Graduating is a major reason to celebrate. When someone manages to complete their education (whether it is at the high school, undergraduate or graduate level), it deserves a party. Of course, the costs of education might mean that your party budget is extremely limited. Even if that is the case, you can still have an amazing Graduation Party with a Graduation Party DJ, loads of amazing food, an excellent venue, and more.
Did that list of items surprise you? Perhaps you were thinking about a low-key party in the backyard? That is always an option, but there are many more things you can do to make your graduation party fun and exciting without breaking the bank.
The Must-Haves
To help ensure that your graduation party planning stays on track and on budget, we offer this list of “essentials” required of any celebration for a graduate.
Venue – Where is it going to happen? The backyard is fine, as long as you have a tent or can take shelter from bad weather. Keep in mind that you may need to find a way to address electrical supplies, bathrooms, and more.
Invitations – These don’t have to be expensive and can be as fun or as casual as you’d like. There are loads of pre-printed invites that work well, and you can handwrite the details. You can use custom design websites and print your invites with a photo of a graduate. Just be sure the invites include the details: name, date and time, location, and any details about the party (DJ, requests for song suggestions, etc).
Decorations – Think of this as the “fun stuff” of party planning, and try to find decoration ideas that are in sync with the graduate. Maybe they were an award-winning athlete or maybe they studied a specific field or area. Maybe you can use the school colors as the party décor or you can make a slideshow to have the party DJ run as everyone enjoys a meal or gets ready for activities. Don’t forget a guest book for everyone to sign!
Food and Drink – Keep this as simple as you can. Many opt for the buffet-style because it lets you put out all of the food at once or have it catered at the most affordable price possible. Beverages may be a self-service style to match the buffet, or you can hire someone to serve as the bartender, though this can often be a bit more expensive.
Entertainment – A graduation party deserves a great Party DJ or a Graduation Party DJ who knows their stuff. They can often be the “make or break” factor of a party’s success. Why? Because they are the people who will be in charge of keeping everyone active, busy, laughing and enjoying all of the fun. Keep in mind that there are graduation party DJs and entertainment providers that do the traditional musical stuff, but might also introduce fun elements such as photo booths, lighting setups, fog machines, monograms, up lights, party favors such as glow wands, and more.
As you can see, there are so many ways that you can keep costs under control when planning a graduation party. There are places where a few shortcuts will hardly be noticed, such as the venue (backyard, local park, lower-priced rentals like a local pavilion or outdoor space) or even the food (think DIY or low-cost catering options). The invitations and decorations can also allow you to fiddle a bit with the budget, but where you don’t want to cut corners is with the Party DJ. Choose a local area DJ with great reviews.
The DJ is the Host and the Entertainment
As the entertainment for the graduation party and the host of the event, you want a professional DJ who can keep things moving. The DJ is there to ensure that the party is fun from beginning to end and something everyone talks about it for months or even years later.
The team at SoundWaves Entertainment specializes in quality, personalized, professional, and fun DJ entertainment at an affordable price. With more than 30 years of experience in York, Lancaster and Harrisburg, PA as well as Baltimore and Westminster, MD, they offer the kind of music, photo booths, up lighting, and party favors that any graduate deserves. They can even help keep costs down by providing some of the lighting, décor and party favors!