Column - Graduation party strategy

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Decorations, sandwiches, salads, cake and many folding chairs. This is what fills the houses of many high school seniors during the month of June.

Preparing for a graduation party seems to consist of a lot of planning, time and tedious activities.

How many buns to order? Where should we put the tent? Where will the guests park? What salads should we make? These were just a few of the thoughts that crossed my mom’s mind and lost her a lot of sleep while preparing for the graduation party.

My mom asked many other mothers with children who had graduated previous years, and they all gave her different advice. Most of these moms did warn that only about two- thirds of the invited guests will come and to prepare to feed that many people.

However, my party was at an earlier date than most of my classmates so many insisted that we would need more food.

My relatives said we needed a lot of dessert, the neighbors said more buns, and I said we didn’t need more of anything.

The morning of the party, I woke up to the noise of thunder. Luckily, the light rain stopped before the party began.

The grass was mowed and the tent had already been set up the night before.

My mom and aunts frantically prepared food in the kitchen while my dad and uncles hung up signs and prepared the beverage containers.

The party was at the end of May and brought much needed relief to our home when it was finished. However, even after sending everyone home with Tupperware full of salad, we were still eating leftovers for weeks, but I did not mind this.

After hosting and greeting many guests at my own party, there were still many of my fellow classmates’ parties to attend.

Most of these parties also consisted of some type of sandwich, salad and, of course, a dessert.

My advice for planning a graduation party would be to stick to the two-thirds rule of how many to feed.

Also keep in mind that not everyone will take a piece of cake. As a very dessert-oriented family, we could not believe when others warned us of this before our own party. We still have leftover cake in our freezer. At least this is one thing that can be frozen and saved for a while.

Keep in mind while choosing a time that guests will come about an hour before and an hour after the set time on the invitation.

This is also important to remember when it comes to eating. Eat before the party starts. Do not plan on eating while there is a lull in arriving guests. They will continue to come at different times and will chat until another guest comes to be greeted.

For graduates, I would suggest preparing your answer for the question: What are your plans for next year?

Almost every guest asked me this question and so did many of my classmates at their own parties and other events.

Throughout your senior year you will be asked this question or a similar version of it.

Do not get annoyed when they ask. They do not realize how many times you have answered this question or they are desperately looking to start a conversation.

Many of my guests were friends of my parents. Many of these friends I had never met. Planning a greeting or conversation for these guests is also a good idea.

When stumbling because you have forgotten someone’s name, don’t feel terrible; the guests have an unfair advantage. They can tell you are the guest of honor because of all the photos your parents will put on display.

Also, set aside a couple of days to write thank you cards. Writing all of these cards at one time will probably be impossible and splitting up the time will make it less painful, for your mind and hands.

Most importantly, be sure to give extra thanks to your parents and others who helped make your party possible. The amount of time and work they put in will be outrageous and shouldn’t go un-appreciated.

“It’s Our Turn” is a weekly column that rotates among members of the Echo Press editorial staff.

Tags: heather huwe, our turn, opinion, columns, huwe