughter really deserves this and it must feel nice to be able to make her happy!

I do have four and this is my oldest so I have 3 more to graduate. I definitely want to reuse all I can!! Thanks for all the info. Haven't really looked into balloons yet so I need to get on it.

My dd has been sick for almost 3 years and her high school years have been rough and she has missed out on a lot. She is finally responding to treatments and feeling better (not 100% but we are thrilled with anything!) so I do want her party to be special and magical. She deserves it!

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Anyone have tips? I'm getting overwhelmed with the whole deal. We have about 75-100 people coming. Open house style party.

Current menu is pulled pork, pasta salad, chips, veggies/dip, fruit salad, cake, cookies, candy bar.

I have two families who are vegan, two dairy allergies (one of my own kiddos), several gluten free...the places here in the denver area who make a vegan *and* gf cake are so $$. What would you do to accommodate that? No cake for those people??

Another family coming does not eat pork. Thought about pulled chicken for them but how do you serve something that is only meant for one family?

My dd wants a theme with bright colors but also 'farmhouse' style. Is that even doable? What colors look good with farmhouse?

My dd has had a really rough high school life...very, very sick for two of her four high school years...so I hate to say I coddle her but the honest thing is, I do, and I want this party to be very special for her. I cannot spend a ton of money but I want this party to be memorable for her and all she's had to deal with. She adores Disney and wants to do the DCP so if there were any ideas for incorporating that into a theme, I'm all 'Ears'. She isn't well enough YET to go away to college so we don't have a college theme to play off of.

Thanks!!

I would do Hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork, pasta salad, fruits and veggies, cake, cookies, candy and ice cream for the gluten free folks. If you have 100 people coming I honestly wouldn't worry about dietary restrictions unless it's your own kiddo.

Farmhouse theme? Does she mean like cowgirl? Cause that's could be pretty easy especially if you're going to do it outdoors.

 

[kkmcan]

For decorations for my dd's graduation party a few years ago, I used her cap and gown and hung it on a wall near the front door. Also hung up her cheer uniform. We took all of her high school tshirts (Honor society, key club, choir, senior, cheer etc) and pinned them to a large foam poster board. This came out so great and we saw all the clubs and groups she belonged to over the years. We also put up string lights strung back and forth across the back patio and then clipped tons of photos of her from birth- present. Doing the same for our sons upcoming grad party in a few weeks.

For food, I am ordering from a local restaurant. I don't think I can make it any cheaper myself. 1 pack feeds 10- grilled chicken, tortillas, coleslaw, beans, rice, chips and salsa $40. We only have about 20 people coming so I will order 2 packs and getting a Costco cake for dessert. We did the same for my DD a few years ago but I also did nacho's (cheese and chips from costco) and all the teen kids ate that up. Ended up with tons of chicken left over.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

In my circle of mom friends, our favorite word is BORROW!

Send out an email to friends and family : do any of you have the following things I can borrow..... then you list specific things and also say farm style decor. Trust me! People will be happy to loan you things you need and in return, you will loan them things when they are having their grad party.

 

[kymom99]

In my circle of mom friends, our favorite word is BORROW!

Send out an email to friends and family : do any of you have the following things I can borrow..... then you list specific things and also say farm style decor. Trust me! People will be happy to loan you things you need and in return, you will loan them things when they are having their grad party.

I agree. Or even better, give things. After our party I gave my son's friend's mom my tea light holders and wall banners for their party. She wanted to pay me but I was glad someone could use them.

 

[kymom99]

Also OP, those wooden crates can be bought fairly cheaply and go along with the country theme. You can use them for displaying awards, etc, or on the dessert table to arrange things at different heights. They can be used later for storage

 

[wendow]

In my circle of mom friends, our favorite word is BORROW!

Send out an email to friends and family : do any of you have the following things I can borrow..... then you list specific things and also say farm style decor. Trust me! People will be happy to loan you things you need and in return, you will loan them things when they are having their grad party.

I have definitely sent out an APB to borrow things And you are right, people are very willing to lend or give!!

 

[wendow]

Also OP, those wooden crates can be bought fairly cheaply and go along with the country theme. You can use them for displaying awards, etc, or on the dessert table to arrange things at different heights. They can be used later for storage

Good idea!!!!

