It’s graduation season! This is one of my favorite party seasons because it is such a special reason for celebration. Such hard work is put into getting to the point of graduation. These types of celebrations don’t come around too often so it is the perfect excuse to throw a party.

Last year I had the pleasure of hosting a graduation/ 30th birthday celebration for my friend Lih.

I wanted the color scheme to reflect the summer season, but also wanted to celebrate the years spent in school by incorporating the school colors. Thankfully the school colors were green and white which made it easy to do this fun floral scheme. We chose to celebrate with a brunch due to timing of everyone coming in to town and because brunch is just so tasty!

Host a Graduation Brunch

We chose to do a brunch buffet due to the size of the party. We really didn’t have the space to do a full sit-down brunch. This way we were able to put a food table together and then a nice bar area. I tried to keep the food items to easy-to-eat sizes. I mixed it up with some homemade treats and some store-bought treats.

Graduation Brunch Menu

• Veggie Platter
• Fruit Platter
• Mini Quiches
• Spinach Pastry
• Asparagus Pastry
• Mini Muffins
• Mini Cinnamon Rolls
• Mini Scones
• Prosciutto Wrapped Melons
• Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
• Yogurt Parfaits

And, because it was also a birthday party we served an amazing birthday bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes.

Mini Yogurt Parfaits

I found these fun mini bowls and mini cups and instantly knew I wanted to do some sort of yogurt parfaits or trifle. I bought these well before I even knew what type of party I’d be throwing. I basically want to keep these things stocked in my party closet for ever and always because they are so useful! They’d be perfect for a tasting party or cocktail party as well. See below for some similar mini partyware suggestions found on Amazon. (Affiliate Links)

Build your own mini yogurt parfaits:

I did two different types of yogurt parfaits. One was built with a Greek Honey Yogurt, honey flavored granola, peaches, and then a swirl of honey on top. The other I built with a Vanilla Yogurt, vanilla flavored granola, and berries. I simply made layers with each of the ingredients topping them off with a bit of garnish and a spoon.

Elements to a DIY Brunch Bar

I wanted to give guests the opportunity to mix up their own brunch beverages easily and to their tastes. I set up a Bloody Mary Bar, Mimosa Bar, and Hot Beverage Bar. Each area had instructions and fixin’s to really make special drinks. I think my favorite was the Mimosa bar though because I did something I’ve never done before and it ended up being a hit! I froze the juice into ice cubes prior to the party which meant people were not trying to pour several juices into champagne glasses. Instead they simply grabbed a few ice cubes of the flavor of juice they wanted a topped with champagne. The juice slowly incorporated into the champagne and made for a truly delicious mimosa experience.

Set up your own Bloody Mary Bar:

Bloody Mary’s are one of my favorite brunch beverages. (See my past post on how to put together a Bloody Mary Bar.) For me the two things that really make a Bloody Mary wonderful are the spices and the garnishes. I often make my own Bloody Mary mix to taste with what I have on hand but usually starting with V8. There are some really fantastic pre-made mixes out there as well if you want to make thing easier on  yourself. The below steps will help build a nice Bloody Mary Bar for your next brunch:

1. Put out vodka. I love Oregon made Crater Lake vodka for a budget friendly and smooth vodka option. Their pepper vodka is an absolute must for my Bloody Mary bars because it adds an extra bit of spice throughout the drink. I put out a bottle of both vodkas for this bar.
2. Put out Bloody Mary Mix. A pre-made mix or simply V8 (with plenty of add-ins on the bar top) will work fine.
3. Set out some add-in options such as hot sauces, pepper, hot chili flakes, worcestershire sauce, salt, celery salt, lemon wedges, etc.
4. Set out garnishes. My go-to Bloody Mary Garnishes include celery stalks (works great for stirring my drink and then cools off my tongue from the spiciness of my drink) and basically anything pickled. I really like pickled asparagus and carrots in my Bloody Mary.
5. Include glassware, tall spoons, a jigger and pour instructions. I used 12 oz glasses and suggested one jigger pour full ( 1.25 oz) of vodka over ice and then filling the glass with add-ins, Bloody Mary Mix, and garnishes.

We had so much fun celebrating our friend Lih and her accomplishments. I think that this party would be great for a graduation celebration, birthday brunch, or shower. Who doesn’t love brunch?

How did you celebrate your graduation? I’d love to hear… comment below!