This time of year is such an amazing time of year, with lots of activities going on, specifically graduations. A lot of busy moms are probably freaking out right now because of all of the end-of-activities going on, such as sporting events, finals, all of these different things and what to add to it, graduation and graduation open houses. That’s crazy.
Whether you have a very high-maintenance high school senior or a very low-maintenance high school senior, the process is all the same, and you don’t have to stress about it. It does not have to be perfect. From the very beginning, the first step: pick your date, pick your time, and pick your venue. Simple.
Pick Your Date, Time, and Venue
Choosing the Date
Prepare Your House For a Party
A lot of people probably already have their date; this part is probably already done, with graduations within the next month. But if you don’t have a date yet, pick a date and realize that you are not going to be able to please everyone, and there are going to be people who will not be able to attend.
Choosing the Time
Pick your time. What’s your time frame? Do you want to do it for two hours, or do you want to do it for three or four? It’s totally up to you. Some want three hours, others four, and some are just doing two. It is totally up to you, and there’s no right or wrong answer.
When thinking about what time to start, one thing to consider is how much time you are going to need up front to get things ready for that day. Do you have a lot of setup outside, with the weather? If you’re going to be outside, you might have tables and things you need to set up. What if it’s windy? What if it’s raining? You’ve got all of these things you need to think about.
Picking the Location for the Graduation Party
The other thing to think about is where you are going to do your open house. Are you going to have it at another venue that you are actually going to have to rent? That right there takes a whole lot of prior planning, because at this point, if you don’t have a place secured, you might not be getting one.
If you’re hosting at your home, or at the home of a friend or a family member, or you’re using an apartment complex, or just wherever you’re hosting it, that’s the next thing to think about. Are you going to be inside, or are you going to be outside? What’s your backup plan in case it rains? Having a backup plan is always a good idea.
Seating and Setup
Some other things to think about: seating. How many tables and chairs are you going to need? You don’t have to have seating for everyone. It’s an open house, which means people come and people go, so you’re not going to have everyone there at one time.
The afternoon hour is specifically chosen because it’s not lunch and it’s not dinner, it’s in between, so you don’t necessarily have to worry quite as much about the food. How many tables do you need, how many chairs, and where are you going to get them? Are you going to borrow them from friends, or are you going to rent them?
It can be nice without spending a ton of money. Just borrowing chairs from friends, or whatever you can make work. Are you going to set up canopies outside? Are you going to rent a tent? These are all things to be thinking about, just in case.
Invitations for the Graduation Party
Nowadays, you don’t have to make it hard. Some people like to have physical invitations, and some people will get them printed. You can create them on Shutterfly or Etsy and have them printed so they look nice and professional. You can create your own invitation through something on your own computer, whether you have Publisher or Pages or something like that, and either print them at your own home on your own printer.
Obviously, that takes your ink, but nowadays you don’t have to print that many of them. Or you can just buy the little postcards, the sheets of postcards that are perforated; super easy to do, and they look great. Or you can create them at home and then take them somewhere like a UPS store or a business supply place that has copying, and they can print them for you.
What seems to be the most popular right now is really just doing a Facebook event. Most people are on social media. Create a Facebook event and be able to invite friends and family.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should the open house last?
What’s your time frame? Do you want to do it for two hours, or do you want to do it for three to four? It’s totally up to you
Do you need seating for everyone?
You don’t have to have seating for everyone; it’s an open house, which means people come and people go, so you’re not going to have everyone there at one time
Why is an afternoon a good idea?
It’s not lunch, and it’s not dinner, it’s in between, so you don’t necessarily have to worry quite as much about the food
What’s the most popular way to send invitations?
What seems to be the most popular right now is really just doing a Facebook event, and most people are on social media
Does it have to be perfect?
It does not have to be perfect, and that’s coming from a perfectionist, okay
Keeping It Simple
People are all over the board. You might not want to spend a whole lot of money, or you might want to make this the grandest event in your town. It doesn’t matter whichever way you’re going to go with it, or somewhere in between, that’s totally fine.
Just do you. Don’t try to do an open house just to impress people, because in the big scheme of things, ten years down the road, who’s going to remember your child’s open house? Probably no one. Sorry, don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but just the truth.