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

We are starting to finalize our plans for DD's graduation party. The only thing she asked for was salsa, lol.
So, I am going to do a taco bar.
I'm going to make pulled chicken in the crockpot, do some grilled chicken and brown some beef.
I'm borrowing crock pots to hold all the meats in.

Then going to lay out Mexican rice, soft & hard shells and chips. People can make rice bowls, tacos, taco salad or nacho plates.

Our course we'll have all the fixings, queso dip, rice & beans. I'll probably make some fruit salad, and whatever else I can think of.

The invites are going to say open house between 4-8pm with taco bar.

Pulled chicken in a crockpot, super simple
1.5lb chicken breast, one packet taco seasoning, one jar of salsa. Sprinkle seasoning on both sides of chicken, lay in bottom of crock, cover chicken with salsa, cook 4 hours on low, shred, put back in for at least 30 mins to absorb all the salsa, done.

 

[TnTWalter]

Our Open House was 2-5 on a Sunday afternoon. That way we didn't feel obligated to serve a meal to save on money.

Ideas for inexpensive centerpieces. We did mason jars with baby's breath and a picture of my D at various ages on each jar. Plus her favorite candy [twix] mini bars on tables and chex mix she likes in cute jars.

We did a dessert table and a snack table.

Dessert. Sams club cupcakes are really good and are $15 for 30. I bought either 60 or 90 and made cookies, brownies and gooey cake. but not everyone is going to have a cupcake so to save money 60 fine. Otherwise Costco cakes are really good too and cheap. Had a couple jars of candy for pretty. Some do candy bars or ice cream bars but they get expensive.

For snacks... My D chose her favorite snacks. Chips Salsa Guac Cheese Crackers Fruits Veggies. I did a couple trays of nuggets from Chic Fil A [they were a hit] And outside I had a cooler with freezer pops cause why not.I was going to do cute fruit display like kebobs, etc. but ran out of time and energy. It's a lot of work. lol.

For Drinks we did big containers of lemonade, iced tea and water.

Truly people just graze. Some stay for a while and some go from one to the other. No one expects a meal so aren't planning on it. We had a great day and lots of space so people played various outdoor games [9 square, spike ball, Enos].

We went to many many parties and they were all variations of elaborate and simple.

My D loved her party. She was thrilled with the outcome.

I got the jars for tables @ Dollar Tree and made all the banners and signs. The favorite hit was the lifesize cut-outs of D at various ages lining the walk way [Hubby has printer at work and bought foam board and spray adhesive at Lowes].

And we had our party one of the last so we were given many items. The crate for cards. All the photo booth stuff, etc.

Here are some pics I took [sorry couldn't find one of the snacks table]. I meant to make the year with the cupcakes [2017] but it looked terrible. So I just did her initial and filled in as needed. If you do the numbers print them out to place cupcakes on so it looks good [pinterest].

https://www.flickr.com/gp/47691881@N02/94NL43

 

[wendow]

Our Open House was 2-5 on a Sunday afternoon. That way we didn't feel obligated to serve a meal to save on money.

Ideas for inexpensive centerpieces. We did mason jars with baby's breath and a picture of my D at various ages on each jar. Plus her favorite candy [twix] mini bars on tables and chex mix she likes in cute jars.

We did a dessert table and a snack table.

Dessert. Sams club cupcakes are really good and are $15 for 30. I bought either 60 or 90 and made cookies, brownies and gooey cake. but not everyone is going to have a cupcake so to save money 60 fine. Otherwise Costco cakes are really good too and cheap. Had a couple jars of candy for pretty. Some do candy bars or ice cream bars but they get expensive.

For snacks... My D chose her favorite snacks. Chips Salsa Guac Cheese Crackers Fruits Veggies. I did a couple trays of nuggets from Chic Fil A [they were a hit] And outside I had a cooler with freezer pops cause why not.I was going to do cute fruit display like kebobs, etc. but ran out of time and energy. It's a lot of work. lol.

For Drinks we did big containers of lemonade, iced tea and water.

Truly people just graze. Some stay for a while and some go from one to the other. No one expects a meal so aren't planning on it. We had a great day and lots of space so people played various outdoor games [9 square, spike ball, Enos].

We went to many many parties and they were all variations of elaborate and simple.

