How to Host a Big Graduation Party Like a Pro

Budget and Prep

According to chef Emmanuel Stone at Epting Events, it's possible to throw a fairly lavish party for 50 people for about $500, but it's important to plan your budget carefully. A good rule of thumb is to plan to spend about 60 percent of your party budget on food and drink; 25 percent on glasses, flatware, and necessary serving pieces; and 15 percent on the look and feel.

Renting essential items like glasses and small plates can be surprisingly inexpensive per piece, but the delivery costs ($75 in many areas nationwide) and minimums (frequently $300) often raise the price considerably. Classic Party Rentals (with locations nationwide) offers basic, all-purpose 11-ounce glasses for as little as 70 cents apiece, and small white-rimmed plates for about 65 cents each. Obviously, renting may mean fancier ware and no washing, but also a pricier party, especially since experts advise that you rent three times as many glasses and 10 percent more plates and flatware than number of guests.

If you'd rather buy, check out your local dollar store or online discount stores for economical disposable options, or reusable items that can be saved for your next party. At online retailer Dollar Tree, a case of 12 8.5-ounce Cobalt Blue Festive wine glasses—billed as durable and dishwasher-safe—cost $12 (plus shipping and handling). RestaurantWare.com sells pretty and eco-friendly bamboo plates, which cost about $80 for 100 medium-size plates.

Food

Chef Stone has several tips on how best to feed a crowd for less. First, and perhaps most important, he recommends throwing your party midafternoon so that no guest will arrive famished!

For a large bash on a budget, Stone suggests a menu of foods that can be picked up and eaten in a bite or two, followed by something sweet and simple for dessert. The last thing you want is to have guests swarming the same food and beverage table, so place the selection of foods in multiple spots throughout the home, as well as outside on the patio and/or on a table in the garden. This will get guests to retrieve their plates, serve themselves, and mingle until they are ready for more. And here's a caterer's trick you can adopt: Serve your bite-size fare on smaller plates, which will make each serving look larger.

When it comes to finger foods, expect that each guest will eat between 6 and 10 hors d'oeuvres. To keep things within budget, plan to serve larger quantities of inexpensive apps, such as dips and crudités: Multiply your number of guests by 5 to calculate how many servings to make. Homemade bean-based dips—great served alongside pita chips and crudités—can be made for less than $4 for a batch that feeds 12. Hearty and healthy, chips and dip are perfect for filling up a crowd—plus, dips can be prepared ahead of time, and you can never make too much.

Having saved some money by going the chips-and-dip route, you can now splurge on smaller quantities (about a quarter of all hors d'oeuvres) of more luxurious apps such as the Seattle Tuna Rolls or lobster rolls. Because there are fewer of these, and chilling is required, serve them sporadically throughout the duration of the party to make them last. Meatballs are a killer dish that can be made ahead, and they are incredibly easy to prep. Make turkey, pork, beef, or even vegetarian varieties and serve them with a trio of sauces. Guests will get full fast.

Roasting a chicken or pork shoulder for pulled meat sliders is an easy and budget-friendly way to feed a large crowd: Meat sliders can be made ahead, or the meats can be served buffet-style so people build their own sliders and stuff them with a custom selection of condiments. DIY sliders are fun to make and will also keep guests busy rather than overeating.

For dessert, experts at Epting recommend baking batches of cookies and brownies. Both are speedy make-head options, and they're easy on the wallet, too, at about $5 a batch. Most important, they're huge crowd-pleasers. To make the brownies a touch more glamorous, use cookie cutters instead of a knife to cut them. Seasonal fruit makes a colorful, budget-friendly complement to a spread of brownies and cookies or other desserts.

Time permitting, homemade popsicles (check out our Paletas Primer) can be prepared in advance. Not only will they add a little charm to the gathering and get friends excited about the warm summer ahead, but they're also a low-cost option that will keep guests licking away.

Drinks

Often a multigenerational gathering, a graduation party can present some challenges when planning the drinks menu. The best (and most affordable) option is to forgo a full bar, and instead set up a table with punch-style drinks that can be made ahead of time in big batches. Best of all, these can be served either alcohol-free or with a splash of wine or spirits. A keg of your favorite brew is an economical way to appease beer drinkers, but cans or bottles can also be offered in ice-filled buckets or tubs. Supplement the options for nondrinkers with pitchers of lemon and cucumber-flavored water, or iced tea. And regardless of what you serve, keep in mind that you can never have too much ice, so be sure to stock your freezer.

