Let your grad know you're glad!

Schools out for the summer! Even if it wasn't a milestone graduation, getting through an entire school year in these unprecedented times was no small feat - especially for virtual learners.

We should celebrate these graduates, and I have a perfectly clever theme. Granted, it was used for a graduate school party involving proper adults, and it references a classic film: The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.

So if you run with this theme, the graduate needs to either be old enough to get the reference (like a sophisticated high-schooler or college grad) or so young that they don't even notice, like early elementary school. In my opinion, the adults had a crazy year too and this celebration should also be for them, so long as the little grad gets some cake!

When my husband got his education degree from Pepperdine, I mailed invites that mimicked the famous movie poster (above), superimposing his head over Dustin Hoffman's. And since I love an excuse to dress up, guests were asked to come in vintage 60s attire.

Everyone knows I love a good theme, and it carried over into one of the most important things at a party: the food! This movie takes place in the 1960s, so I went for total 60s camp. A crab dip, a large tray of pigs in a blanket, Velveeta dip, mini egg salad sandwiches and crudite, because some things never go out of style.

For dessert, I featured plates spilling over with a colorful assortment of cookies and a sign which read, "Robert is one smart cookie." Pardon the poor photo quality, but...

Add a photo wall to give your guests a fun diversion. All you need is a large wooden board and a jigsaw! The below photo wall was painted over multiple times to suit the occasion. We used it for a Cinco de Mayo party, a disco-themed party and more. With a little paint you can repurpose that party trick over and over. Social media makes your hard work go twice as far!

Speaking of photos, I created a collage, superimposing my husband's image onto a ridiculous array of "yearbook" photos. 

Keeping with the theme, our signature cocktail was straight out of the 60s: Mrs. Robinson's Lament. A punch bowl brimming with sherbert, sparkling lime soda and spiked with rum.

Cheeky signs featuring Mrs. Robinson's visage were everywhere. By the food spread was a sign in which she said, "I prefer to drink my meals, but as you wish."

Those famous legs, which arriving guests had to duck under.