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Bubbalou’s Catering Serves Up Graduation Party Planning Tips
By Bucky Weston

Graduating high school or college is one of life’s greatest moments. Among weddings, anniversaries and birthdays, it is a celebrated milestone in one’s life that deserves to be recognized and celebrated. There is a lot that goes into planning a successful graduation party, but don’t stress – simply follow these 10 easy steps:

1. Set a Budget – before you even get started, determine how much you want to spend on the entire graduation party. Remember to count the cost of location, decorations, and food. Once you get this technicality out of the way, you can start working on the fun stuff and plan the best party for your budget.

2. Select a Theme – whether you want to choose a theme (luau, dance party, graduate’s new school, hobbies) or decorate with a more classic feel (cap and gown motif), make sure it is one that suits the personality of the graduate.

3. Location – where you hold the party depends on your budget but if you have money to spare and are expecting a large party, consider a local hotel’s banquet room or rent out the civic/recreation center. If you are trying to cut costs, hold the party at your neighborhood park or at your home for an even more memorable event.

4. Set the Date – keep in mind that at graduation time of year, a lot of other parties and celebrations are going on. To ensure a better RSVP rate, let your guests know the date of the graduation party as soon as you select it. This gives them plenty of time to schedule your event on their social calendar.

5. Invitations – mailing or hand-delivering invitations to your graduation party is a classy touch but if you need to save time (and the cost of postage), use popular online invitation websites to inform a large group of people about your party in just a few clicks. Just like invitations found in the store, online invitations have a large selection of designs to choose from so the invite can coordinate with the theme of your party.

6. Decorations – whatever decorations you choose, make sure they flow with the theme of the party. A backyard BBQ may need nothing more than balloons and streamers while a banquet hall would call for centerpieces at each dinner table. Just be aware of the theme and location when it comes to selecting decorations.

7. Music – avoid lulls in the party with pulsating music. Music really helps set the atmosphere of a party so whether you hire a DJ or break out the CD collection to pipe through your stereo system, keep partygoers moving and grooving with a continuous stream of chart-topping hits.

8. Activities/Games – take breaks from dancing by playing fun party games. This is a good way to switch up the momentum of the party and get people to interact with each other. You can break out a deck of cards, play classic board games or come up with creative games centered around the graduate to see who knows him/her best.

9. Food – planning what kind of food to serve at your party does not have to be a daunting task. Make it easier on yourself by catering your event or organize a pot luck where friends and family each bring a dish to create a diverse buffet. Make sure you take an accurate headcount of guests attending the party so there is plenty to go around. If you get in a pinch and have more people coming than previously planned, you can easily order a party pack.

10. "Thank You" Notes – last on the list but never the least, make sure you send out “Thank You” cards to everyone involved in helping you make the graduation party a success. It’s the proper thing to do and let’s everyone know just how much you appreciated their help.

Now that you know how to throw a fabulous graduation party, it’s never too late to get started. The earlier you plan the better and allotting yourself extra time helps work out any kinks that may arise during the party preparation. Happy planning!

Since 1986, Bubbalou’s has been serving Central Florida’s best BBQ. The winner of numerous food awards including The Orlando Sentinel Reader’s Poll Best BBQ 14 years in a row, Best BBQ Dive in America by the Food Network and Best BBQ by Orlando Weekly readers, Bubbalou’s BBQ Restaurants also offers award-winning catering service for Orlando and Central Florida. Bubbalou’s catering menu has various barbecue favorites from Hamburgers to their famous barbecue Chicken, Beef, Pork, and mouth-watering Ribs, all smoked and cooked to perfection. In addition, you’ll receive Bubba’s best Baked Beans, creamy Cole Slaw, and oven-baked Brownies. Bubbalou’s catering service is second to none for the Orlando and Central Florida area. See for yourself how Bubbalou’s catering service or party packs can liven up any office party, wedding, picnic, graduation celebration or other special event.