Planning the Menu For a Graduation Party

( part 2 )
Tasty Desserts
* Custom cakes: Have you seen the new photocake? How about a custom cake made in the shape of a basketball or tennis shoe? Order one custom cake to display and a second cake to cut and serve.
* The fun is candy bars with personalized wrappers to give out to your guests.
* Smores at a fire pit. Provide several baskets full of marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers. Have plenty of roasting sticks on hand.
* Ice cream sundae bar: serve ice cream with different toppings, fruit, cookies, and coffee. Its easy, fun and guests will love it.
* Frozen treats from your favorite ice cream specialty store, packed on dry ice. You can rent an ice cream cart for the day.
* Trays of your graduate’s favorite bars, cookies and candy. Or, use a cookie cutter shaped like a graduation mortarboard. If you have family members who like to bake, ask them to help.
* Fortune cookies
* Custom made chocolates: Order gold foil-wrapped coins with your graduate’s name on one side and the year on the other.
* Root beer floats were a huge hit at our friend’s party. She offers this time saving tip: Scoop the vanilla ice cream into plastic cups and freeze them overnight. Then at the party all you have to do is add root beer and a straw. You can buy a keg of root beer from the liquor store.
* Cheesecakes in a variety of flavors served with different toppings. For example: hot fudge, strawberries, blueberries.
* Buy lots of suckers in your school colors.

Graduation Party Beverages

The most popular beverage at graduation parties is bottled water. Stock up when water is on sale. You can use it all summer if you have leftovers.

Provide your guests with a variety of beverages to choose from. Here are a few suggestions:
* A summer tradition of big pitchers of iced tea, lemonade are refreshing.
* If you want to serve soda, most people we interviewed suggest liters instead of cans. It goes a little further, and you don’t have half drunk cans all over your house.
* Slushy MachineAlways provide water for your guests who don’t like carbonated beverages. Bottled water is very popular with high school seniors.
* Punch bowls are fun. Make an ice ring using one of the punch ingredients so that as it melts it will not dilute the punch. A bundt pan works well for an ice ring.
* Borrow or rent tubs for ice. You can put the sodas right on ice. If you use coolers, label them so people don’t have to dig around.

Source : http://www.graduationparty.com/graduation-party-menu.htm

Planning the Menu For a Graduation Party

( part 1 )

What are your graduate's favorite foods?

Keep it simple. Make it easy on yourself and serve five to seven different menu items. The most common mistake made at a graduation party is serving too much food. Read on for advice on quantity.

Dare to be different! After going to too many graduation parties where the same food was being served you will understand. We encourage you to be imaginative! For example, if your graduate is a pizza freak, serve pizza. It is an unusual open house item, and yet the number one most popular food amongst teenagers. Mix it up by serving some unique gourmet pizzas in addition to the standard favorites, cheese and pepperoni.

If your graduate loves desserts, have a dessert party that starts at 7:00 p.m., and specify “dessert party” on your invitation so people know to eat dinner earlier. Desserts can be made ahead and require little serving time. The bakery is an easy way out. Or how about make your own sundaes and banana splits?

Ask for help in the kitchen. Hire a caterer if you can, this is one party you don't want to miss! If you can't afford a caterer, ask friends and neighbors to help. See Ask for help. If you’ve agreed on a theme, be sure to maximize the opportunity to find foods that fit the theme.


Brunch ideas: A Weekend brunch is a great time of day to have a graduation party. You will get a great turn out and your guests will be hungry.


Graduation Brunch

* Make it simple - offer a variety of fresh baked bagels and a selection of spreads.
* Cook pancakes on a big griddle and serve them with different toppings/syrups. You can hire a professional to bring their own griddle.
* We all love frosted doughnuts! Order ahead for a quick stop at the bakery. You can even request frosting in your school colors. Be sure to have lots of napkins!
* You can prepare hard boiled eggs with your graduate’s name and the year on them and place them in a beautiful basket. Great for people on the low-carb diet.
* Coffee bar kiosk: Check with a caterer or the local coffee shop for service or supplies. Or create your own with rental equipment and supplies.
* Serve exotic juices, or use your juicer to prepare custom beverages.
* Serve fresh fruit in a watermelon boat. Cut your school logo out of the watermelon.

Afternoon and evening menu ideas:

* BBQ sandwiches, ribs or chicken served with cole slaw and chips, baked beans and a fruit salad. Tip from the professional caterer for the BBQ: If you want to use the grill, reduce your stress and precook your meat.
* Mexican taco bar: Serve spicy ground beef in a crock pot, and put the cold items (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, olives, onions) in bowls floating on ice to keep them cool. Arrange the taco shells in a Mexican serving bowl or basket.
* Buy large bread shaped like the graduation year. Serve it with spinach dip or do a big submarine sandwich. Plan ahead on how you are going to keep the hoagie cool while it sits out for several hours. We recommend setting it on ice. Rectangle shaped flower pots can be bought in various sizes. Or a wallpaper hanging trough will do the job.
* Hoagie or Sandwich Bar: let your guests assemble their own sandwiches. Stop by your local submarine sandwich shop for inspiration. Or order a big variety to be sliced and served as needed. Keep the back up in your refrigerator.
* Cotton Candy Rent a cotton candy machine or popcorn machine. It adds a festive flair and the kids love to serve themselves.
* Salad bar and fresh fruit for the health nuts
* Oriental Food - See Hiring a Caterer
* Baked Potato Bar
* Pizzas – order them from a local delivery service.
* Swedish or Barbeque Meatballs
* Tortilla Wraps – ordered from a local restaurant
* Lasagna
* Veggie Tray

