A Guide to Graduation Party Planning in Columbus, Ohio
- Emily Holland
- Jun 14, 2020
- 9 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Are you ready to plan a graduation party near Westerville? Can you believe it’s already time to plan a celebration for their biggest accomplishment yet?! It’s finally time to truly acknowledge the years of homework, tests, packing lunches, late nights studying and early morning wake-ups to head off to school. So what do you do first? We have the complete list of step-by-step planning for your senior's graduation celebration, INCLUDING vendors!
Read on to find information and links to:
Graduation party venues
Tent, table and chair rental
Grad Party Invites
Graduation party food
Graduation cakes
Graduation cookies
Decorating for graduation parties
How to use senior pictures
Graduation signs and yard banners
Cap & Gown Photos for Party Invites & Party Decor:
If you don't have plans for photos of seniors in their cap & gown, make sure to plan a session for those! Here's why!
Graduation Party Venues near Westerville, Gahanna, Powell, and Lewis Center:
If you haven’t booked a venue, this should be priority #1 as many locations do book up early. If you plan to host at your home, it is time to begin any household jobs that you want complete before the big day. Hotels and major event spaces that also host corporate events and weddings and large events are available everywhere. Some resturants allow you to reserve a room as well. Some lower-cost popular graduation party venues in the area include:
Java Central (Westerville) Olentangy River Brewing Company (Lewis Center) Meekers Venue (Delaware) Bash (Worthington) Rise (Powell & Delaware) The Daily Growler (various)
Grizzlybird Brewing Company (Westerville) The Barn at Stratford (Delaware) Uncommon Studio (Westerville) CoHatch Westerville
Tent, Table and Chair Rental near Westerville for Graduation Parties:
If you are hosting a graduation party in your home, you may be in need of additional tables and chairs to accommodate your company! Plan early and account for extra people. This gives your party guests the flexibility of moving seats as they join conversations throughout the celebration.
For tables, chairs, tents, accessories, decor, food machines, and more, check out Molly's Market. Molly's Market is a small business owned by a Westerville mom located not far from Polaris. You can pick up your items on smaller orders or free delivery is available for nearby locations on orders of $250 or more. If you need a tent, they will set that up for you which is super helpful because you know you will be busy! Here are a bunch of rental items that might be great for a grad party all in one place in addition to party tents, tables, and folding chairs. You know we like making senior year easy!
Samantha Lozano in Sunbury also has a large supply that she rents out regularly this time of year. Her stash includes 10 6-foot tables, 50 chairs, and 4 10x10 tents. The best party? You are supporting a local mom AND saving a ton of money and hassle.She does book early, though, so make sure to reach out as soon as your date is finalized. Samantha can be reached at 614-746-3421.
O'Neil Tents also has a ton of tent options in the area. In this 2025 update, their main site wasn't working, but you can check out their Facebook page for more info.
Graduation Party Invitations
Most families will send graduation announcements that include an invitation to the party in the card details. See this detailed post with the 10 things you should include in your graduation announcements! Debating on whether or not to send grad announcements? Check out this blog post!
Graduation Party Food
One of the most important things after the venue is determining your menu! If you are renting a venue that offers food, you will most likely need to order directly from their catering or restaurant menu as often no outdoor food vendors are permitted. If you are able to bring in food, you have plenty of options! Here's a list of popular ideas for graduation party food:
Taco Bar - This is probably the highest rated graduation party menu. You can do walking tacos or a taco bar with a ton of variety in toppings. Everyone chooses what they love and it's easy to put out and maintain. Since tacos can be eaten on the go without tableware, it makes it an easy graduation food to serve!
Pasta Bar - A little more involved because silverware is required, but this tends to be a huge hit with teens as once again everyone can customize their plate to their liking and preferences. Full catering is available from many Italian restaurants in the area and that makes your job super easy! Best for indoor parties.
Sandwich Platters - Think Jimmy Johns, Subway, or Jersey Mikes. If you are on a budget or a huge Costco fan, they also offer sandwhich platters. This is probably one of the easiest and cheapest ways to cater a party with very little hassle.
Chicken tenders & sides - A crowd fav for sure, Chick-Fil-A or Canes offer the perfect finger food for teens and sides to make it a meal.
BBQ buffet - A traditional backyard graduation party menu, but best if someone does it for you such as a local caterer or a restaurant like City BBQ (very popular on the grad party circuit)
Food Trucks - a fan favorite for larger parties, especially parties that involve multiple seniors like when a group of friends throw a graduation party together. This gives options for guests to choose their favorite menu items, and gives the host control over cost or cost-sharing. Best of all for the host, no supplies needed! The trucks bring the plates, silverware, and napkins and manage everything related to the food.
Food tip #1 - the more DIY you go, the more work you will be doing that day instead of visiting with guests. Often families will do their own catering (pick up, set up, perhaps cook some of the food) on the first grad, but are happy to hire full catering on the next one so they can simply relax and enjoy the graduation party. Carefully consider how much hosting you will be doing (greeting out of town guests, making introductions, etc) and how much other event coordination will be on your plate that day. Are you the one decorating? Cleaning? Setting out the dessert? Taking pictures? Managing music? This can be a lot for one person and you deserve to enjoy your senior's graduation party, too!
Food tip #2 - Consider the timing of your party and if your senior's friends will be party hopping heavily during that time. If so, you may not need quite as much food. Many parents report the "kids didn't really eat" because they had come from other parties. Always better to have too much than not enough, but definitely something to consider if your party is during a popular time slot.
