Congratulations graduates and all of the parents who got them there! It's time for Graduation Receptions and Parties and here are some ideas for some not so traditional soirees...

Color, Color, Color - Whether you want to go with school colors, class colors, or favorite colors, this theme is an eyeful! Start with your selected colors, at our high school it is red and silver and I will use them for an example. Use yards of fabric in the selected colors, even inexpensive lining fabric will do. Use boxes, cake stands, and anything else to create different heights in your food area, drape the fabric over this, and gather in different areas. In the center use something very large for a focal point - say a large silver vase with red flowers or a silver sculpture.

For the food, choose all red offerings like watermelon, bruschetta with chopped red tomatoes on top, a red wine cheeseball, strawberries, cherries jubilee, etc. and serve on silver plates and trays (inexpensive plastic ones can be found at most party stores).

Grad Favorites - Design your party around what the grad loves, whether it is sports, computers, music, etc. We will use sports for example. Do the same thing with the fabric in the food area as with the color party, consider choosing team colors. But for the focal point consider going to the toy or sporting good section of most retail stores, they often have slightly smaller versions of different balls. Buy three or four and glue them together in a staggered pile. Hang pennants, flags, or sporting equipment around.

Great food choices would be anything you might find at a game. Hot dogs, maid-rites, popcorn, and nachos would be a much appreciated alternative to traditional graduation fare. Opt for soda instead of "punch".

For the computers or music themes, consider buying some blank CD's and hanging them from fishing line at varying lengths from the ceiling, and tucking some here and there throughout the food display...

Have fun with your Graduation Party and for pete sakes - skip those mints!