During a season packed with graduation events, help yours stand out with a themed party for your favorite grad:

Ideas for High School Grads
Get your guest of honor geared up for college life or other plans with these theme ideas:

• Throw a travel-theme party in honor of a grad who plans to study abroad. To honor someone traveling to China, you might adorn your house with paper lanterns and dragons and serve savories in Chinese takeout boxes.
• Display school pictures of the graduate at a “This Is Your Life” party. Along with photos, celebrate with a memory timeline that features report cards, awards, athletic letters and school play programs. Make a video of photos set to the graduate’s favorite songs to play at the party.
• Have fun with the colors and logo of a high school grad’s chosen college or university by filling one room with balloons, streamers, pennants and pictures of the school mascot.
• Personalize the party’s theme around the school’s location. For example, throw a beach-theme party complete with seafood for someone headed to school in California.

Ideas for College Grads
Commemorate the recent alum’s foray into the real world—as well as collegiate achievements—with pomp and circumstance:

• Relate the theme to the graduate’s plans. If the grad just received a journalism degree, for example, create a newspaper or magazine cover featuring a picture of the guest of honor. Be sure to include a title and cover blurbs that announce the grad’s accomplishments and plans.
• Let guests offer their words of wisdom at an advice-theme celebration. Pass around a memory journal where people can write advice for the guest of honor. Leave a blank page between each thought for the grad to add photos.
• Celebrate the grad’s collegiate accomplishments. Did he or she participate in student government, sing in the choir or stand out as a leading scorer on a club basketball team? Throw a hobby or sports-theme party.