Graduation season is approaching! 

Congrats to all the Graduates!

Whether your graduate has just completed high school or is graduating from college, they deserve a sweet reward! Southern Ice Cream has all the party ideas you need to celebrate your graduation with sweet, refreshing ice cream! 

We cover décor, catering, and theme ideas in this handy guide.

Party Food Ideas

When planning any graduation party, food is an essential element. Decide if you want a formal sit-down dinner or a casual gathering of friends and family. Either way, incorporating treats like ice cream is essential.

Snack Bars

Instead of the traditional buffet, food bars are a fantastic way to go and add an ice cream sundae bar for the sweet stuff. Southern Ice Cream’s Sundae Party gives your guests an opportunity to build their own sundaes. Let them choose their own flavor from vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate ice cream, or mix and match the combo they want. The toppings, bowls, napkins, and spoons all come with the package, and we set it up, serve it up, and clean it all up for you! 

Food Trucks

If you’re holding an outdoor gathering, consider a Food Truck Party theme, hiring food trucks with different menus to delight palettes. It’s great for easy clean-up and less work for the hosts as the food truck and staff manage everything for you. Food trucks offer the variety you need while keeping costs down. The food will be fresh and served by the food truck team. For dessert, you can bring back memories for the adults and create new memories for the younger crowd with the familiar sound of the Ice Cream Food Truck. 

Dessert Bars

Add a dessert bar to any menu and feature ice cream, cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. Combine them all or create a station to keep the flow of the party going. Decorate the bars with photos of your graduate and their school colors. Don’t forget the ice cream sundae bar that includes all the toppings for that perfect sundae. 

Breakfast Brunch

Host a brunch with breakfast items including bacon, pastries, biscuits, jams, quiche, juice, and coffee. Set up your ice cream sundae bar or ice cream pushcart and let your guests mingle as they pick out their favorite combinations for their sundae. Remember that it’s always a good time for ice cream.

Ice Cream Parties

Transform any of the ideas listed above into an ice cream party. Since most graduations happen in the summer, ice cream is a wonderful way to offer the sweets that keep your guests cool. Southern Ice Cream can set up your Ice Cream Sundae Bar, and bring out an Ice Cream Truck or Ice Cream Pushcart.

Hot Dog Bar

Set up a hot dog bar for your graduate. Get as fancy as you like with gourmet toppings, or keep it casual. They are easy to prepare, and everyone loves a good coney! Depending on your crowd, you may need to have beef, kosher, and uncured options. Decorate your hot dog bar, include hot dog holders, and create a special dog for the graduate. Serve up corn on the cob, potato chips, french fries, baked beans, or slaw on the side. Don’t forget the chili, cheese, onions, relish, and sauerkraut. Take the dogs gourmet with sliced cucumbers and jalapenos, sautéed onions, and grilled pineapples.

Nacho Bar

Set the scene using glazed bowls and terra cotta serving dishes for all of the dips and salsas you’ll need for nachos. Choose multi-color chips for fun and provide variety with corn, white corn, and sweet potato chips. Of course, you’ll serve the traditional nacho cheese dip, guacamole, and salsa. Then make sure you have the Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, olives, and limes. Offer chili to turn it up a notch.

Fruit Station

Set up your fruit station with fruit kabobs and a chocolate dip from a fountain. To keep it easy for self-serve you can serve a fruit salad in cups. This refreshing summer salad not only tastes delicious, but it also makes for a beautiful table. 

Diploma Wraps

Diploma Wraps are simple to assemble, you need a ribbon to complete the look. Offer turkey, ham, and cheese. Make it interesting with corn, beans, jalapenos, and gouda. Make combinations and label each of the offerings. 

Décor for the Celebration

Choose a theme and stick to it when choosing your party decorations.

Colors

Of course, you would go with the high school or college colors. Use these colors for the invitation, plates, napkins, table coverings, and balloons. Or pick one color and throw in your graduate’s favorite color.

Highlight Your Grad

Set up a table that highlights your graduate’s journey. Include photos from the early and more recent years, mementos, and the yearbook. Leave note cards and pens on the table with a “Words of Wisdom” Box and encourage guests to offer words of wisdom for your graduate’s next chapter.

Guest Table Décor

Choose ready-made graduation centerpieces from a party store. Decorate them with school colors, the graduation year, and fill them with candy! You can also make it personal by making mason jar centerpieces.

Balloon, Balloon, Balloons!

Balloons are perfect for this festive occasion! Balloons are relatively inexpensive and really can make your décor pop! Make balloon arches in school colors, decorate your photo booth with balloons, cover an entire wall, and use number balloons to write out the year. Use a centerpiece balloon arrangement for your graduates’ highlight table.

Party Ideas

Set Up a Photobooth

Rent a photo booth or create your own by using school colors to create a photo booth using balloons, a settee, and a meaningful or fun saying. Check out this sweet photo booth setup! Cypress Photo Camper has charming photo booth campers sure to impress your guests and ensure that you capture all of the fun! 

Senior Photo Display

Gather photos from your graduates childhood and create a collage or Include childhood memories and photos. Use decorative frames to make the table unique. 

Selfie Backdrops

Make or buy a selfie photo frame and create the right backdrop for your guests to take photos with the graduate. 

Polaroid Guest Books 

Set up a table with Polaroid cameras and a chalkboard sign. Let them take photos throughout the party and leave a few for the guest of honor to enjoy. 

Celebrate Your Grad with a Southern Ice Cream Party

Ice cream is perfect as the centerpiece or as an addition to your graduation celebration. Southern Ice Cream offers Ice Cream Push Carts, Ice Cream Trucks, or Ice Cream Sundae Bars. Customize all of these options to include your grad’s favorites. We can take care of everything from setting up, serving it out, and cleaning it up! You just invite guests and prepare your graduate for a fabulous day!

Plan your graduate’s celebration by calling us or visiting us online. Choose your party type, and if you want our servers to attend to your guests, get ready for a fun time! Southern Ice Cream provides exceptional service, and high-quality, brand-name ice cream treats for any occasion. We also offer Certified Kosher Parve products.