7 thrifty ways to elevate your graduation party

Congrats to all of this year’s grads on their huge accomplishment! There’s no better way to celebrate this monumental milestone than with a memorable graduation party they won’t forget!

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best ways to elevate your celebrations while staying within budget. From party decor to games, favors for guests and more, give some of these graduation party ideas a try as you’re celebrating the big accomplishment.

Everyone needs the perfect graduation pic, and setting up a DIY photo booth and backdrop is an awesome way to spice up those selfies.

Start by creating a backdrop using foil streamers, the wooden archway in your backyard, or draped fabric or curtains. Then spend some time gathering props like sunglasses, funny hats and graduation items from your local party store. Add a few graduation balloons, and voilà, you have a perfectly built photo booth to create lasting memories.

Hiring a DJ for a grad party can seem really cool, but it’s also an easy way to eat into your budget pretty quickly. With a nice Bluetooth speaker, you can play DJ for your own party and save that money for other party features.

This is also a super fun time to connect with friends or your grad! Spend time building the playlist together, and maybe even curate some songs that were super popular when you graduated. This playlist will add a personal touch to the party vibe and will last beyond the party as a fun digital keepsake.

If you’re sending your grad off to college, you may be having some worries about whether or not they’re going to live on pizza and convenience store food.

This fun party activity involves setting up a digital collection spot for guests to drop in their own recipes. This can be a table with a tablet, a notebook or an online album. Encourage friends, family and relatives to contribute their favorite easy recipes so you can send your grad off a great resource for their time away from home.

Another way to create lasting memories and give your guests something to do at your grad party is with a memory jar.

Take a large Mason jar or punch bowl and place graduation-themed pens and paper around it. Encourage your guests to write their favorite memories with your celebrated grad on pieces of paper and drop them in the jar. This is an incredible way to get conversations started about all the great times your grad had with their friends and gives them a lasting keepsake to take with them on their next step in life.

Name that song, about-the-grad, pop culture—there are options for trivia games for just about everything!

Consider playing a round of trivia and maybe offer up some small prizes that would be helpful for the other grads in attendance as they take their next step. These could be gift cards, small housewares or anything that makes sense for their group. Trivia games are easy to set up, don’t cost anything and will keep your guests entertained and laughing for hours.

If your party is taking place before the actual graduation, consider setting up a DIY tassel station. This booth contains different pieces of flair and decor that grads can use to dress up their caps before the big event.

Use things like colored yarn, ornaments, beads and other trinkets to let your grads decorate their tassels to fit their style. Tassels are a symbolic part of graduation that represent crossing over to the next step in life, and having a personalized tassel makes the event even more memorable and gives them something to hold onto for the future.

Graduation is an incredible time of celebration and promise. Savor the event and enjoy the big day. These party ideas are great ways to celebrate on a budget and create lasting memories. No matter how you choose to celebrate, remember that it’s the connections with friends and family that will be remembered the most fondly. 

Congrats again to all of this year’s graduates and good luck in the future!