Party checklist
Graduation party checklist and timeline
Graduation season is crowded, so the early tasks matter most. Enter the party date and the number invited, choose an open house or a set time, and the list dates each step and counts tables, plates and drinks.
Eight weeks before: date and place
Six to four weeks before: invitations and orders
Three to two weeks before: the memory table
Tables and tableware
The last week
Party day
After the party
Tips for graduation season
- An open house needs fewer seats and more refills; a set-time party needs a seat for everyone and food ready at once. Switch the format to see both versions of the seating and table counts.
- Not everyone invited to a graduation party comes, and at an open house they arrive in waves. The counts here work from the number invited and are estimates; trim the food order if your replies come in low.
- Put the display table where a queue can form without blocking the food. Guests spend longer there than you expect.
- Let the graduate leave for a friend's party if theirs overlap. Agree the hours they will be at their own in advance.
Questions
When should graduation party invitations go out?
Four weeks before on this list, with the cards ordered six weeks before. Enter your party date to see both as calendar days.
How many seats do I need for an open house?
The list counts seats for half the people invited plus four, because guests come and go. For a set-time party it counts one seat for each person invited.
How does a joint party change the list?
It adds a planning meeting with the other family, merging the guest lists, sharing the display table and settling costs afterwards. Enter the combined guest number.
Does the list tell me how much food to make?
No. It counts tableware, seats, tables and drinks from the guest number. For food amounts, ask your caterer, or plan dishes that can be refilled and stretched.
Related lists
Backyard BBQ and cookout checklist
Grill, fuel, food for the grill, shade and seats for an afternoon in the garden.
Party supplies list by number of guests
A shopping list for any party: plates, cups, napkins, cutlery and serving kit counted from one number.
Potluck hosting checklist
How many mains, sides and desserts to ask for, and what the host still has to provide.