by MaryMichael Hough photos by Maria Donnelly

Individual or Shared

Who do you share with: When trying to decide who to co-host with, try to choose someone with whom you or your friends share common friends. If you have a cousin graduating in the area it would be easier on your family members and your guest list.

If you are co-hosting, make sure you and your parents are comfortable with sharing a party and with the person you are sharing with. Remember, you will all be working together for a long period of time and are responsible for splitting the cost of the party amongst your families. It is important that you and your co-host are able to find times when you and your parents can meet in person and talk about plans. It is very difficult to plan a graduation party solely over the phone or email.

“[Lizzie and I thought it was a good idea to co-host] because we went to grade school together and have remained close friends throughout high school,” Weiler said. “Our parents are already friends and we had most of the same guests in mind in the beginning stages of planning.”

The Guest List

Who to Invite: immediate family, relatives such as grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, family friends, teachers, teammates, classmates, fellow advisees, close friends from other schools, underclassmen

Do not feel obligated to invite every single teacher at STA or every one of your STA classmates

How many is too many?

“If you are having an open house, a lot of people will most likely just pop their heads in,” senior Margaret Weiler said. “It’s graduation season so people have a lot of different parties to go to. It’s not likely that a lot of your guests will stay the whole time so don’t freak out if your guest list has a lot of names on it.”

The Invitations

Your options: Create a Facebook Group, send evites via email, or mail out paper invitations

Don’t be afraid to send invitations to some people and invite others via email or facebook

“[Senior Lizzie Luallin and I] didn’t send every single person an invitation because it would have been expensive and unnecessary,” Weiler said. “Invitations are a really good idea for grandparents and family friends or people who aren’t exactly present on Facebook, but for like classmates and underclassmen it makes more sense to just add them to a Facebook group.”

Sharing a Guest List with a Co-Host: A shared Google document is a great way to create one guest list with a co-host.

“Even though Google Docs is quick and easy, it’s also a really good idea to make individual lists and then sit down with whoever you are hosting with and narrow it down or add names face-to-face,” Weiler said. “This eliminates anyone who may have been forgotten or even listed twice.”

Popular places to get personalized invitations:

Walgreens: Flat 5 by 7 cards

• $16.99 for a set of 20 (.85 per card)

Vista Print: Flat 5 by 7 cards

• $5.99 for a set of 10 (.60 per card)

Walmart: Flat 5 by 7 cards

• No special .48 per card

“Typical invites will have a picture of the host or hosts from prom or a senior picture photo-shoot,” Weiler said. “It should definitely say where and when the party is taking place.”

The Venue and Date

Where to have your party: Your house is a great place to host a graduation party indoor or outdoor. Renting a room at your country club, favorite restaurant, or even STA is a good way to avoid cleanup or overcrowding.

When to have your party: Having your party the weekend of graduation is convenient because family members are already in town. Graduation weekend, however, is also a very stressful time and a common time to have parties, so guests are more likely to be busy with family or other parties.

Having a goodbye party as opposed to a graduation party towards the end of the summer is always a good idea because guests are more available and the stress of graduation has subsided.

“[When Lizzie and I picked the date of our party] we really focused on when our close friends we’re having their parties and when a lot of the parties we had already been invited to were happening,” Weiler said.

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Food

When providing your own food: Stick to lighter foods that are easily made and served in large groups

• Pigs in a blanket

• Chips and dip

• Finger sandwiches

• Veggie or fruit platter

When getting a caterer: Make sure to choose a restaurant that is comfortable with catering instead of just ordering food for everyone from your favorite restaurant. Many restaurants offer catering specials for parties.

Convenient Caterers include:

• Jack Stack and Oklahoma Joes Barbeque

• Chick-fil-A

• Garozzo’s Italian Restaurant

• Panda Express

“From the beginning, Lizzy and I always thought cookies would be a better idea than having cake,” Weiler said. “Cake is harder to eat standing up and people will be coming and going so quickly that cookies just seem more convenient.”