My D loved her party. She was thrilled with the outcome.

I got the jars for tables @ Dollar Tree and made all the banners and signs. The favorite hit was the lifesize cut-outs of D at various ages lining the walk way [Hubby has printer at work and bought foam board and spray adhesive at Lowes].

And we had our party one of the last so we were given many items. The crate for cards. All the photo booth stuff, etc.

Here are some pics I took [sorry couldn't find one of the snacks table]. I meant to make the year with the cupcakes [2017] but it looked terrible. So I just did her initial and filled in as needed. If you do the numbers print them out to place cupcakes on so it looks good [pinterest].

https://www.flickr.com/gp/47691881@N02/94NL43

Your party was so cute! Thank you for sharing!! I loved seeing your pics. The lifesize cut outs must have been so fun!

Since my dd's graduation is at 1:00, lasting until 2-2:30 and a gathering after at the school, we are stuck doing a SAturday evening party (some family flying out Sunday morning). So our party will be Saturday evening and will be over a meal time. It's ok though. I do not mind providing a meal. Everyone we have invited is near and dear

 

[TnTWalter]

Ah. Just trying to save you money.
Since yours is evening here's an idea.

We had an after party at our house for her good friends, etc. At the end when it was dark, they all walked to the park and wrote wishes, dreams on sky lanterns and let them go. It was cool. I bought a large pack from Amazon. They shared the lanterns. Several shared one, etc. I still have some left.

Other ideas. I had the little pictures that you give away to people printed at a print shop instead of photo place. It was super cheap.

I bought an Initial and painted it white and provided sharpies for people to sign. Then we added nails to it and she took it to school [it holds her necklaces].

Use special pens that don't bleed through and have people sign their names in her bible by their favorite bible verse if that's something that she'd like.

of course, bring her yearbook for those in her school to sign.

And I had bought a big pack of thank you cards and had the envelopes in a basket for people to write their address on [easy for her to send thank yous].

It is super fun but lots of prep time. Start printing pictures now if you haven't already.

pinterest is great but over the top. you don't have to go crazy. just have fun and celebrate such an accomplishment. sounds like she worked hard to get here.

 

[wendow]

Just wanted to update and thank all for the advice! The party was this past Saturday evening and it was awesome!! We did end up doing a taco bar. Very popular and tasty! Worked good for accommodating different allergies and diets.

We had plenty of food. Most popular item was a punch made from pineapple sherbet and sprite. We went through all we had in a couple of hours and I thought one teen boy was literally going to turn my punch bowl upside down and lick the inside lol.

We did a photo spot with props. Used one of the newer 'Polaroid' style cameras and had a blank photo book people could post a pic and write a note. This was very, very popular with all ages, and will make a nice keepsake for my dd.

Party was an open house 5-8. People arrived pretty much at 5 and were almost all still hanging out at 9. Last guests we kind of had to push out at 10:30 lol. 85-90 people in total.

We could not have asked for a better party for our dd. Truly memorable and a ton of fun! Thank you all for giving me so many tips!!

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Just wanted to update and thank all for the advice! The party was this past Saturday evening and it was awesome!! We did end up doing a taco bar. Very popular and tasty! Worked good for accommodating different allergies and diets.

We had plenty of food. Most popular item was a punch made from pineapple sherbet and sprite. We went through all we had in a couple of hours and I thought one teen boy was literally going to turn my punch bowl upside down and lick the inside lol.

We did a photo spot with props. Used one of the newer 'Polaroid' style cameras and had a blank photo book people could post a pic and write a note. This was very, very popular with all ages, and will make a nice keepsake for my dd.

Party was an open house 5-8. People arrived pretty much at 5 and were almost all still hanging out at 9. Last guests we kind of had to push out at 10:30 lol. 85-90 people in total.

We could not have asked for a better party for our dd. Truly memorable and a ton of fun! Thank you all for giving me so many tips!!

Sounds as if you gave your daughter a truly special party! Those memories will last forever, so happy for you that everything turned out so well.

 

[wendow]

Sounds as if you gave your daughter a truly special party! Those memories will last forever, so happy for you that everything turned out so well.

Thank you, Peggy. So happy I posted here for ideas and tips. You guys rock in giving advice and I know I can come here and get a wealth of advice!