Source : http://www.graduationparty.com/graduation-party-menu.htm

Wedding Planner “101”

By : Paula Deartiaga, A-List Events www.a-listevents.com

Don’t believe the myth that a wedding planner is a “luxury” because hiring a wedding planner can definitely help you save money in the long-run. With today’s hectic lifestyle, many couples do not have the time for the detailed planning and work a beautiful wedding requires. Planning a wedding takes an incredible amount of time and it can be difficult for couples to plan it on their own. Having a professional wedding planner is like having a personal assistant working with you to handle the details that you may not have time to deal with on a daily or even weekly basis.

Well-known and respected wedding planners have connections that the average bride does not and they know the best-kept secrets for ceremony locations and reception sites, caterers, bands, florists, photographers and everything you will need for your celebration. They have professional relationships with vendors and will use these contacts to save you time and money by ensuring that you receive only the best from all of your wedding vendors. It is their job to listen to your dreams and make them a reality so that you can relax and enjoy your engagement. They help you realize what your priorities are and if you are a big dreamer, they can help you stay on track in terms of your budget. Your bridal consultant’s ideas and expertise will help you get everything you desire and more.

On your wedding day, your bridal consultant will act as your director and handle all of the details so that you can enjoy your friends and family. It is the attention to detail that your wedding planner will bring to make your wedding day memorable for you and your guests. They will take the wedding of your dreams and make it even better….so let them.

Why have just an ordinary wedding? A wedding planner is a must! Not only do they make the planning of your wedding easy and fun, but they make the actual day stress free as well so you can devote your time where it’s needed the most….loving your new husband or wife and having the time of your life!

Source : https://www.mypartyplanner.com

How to Set a Dining Table

Graduation Party Tips

Give the graduate a gift that allows for reflection on the last few years of school before moving on to the next chapter, whether it be college or a "real" job. Do this by filling a box with hand-written notes from friends and family verbalizing their favorite memories with the graduate. A picture slideshow or video message will also do the trick.

Personalize everything. The graduate may or may not be a standout student, but his or her accomplishments are worth honoring. Display photos of the graduate doing his or her favorite hobbies or activites.
Mix and mingle. Invite both friends and family to join in the celebration since both play a role in a person's life.

Source : www.mypartyplanner.com

Jazzy Holiday and Special Occasion Fashion Tips

By Laverne Frances
Preparing for the holidays often includes shopping for a perfect outfit. From velvet to lace, the holiday trends and classic holiday outfits are always a bit glamorous. The styles are always dressier than your casual Friday jeans and polo, or your trusty date night dress.

Select an outfit that makes you feel sexy, but lady like. Scour your closet for dresses, romantic fabrics, and items of clothing that flatter your curves. Now that you know exactly what you will be photographed in this holiday season, what fashion jewelry will you be wearing? Being fully dressed from head to toe, with no jewelry on, presents an unpolished image. This is not the best you.

Bring out your best self with accessories that you love. Great glamorous choices are large beads, pearls, cubic zirconium, and cocktail rings. Add something bold to your holiday outfits. This could be a bold statement piece, or a compliment piece to something that you already own. Indulge yourself in a cubic zirconium tennis bracelet, bright cocktail ring, or long dangle earrings. Search your jewelry box for items too glamorous for your normal day to day life. Shop online for cubic zirconium jewelry sets.

You may truly desire to create a great holiday for others around you. Have you gone out of your way this month for your spouse, immediate family, extended family members, and friends? Have you already scheduled every free moment of family time? You should look beautiful while spending this time with your family. Why not do something nice for yourself ? Use these tips and help yourself feel fabulous this holiday season.

Source : www.ezinearticles.com

10 tips for planning a special event in your home

1. Do you need to rent chairs so that your guests have adequate seating?
2. If there will be dancing, you’ll need to rent a dance floor. What size of floor do you need?
3. Do you have adequate toilet facilities? Standard rule of thumb is 20 people to one bathroom. A more liberal estimate is 50 to 1, however that could result in lines and discomfort for some guests.
4. To avoid problems with your dog, you may want to consider boarding him or her at a local kennel.
5. Consider including a cleaning service in the budget, for both before and after the event.
6. Get any home repairs or landscaping done before the day of the event.
7. If your area has problems with bugs, especially after dark, make sure you invest in some kind of bug repellent, personal or area-wide such as citronella candles.
8. Will you need to arrange to extra trash pickup the day following the event?
9. Don’t forget to order the invitations in enough time to get them addressed and mailed out in a timely manner.
10.Better yet, if it’s a wedding, consider sending out “Save the Date” cards as soon as you have decided on a date, then the invitations can follow closer to the date of the wedding. That may be one of the first task in your special occasion party planning tasks.

Source : www.invitingsmiles.com