Graduation Party Cakes, Cake Pops, Cookies, & More for Grad Parties near Westerville.
Gifts by the Bunch has a variety of cookies, cake pops, and more for graduation parties. Hometown Sugar in Centerburg has cakes and cookies. Frost My Heart has a lot of cakes and cookies and other desserts for graduation parties. Cake Coven Confections is a favorite in Westerville with detailed cake styling available.  Fate Cakes is a fantastic choice for unique cakes as well. Those super fancy detailed sugar cookies everyone loves? Amber Rose Cakes makes them! Sassy Snackers also makes gorgeous iced sugar cookies that could be perfectly customized for your senior. Don't forget to customize your order with your graduate's high school colors and text to make them just perfect for your party theme! Or, forget cake and choose something completely unexpected and different for your celebration!
Graduation Party Cookies near Westerville, Custom Sugar Cookies
If you are dreaming of the cutest sugar cookies with custom writing or drawing, look no further than Edible Creations by Amy . She has many cute designs and options to choose from, and can actually accommodate a tree nut allergy which is super rare!
Professional Graduation Party Photo Prints and Albums:
Speaking of décor, it’s time to think about how to display images of your senior. If you haven’t ordered professional prints from their senior session, contact your photographer to do so now. Our senior families have usually already purchased an album and in some cases a slideshow to show off their favorite images from their senior session. The first step, of course, is to send a graduation announcement!
Graduation Signs and Banners near Westerville:
Congratulate your senior in a big way with a photo banner specially designed just for them. Don’t want to display a photo? Card My Yard is a yard sign company that will set up a celebratory display in your yard overnight to surprise your graduate in the morning! These franchised locations are owned by local families, so not only are you getting a great way to display this accomplishment, but you are supporting local as well! Card My Yard Galena serves Galena, Lewis Center, Sunbury, Delaware including zip codes 43015, 43031, 43082, 43021, 43074 and 43035 or Card My Yard New Albany serves 43081, New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Pataskala, Johnstown. Give your senior a surprise with a personalized phrase right in your front yard.
Looking for a celebratory yard banner? Maybe one that announces their college choice or the high school where they are receiving their diploma? You have the option to purchase yard stakes to put this banner in your yard, or you can use zip ties to hang it in other places such as indoors, over the garage, or on the porch. 5' x 3' is the most popular size, although you may choose to go smaller or larger depending on your needs.
Located in Lewis Center, Skip Rock Inc. is a family-owned business that produces customized graduation banners you can easily order online. Regular pricing for the banner for 2024 with your choice of text and photo(s) is $59 for the banner only, or $75 for the banner with stakes so you have the complete kit ready to go for the yard! They have a variety of templates online to choose from, and you can place your order right there and email your professional senior photo to the owner, Cristie, as indicated on the ordering screen. They will send you an email proof typically within 1-2 days and it will be printed once approval is given. If you want something you don't see in the online templates, simply reach out to them to bring your idea to life. Did you know - you can place your order anytime for Spring pickup if you don't want to hold it for months until your party? Go ahead and check this item off your list!
Skip Rock also offers Olentangy school district students the option of adding delivery & setup of their banner! Talk about making this easy!!
YesPress Graphics LLC is the place to go in Westerville for your banner needs. With excellent customer service, YesPress can help you customize something for graduation from one of their unique design templates using your school logo and their senior photo(s). As of this writing in early 2024, banners are $84.88 if you have your own design, or with an additional $30 if you use one of their templates. They are located right in the heart of Westerville, so picking up your graduation banner is easy and quick! Please note that they do not sell the yard stakes, so you will need to purchase those separately elsewhere.
Westerville North students - the athletics department has an annual fundraiser for graduation yard banners. Information usually comes out in early Spring and a portion of the money goes right back to the WNHS athletics programs!
Graduation Party Decorations!
There are so many ways to decorate for your senior's graduation party! If you are planning early, we recommend shopping New Year's Eve sales on party supplies and decor that has the new year on them because this is the graduation year! But even if you are planning later, you can order plenty of custom items with the grad year from local makers or Etsy. Be sure to allow time for production and shipping!
Looking for a balloon arch in your senior's school colors but don't want to spend hours blowing up the balloons yourself? Check out Young and Wild Balloon Co! Offering a mix of everything from Grab-n-Go balloon garland to full service balloon installations, this small business has everything you need to make your graduation party feel fun and festive! While you're on their site, don't forget to check out their large letters and numbers perfect for photo opps at your party! Looking to surprise your senior with a bouquet of fresh flowers to celebrate their accomplishment? Westerville Florist is the perfect place to pick up a locally-sourced bouquet of blooms! With a wide variety of unique arrangements and colors available, you can find something to match their school colors of simply a colorful arrangement to celebrate. Conveniently located in Uptown Westerville right on State St., they have a dedicated parking lot in the back. They also deliver in the area, if you prefer to do one less errand!
Graduating from Big Walnut or other school near Sunbury? Check out Sunbury Florist for the same great service!
Enjoy your celebration; you BOTH deserve it!
Were you too busy for senior photos this year? It's not too late to make it happen! Annually we also host our popular Cap & Gown Minis for seniors to show off their cap and gown for professional photos in advance of graduation day. Get in touch if you want to grab a spot for those in the Spring!