DIY Graduation Party Decor Ideas

A college graduate contacted me because he was looking for affordable and colorful party decorations and possibly a theme for their graduation party.

The graduates are multicultural so it may be a nice touch to add elements of several cultures. Instead of coming out with a party theme, I am sharing awesome DIY craft projects to decorate the party room. Each one can be reinterpreted to suit your style.

Chinese Lanterns

Lanterns create a festive mood instantly. If you host a party in at an hotel, the ceilings are high and the room are vast. You will need plenty of large lanterns to create a statement. You can attach battery-operated light or flashlight inside if you wish to lit them.

Flite Design showcased the nice mauve and lime at the 2009 Soolip Wedding, an event that happened in Los Angeles on March 29. You will find more inspirations on the blog Junebug Weddings.

DIY Mobile Ideas

A cool idea is to attach each lantern to a bamboo stick and spread them in a vase like flowers. I spotted that idea last year on Project Wedding.

Vary the sizes and colors of origami cranes. These origami mobiles were made for Yuli + Keith’s wedding. The Great Catch picture net is also from their wedding. Check out Oh, Hello friend for more stunning uses of origami cranes.

The bird mobile is a good symbol of the life transition that occurs after graduation. Spool Sewing offered the bird pattern for free. Look for the bins with fabric scraps at fabric stores; you will save a lot of money.

Message in a Bottle Game

You can ask everyone to answer the same question before the party. Print each answer on a piece of paper to create unique message in a bottle. Spread the messages in a bottle on each table. Let people freely open the message through the night and guess who is the author of each question.

Make sure the paper is easy to remove. The paper should be almost as high as the bottle and use 2 to 3 tapes to firmly keep the roll small. Get inspired by the Send Help Project invitations featured on NOTCOT.

The idea when you wish to design a party is to find your starting point and from that, to devise the whole theme. Have fun at your graduation party!

CREDITS:
+ mauve and lime lanterns by Flite Design – Via Junebug Wedding
+ Origami cranes and great catch images: Yuli + Keith’s wedding photographed by Robert Sukrachand – right reserved
+ Send Help Project invitations via NOTCOT
+ Lime Big Chinese Lanterns on Project Wedding
+ Three Little Birds by Spool Sewing – image on Flickr
+ Bird Mobile done by Homemade with Jill