It’s almost that lovely time of year: Graduation season. Where the panic of exams gives way to the panic of next steps. Or — to be less cynical about it — where hard work pays off and dreamers go out into the world to do.
Whatever happens AFTER graduation, the festival of getting the diploma is great fun. We’ve been catering graduation parties large and small for many years now, and we’ve noticed some patterns that are worth taking in. Three pointers to make YOUR graduation party planning easier:
- If you want firm numbers, figure out multiple ways to get RSVPs. We’ve had clients use Facebook events, email, phone AND texts as options to get their young (and older) guests to RSVP. It’s still a bit of a challenge in this “wait to commit” world, but if you give people multiple options you’re more likely to hear from them.
- Simpler menus make for better parties. Because graduation parties are thrown for a mix of young, old and in-between, the less complicated the menu, the more fun people have. If you’re throwing a cocktail party, for example: We’re not saying you just need to serve ONE kind of appetizer, but 5 options is about a perfect number (depending on party size). There can be a bit of a chaotic feel to graduations because even though it’s a fun time, there is a fair amount of stress — simpler food is a calming element in your party.
- Book it now. Even though it still FEELS like early spring, graduation is around the corner. Caterers like Rocklands actually end up having to “block” weekends that get too full, so that we can serve the clients and guests we have in the best Rocklands style. We only have so many smokers for that delicious barbeque!
If you have any other graduation party planning questions, we have a great tool online: The Rocklands request for proposal form. This form asks all the questions you’ll need to answer to work with a caterer on a party. Yes, if you fill out that form we HOPE you want to ask Rocklands for a catering proposal…but you can also download the form and use it as a party-planning tool for yourself. And we’re always happy to answer questions via phone and email: 703-778-8000 or catering@rocklands.com.
(See? We just gave you multiple ways to RSVP to OUR party.)