Jake’s Graduation Party

Last Saturday we gathered with friends and family to celebrate Jake’s upcoming high school graduation and his recent Eagle Scout accomplishment. As I have shared before, high school graduation is a particularly bittersweet occasion. It marks a tremendous moment in the life of a student as they complete a major component of their education, but more than that, it signifies the end of childhood. Leaving home and launching into the real world happens once in a lifetime, and it is my joy to celebrate the event with all I have.

Today I am sharing the details from the party, but to be honest, the best part of the celebration had nothing to do with how I decorated or what I served. To fill a home with loved ones who have walked alongside our family for years is a powerful visual reminder of love and belonging. To see a throng of community pressed in close, celebrating Jake and his accomplishments, makes a deposit into his memory bank for future withdrawals. Jake saw first-hand how many people love him and support him. To create space for the different circles of our community to be in one place is a sweet reason to gather. My motivation for this party was to connect with our guests and to celebrate well. Those are the reasons why I work so hard to decorate and plan and prepare.

Here are the details from his graduation party…

THEME
Instead of choosing a motif and orienting the different party elements around the motif, I let Jake’s senior photo set the tone and direction for everything else. Lion Heart Image took his senior photos, and I could not be more pleased with the process and the end result. As an added layer of sentimentality, Lauren and her husband have known Jake since he was three, so to have her shoot his senior photos felt like a gift.

This is the photo we chose for his announcement, and I loved the colors and the outdoor setting of this shot. I wanted to take the feel of this photograph and add some aspect of being an Eagle Scout, but without being too on the nose.

I took my general idea for a theme (A Casual Nod To Scouting Using The Colors And Patterns From This Photo…lol) and presented it to Karen and Audrey from Worth Noting Designs. I wasn’t sure I had given them much to work with, but per usual, they nailed it. In all honestly, when I opened the invitation proofs, I started crying.

Worth Noting Designs created the perfect graduation announcement, party invitation, and corresponding envelope, pulling from the colors in his photo and my very vague creative direction. I love working with Karen and Audrey, and they know exactly how to get all of the details just right. The printed elements set the tone for all of the other party decor decisions I made, and I love the way the paper elements turned out.

MENU
The beauty of a mid-afternoon party is there is no expectation for a full meal. I knew that we would need one or two anchor foods for the buffet, amplified by an assortment of other snack items, and I wanted everything we served to reflected Jake’s tastes while playing into the overall theme.

I chose Hot Hammies, Hashed Brown Casserole, and Pasta Pesto Pea Salad (three of Jake’s favorite foods) as the foundational menu items, and then had fun with the supporting snacks.

Strawberry Uncrustables, Beef Jerky, Buttermilk Cornbread, Zapp’s VooDoo Chips, and a “Campfire Cheeseboard” consisting of Club Crackers, Summer Sausage, and Pimiento Cheese rounded out the eclectic assortment of Jake’s favorite foods. Ridiculous? Kind of. But also, a lot of fun and very, very Jake.

For dessert, we served Chocolate Chip Cookies, Caramel Corn Chex Mix, Brownies, and Strawberry Cake Cups from Hurley House. Beverages consisted of Strawberry Waterloo, Coke, Sprite, and lots of Dr. Pepper for the kids, plus Strawberry Abita, Rose, and Champagne for the adults.

DECOR
I wanted our home to feel colorful, outdoorsy, and casual, with lots of personalized details. With just a few elements carried out in a large format, I was able to achieve this goal. When it all came together, I loved how the visual aesthetic reflected the Casual Nod To Scouting theme, and the layers of colors and patterns felt playfully outdoorsy without being too serious (paper campfires, anyone?).

Knowing table linens provide the largest swath of visual real estate at a party, I began with navy and white buffalo check tablecloths. Next I added an absurd amount of colorful bandanas strung diagonally as bunting, and wrapped around serving dishes and basket handles on the food table. I finished with fake campfires and lots of wild, unkempt greenery which created a casual yet elevated feel.

DETAILS
Details are my favorite way to take a party to the next level, and this event was no exception.

First, we set up a badging station on our bar cart where guests were encouraged to don a customized JS patch to wear to celebrate Jake. I ordered these from The Studio, and I was very pleased with the results. I was also tickled at how everyone followed instructions and actually wore the patches for the party!

Second, I ordered custom mini pennants from Etsy, each with a different attribute from the Scout oath. These were displayed prominently and were my favorite detail.

Next, I ordered cocktail napkins and coozies from Worth Noting Designs, both in navy and white, and both featuring the custom JS logo from the invitation.

Pulling from his childhood memorabilia box, I framed my four favorite pieces of Jake’s early artwork and displayed them near the dessert table. He went through a very profound superhero phase, and this artwork remains some of my favorite relics of his childhood.

Finally, on the back of our front door, I hung printed images of the Eagle Scout merit badges. They were colorful and fun and added an unexpected pop of color in a hidden corner.

PHOTO WALL
Perhaps the most impactful visual component of the party was the massive photo wall we constructed, which is impossible to capture in one photograph. I took advantage of a large mostly blank wall in our living room and covered it with photos hung in chronological order. I began on the left side with Jake’s baby pictures and ended on the right with his senior photos.

The collection included a mix of professional photos, school photos, sports photos, and iPhone snapshots (which I printed using the mPix app). The finished project felt like scrolling through the photo album on your phone, only in real life. I loved watching our guests step up to get a closer look. This wall told a story, and the best part of the photo wall was seeing the progression of Jake’s life from sweet little baby, to cute kid, to awkward adolescent, to fully grown eighteen-year-old…all in one collection of images.

Flanking the fireplace, I hung my favorite shots from his senior photo session. Centered above the fireplace, I hung an oversized poster print of the Eagle graphic from the back of his graduation invitation. The poster grounded the room visually and provided an excellent backdrop for photos with family and friends.

A tip if you decide to tackle a photo wall project. Painter’s tape proved to be the strongest way to adhere the photos to the wall without damaging the paint. I would also suggest printing way more photos than you think you need. Granted, our wall space was enormous, but what I thought was an obscene quantity of photos turned out to be just right. You need more prints than you think.

PARTY DRESS
Finally, I would be remiss not to include my fun party look. Thank you for indulging me.

I took a strapless big-bow navy dress with taffeta bodice and a dotted tulle skirt and wore it over a fitted white button-down shirt with nude block-heel sandals. It was a bit of an adventurous fashion combo, but what better way to celebrate a Scout than with a little adventure!