 

[bjscheel]

How much meat did you fix for the tacos? Taco bar is our plan for DD16 next year.

 

[Julia M]

For those of you doing taco bars, here's a fantastic and easy and cheap rice recipe. I coped it into a google doc from a webpage, but don't remember where. (Somebody's cooking blog). I added the cilantro marinade.

How to Cook Rice for a Crowd
Servings: 50

Ingredients

• 3 quarts rice long grain, white (12 cups which is about 6 pounds)
• 5 quarts water
• 3 tbsp Kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 12 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 12 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Place 3 quarts uncooked rice in large roasting pan (lightly sprayed with cooking spray), spread evenly. Set aside.
3. In a large stock-pot, combine water and salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
4. CAREFULLY pour boiling water over rice and stir so rice is even along the bottom.
5. Immediately cover tightly with aluminum foil. Make sure you have a tight seal around ALL the edges.
6. Place roasting pan in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until rice is tender.
7. While cooking, mix together the cilantro, lime juice and lemon juice.
8. Fluff rice with a large wooden spoon & toss with cilantro and juice mixture.
9. **Note: If you want to wait to serve, just keep in the oven at 150 degrees or so or keep warm in an electric warming pan. Add a little water if necessary to keep from drying out.

Then I buy the carnitas from Costco. Our Costco sells a 2 pack...20 ounces each (so a total of 2.5 pounds) for $15. It's already cooked, you just have to shred it. It seems like the package is so small, but let me tell you.....that vacuum seal is amazing. Throw the carnitas and marinade in a crockpot.
Toss it with this marinade:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 ½ t salt
1 t pepper
4 cloves garlic
2 cups orange juice

You can also buy rotisserie chicken from Costco, also precooked and vacuumed sealed. Two pounds are $12 here. Shred the chicken and toss with taco seasoning.....use just 2-3 packages so it's not overly seasoned. Just like the carnitas, toss in the crockpot.

Serve vegetarian refried beans (i buy the big #10 cans at Smart and Final).

I bought the small corn tortillas for street tacos. I served chips but not nacho cheese, but I would serve nacho cheese if I had been serving teens.

I also had lots of extra sides, but wouldn't go to all that work again. I'd just have sour cream and guac, chopped onions (but at Smart and Final) and salsa.

I swear, the recipes above are the BEST EVER. I've served it twice for big events in the last year and am doing it again in 2 weeks. It is, without question, the cheapest and easiest way to feed a crowd and amazingly popular. It in no way looks "budget".

For a cheap vegan dessert, make cupcakes with Duncan Hines cake mix (has to be Duncan Hines) and a can of soda. (google it...vegan duncan hines cupcakes). Frost with Duncan Hines frosting.

Another idea....my daughter was vegan at HS graduation (now she's vegetarian) and we served root beer floats. I bought 2 liter bottles of root beer on sale with a huge tub of vanilla ice cream and vegan ice cream for my daughter. Also popular.

 

[wendow]

How much meat did you fix for the tacos? Taco bar is our plan for DD16 next year.

I cooked 14lbs of ground beef, and I made black beans. There was very little of the meat left over and tons of beans.

 

[wendow]

I had planned to make a rice but never got around to it. I really don't think we needed it. The tacos were a hit. I didn't need as many beans as I thought. I think I'd do walking tacos next time. Lots ideas on pinterest. For toppings, we had guac, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and cheese (reg & dairy free). Fastest moving toppings were lettuce, cheese and guac. And while the Costco cake was quite tasty, the most popular 'dessert' was the sherbet/sprite punch. The teens (and really everyone) went wild over it.

 

[TnTWalter]

I had planned to make a rice but never got around to it. I really don't think we needed it. The tacos were a hit. I didn't need as many beans as I thought. I think I'd do walking tacos next time. Lots ideas on pinterest. For toppings, we had guac, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and cheese (reg & dairy free). Fastest moving toppings were lettuce, cheese and guac. And while the Costco cake was quite tasty, the most popular 'dessert' was the sherbet/sprite punch. The teens (and really everyone) went wild over it.

we are having a surprise graduation party for one of my D's friends and wanted the sherbet/sprite punch recipe? Is it just sherbet and sprite combined? If so, easy peasy. Thanks.