Need ideas for my husband's graduation party?

Question

My husband is graduating from college next May, and I'm going to throw him a big party. I want to keep it a surprise, so unfortunately I can't really ask him what things he would prefer. I've already talked to our favorite restaurant about renting out a section and it should be very nice. We are going to be on a large screened in deck area overlooking a lake. I think we are going to invite about 50 people. He's not the typical college grad. He's 28, already full swing into his career (he's a general manager for the phone company), and we have 2 kids (who will be going home early with grandma that night). I want this to be a cocktail type party. It's going to be an adult affair. I'm planning on spending around 50/head. Do you have any suggestions for table decorations, how we should handle the bar situation (I'd like to provide some alcohol, but I don't want it to get out of control), or what we should do for music? Thanks!

Answer 1

You can experiment with a wide variety of food on your menu. Since everyone will be eating only little tastes, if they don't like something, you can be confident that there will be plenty of other choices for them. Everyone is likely to find something they will enjoy.

Make sure you have

Cosmopolitan - Dirty Martini - Chocolate Martini -

Stock up on plenty of ice.

Be prepared with an assortment of glass styles to cover the type of drinks you plan to serve

Have twice as many glasses on hand as guests.

For a 2-hour party where you only plan on serving wine and/or champagne, you'll need to have one bottle for every two guests.

For a basic bar you'll want to stock up on vodka, whiskey, wines and beer. For a more complete bar you can add gin, tequila, rum, bourbon, vermouth, sherry, and brandy.

Don't forget to stock up on mixers including orange juice, soda, tonic, ginger ale, cola, tomato juice, Tabasco, lemons, limes, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce.

Consider hiring a bartender

Have coffee available

Pre record a selection of music, romanctic in one cd, dance in other and so on. Have a space for dance if they wish and let the music roll.

For a basic cocktail party, keep your decorations simple but elegant.

Use gossamer to declrate tables:

http://shindigzparty.wordpress.com/tag/g...

Hang streamin’ swirls ceiling decorations from the ceiling for a light-catching effect.

Add balloon bouquets around your party room. Balloons look best in bunches of odd numbers. Accent your bunches with a bubbles champagne mylar balloon, curling ribbon, and balloon weights.

Choose a tableware color to accent your tablecovers.

Use desposabble plates. Order enough

Place glassware candles or glassware stuffed with personalized napkins around your tables for a lovely touch. These pieces make great party favors too!

Answer 2

Set a 2 drink min. on the invite, keep the decorations to a minimum, you could use the plain balloons with grad caps on them in black and white.  You could do small flower arrangements with black cap cardboard cut outs sticking out from the arrangements with red black and white flowers. Also use votives those are rather inexpensive. The resturant may already have those as well.  Outside there is no need to do table linens unless you wanted to.  If so white would be the best with maybe black square plates.

Answer 3

sounds fun.

order up all different types of appetizers from the restaurant to have out on a large table, sometimes they let you bring in your own cake also. for drinks you can purchase a 1/4 barrel of beer for your group from the restaurant to have free beer and you can purchase some bottles of wine from them also to have available for free wine for guests. then people can buy whatever other types of drinks they would like- you can say on the invites "complimentary beer and wine". For my moms 60th I just had one bottle each of white and pink wine along with one pitcher of beer per table and free soda, then the guests bought anything else they wanted directly from the bar.

for music- depending on your type of crowd and what types of music you like- you could look into hiring a small jazz band to play for a few hours during the party, or maybe the restaurant has a set up so you can provide your own downloaded music or CDs of all his fav songs.

centerpieces can be a vase of flowers with candles along the sides, or just a arrangement of candles, maybe some fun confetti scattered down the center also.

Answer 4

If your budget is 50 a head, look into catering, instead of a restaurant.  I know you said it's your favorite restaurant but I've always found it chaotic when everybody is ordering different foods.  Someones order is bound to get messed up and someone else won't even get their food. Ordering the food takes the majority of the time.

If the restaurant lets you set a menu and maybe serve it buffet style that would be excellent.  If not, here is what I did with great success for a company get together.

I found an excellent cater that set up a slicing station, a pay bar and several other food stations around the room. Of course, this was heavy appetizers but nobody went home hungry and they served and cleaned up afterwards for about 10 dollars a person.

Check with the university catering, most times they will cater offsite and with a budget of 50 a head you can get a really elegant event.  Sometimes they even offer decoration along with the food service, set up and clean up.

I used our local university caters for one sit down dinner and it was about 15 a head, included the decorations, dinner, dessert, ice tea, lemonade ,water and coffee.  We provided the location.

As for music, you can check the local colleges, there are bands all over.  I find out where they are playing locally and visit to see if they are any good.  

Good idea to plan ahead this way.