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Graduation is a good reason to declare Party Time! All of the work that went into getting to the stage to pick up that scroll should be rewarded by a celebration.
Planning a Graduation Party
Graduates love to have a place to mingle and celebrate the big event, not to mention all those years that have gone by. Add some food and beverages and it will be a perfect party.
- Choose a date and time for the party. Remember that there are many festivities and family commitments scheduled at this time of year, so choose a date and time that allow graduates to be flexible.
- Set an approximate budget. This decision will help drive the others you need to make.
- Consider the type of party you want. Again, keeping in mind that a lot may be going on, perhaps an open house or drop-in type party might be best.
- Decide on a menu. Keep the age of the partygoers in mind when choosing food and drink: Pizza and soda may be great for high school graduates, but college graduates may expect something more sophisticated.
- Make a guest list. You can limit the guests to close friends and family, or you can aim for a broader cross-section of friends or classmates.
- Plan decorations if you want them. Consider school colors, graduation year or school sports teams as a theme.
- Buy or make invitations, and send them out with enough advance warning. Remember to include the date and time of the party, a general idea of the dress ("dressy," "casual") and indicate whether there will be a meal served, or if it's just hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
- Order a cake. No graduation party is complete without a "Congratulations Graduates!" cake to share.
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Themes for Graduation Party Food Ideas
Fresh graduation party food ideas can help make any celebration a little more unique. We've all been to the standard gatherings, with chips, dip, and vegetable platters. Breaking from the standard graduation party food ideas, one of the best ways to find creative fare is to have your party catered. This also takes the headache out of same-day celebrations, which occur on graduation day itself. This frees you up to literally host the affair, rather than attempting to serve as cook, host, and clean-up simultaneously. |
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A Hawaiian luau is a popular theme for graduation party food ideas and dress alike. While graduation ceremonies are formal affairs, it is always nice to unwind and be informal after the ceremony. A catering company can provide all of the traditional luau food without having to dig a fire pit in your yard. If interested in a more formal affair, a clambake is a good direction to go in. By providing food, tents, table, and chairs, a catering company can make hosting a graduation party a breeze. Clambakes create an atmosphere where it is easy for guest to interact and mingle.
Here are a few hearty dips that are extra easy to make, and are always a big hit- |
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Cream Cheese Dip
Purchase cream cheese in block form, and top with salsa (flavored salsas are great), cocktail sauce and crabmeat, green pepper jelly, or jam (any flavor works, but apricot is delicious!). Serve with a variety of crackers. Triscuit thins are perfect with this dip. |
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Artichoke Dip
Mix 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup mayonnaise ("light" is okay to use), and 1-24 oz. can of artichoke hearts, chopped into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, and serve with crackers. This dip can be served warm, or at room temperature. |
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Easy Cheesy Dip
Add one large block of Velveeta Cheese, one 16 oz. can of chili without beans, and one 16 oz. jar of salsa to a crock pot. Stir occasionally. The dip is ready when the cheese is completely melted. Serve with bite-sized tortilla chips. |
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Baked Brie
Hollow out an oval loaf of French or sourdough bread, cutting the bread so that you have a "lid". Fill the hole with Brie cheese, and put the lid back on. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with small chunks of bread, or crackers. If the Brie is not to your taste, fill the bread with any other type of dip, such as a creamy spinach dip. |
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Shrimp Cocktail
Serve on ice, along with cocktail sauce. This is a little more costly than most items you might plan to serve, but it will make your guests feel special, and the color looks terrific on a buffet. |
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Guide to estimate food quantity
A general rule is that everyone will not eat everything. People normally will eat more starches and meats than vegetables and anything fried will be the first to go. Going through a buffet line can make people feel the pressure of others behind them, so they move along quickly and won't take huge quantities the first time through. So you will much rather have leftovers than a sparse spread at your buffet line, but here is a guide for you when you are estimating your food quantities for your buffet.
For individual meats, fish, poultry:
5 - 6 ounces per person
If the cuts of meat have bones in them, consider adding more weight per person.
For multiple meat meals and buffets:
4 - 6 ounces per person
For pasta dishes:
A pound will serve 8-10 people.
For vegetables:
With a premixed salad, estimate one handful per person.
One head of lettuce will feed approximately 5 people, 4 medium heads will serve 15-20.
For appetizers:
Estimate about 10-12 items total per person.
Make 3-4 of each item per person, keeping in mind that everyone may not take all of the items.
For desserts:
Calculate one full portion of dessert per person.
For multiple desserts, people will taste smaller portions of each item.
A normal cake will serve approximately 10, but 15 will be fed if you are also serving pie.
You will have a much better success rate with most recipes if you make multiple batches of a single recipe rather than trying to multiply the quantities by 3, 4, or more. |
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