According to Chef Stone, you can expect that within the first hour each guest will have about 1½ drinks, and then 1 drink after that per hour. It's safe to assume that each guest will end up using up to three drinking glasses, so buy or rent glassware accordingly. A smart way to keep track of glasses is to ask guests to use a drink marker: Not only will these funny little figures help guests keep their eye on their drink, but they'll also add a little more character to the party.

Setup and Decor

When deciding on the look for your party, remember that your recent grad is not a kid anymore. So think sophisticated, but not stiff. If you have a garden, use your existing resources by transporting part of your living room to the outdoors, re-creating your home in a surprising and charming way. Bring comfortable chairs, low tables, and lamps outdoors and group them for relaxed conversation. Stringing Chinese lanterns or Christmas lights from tree to tree can also bring a lot of life and light to the yard, without too much fuss.

Spend a small portion of your budget on flowers from your local farmers' market and put one or two flowers in small glass bottles, vases, or jam jars, which you might already have at home. (Don't be afraid to mix and match all sorts of vases and containers; no need for everything to match.) For more ideas on how to arrange flowers, check out Flower Arranging 101.

If you have an outdoor pool, try launching a collection of rubber duckies or floating candles, for a fun and festive touch without too much expense.

Hang colorful handmade signs directing people to points of interest around the party: the food and drink tables, the desserts, the restrooms, even a guest book.

Music

Ask your grad to take care of the music! He or she can create multiple playlists that can be played throughout the day without having to be checked on. If you have a vinyl record player, bring that out and set it up so that guests can come over and put on an album they'd like to listen to. Or if there is a favorite local band looking to get some public attention, try inviting them to play in exchange for food and drink.

Cleanup

Make things easier on yourself by putting out garbage cans and recycling bins where guests can throw away their own plates, cups, cans, and bottles once they are finished with them. If you plan on renting glassware and flatware, not to worry: You don't have to wash those before returning them. Just make sure to designate a helper or two to gather the rented gear and stack it in the bins it came in so everything is ready to go for pickup the following morning.

And last but not least, don't forget to toast your grad, enjoy the celebration, and pat yourself on the back for throwing a party the guest of honor will never forget!

Planning Timeline

Use our step-by-step timeline to help you plan your large party:

1 Month to Go

• Send invitations and request responses to arrive a week prior to the event.
• Figure out your party budget.
• Make a list of close friends and family members to help with the party.

3 Weeks to Go

• Consult recommended recipe collections and brainstorm menu and drink ideas.
• List the items you'll need to buy and/or rent.

2 Weeks to Go

• Finalize your food and drinks menu.
• Make a food and drinks shopping list.
• Buy tableware and cutlery or place your rental order. 
• Finalize your list of helpers.

1 Week to Go

• With RSVPs in, estimate final number of guests.
• Place any specialty-food orders, such as seafood, large quantities or cuts of meat and poultry, kegs, wine, or other alcoholic beverages. Arrange for delivery, if possible. (Meat should be ready two days before party; seafood should be ready one day before.)

4 Days to Go

• Make room in your freezer and refrigerator for ice and food.
• Ask your grad to make a custom party playlist; or ask a helper to do so.

3 Days to Go

• Buy ingredients for dips, crostinis, brownies, cookies, and anything else that is not meat or fish. 
• Begin advance prep of foods that can be frozen or chilled in advance: cakes, dips, and cookie dough, for instance.

2 Days to Go

• Pick up, or have delivered, roasting meat. 
• Marinate any roast you'll need for hors d'oeuvres.
• Form and freeze meatballs, and freeze baked brownies.

1 Day to Go

• Pick up seafood, or have it delivered.
• Make dips, seafood salads, roasts, punches, Sangria, and desserts.

Morning of

• Buy ice, flowers, and bread. Toast bread for crostini.
• Set up flowers, lights, plates, glasses, napkins, signage, duckies, candles.
• Double-check that the music equipment is working properly.
• Defrost brownies.

3 Hours to Go

• Make sure space is party-ready except for drinks and food.

2 Hours to Go

• Have a "staff" meeting to tell helpers their duties.

1 Hour to Go

• Make and refrigerate crostini.

30 Minutes to Go

• Reheat first batch of meatballs.
• Reheat roasted meats.
• 15 Minutes to Go
• Set up drinks.
• Arrange room-temperature appetizers and room-temperature desserts.

Throughout Party

• Bring out sliders/and or roasting meat with buns as well as any hot or temperature-sensitive items. Have helper keep drinks and ice replenished. When the main meal is over, clear your serving areas and bring on dessert!