| Return Create A Forum - Home | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| Bad Manners and Brimstone | |
| https://badmanners.createaforum.com | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| ***************************************************** | |
| Return to: Entertaining and Hospitality | |
| ***************************************************** | |
| #Post#: 81902-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Graduation party | |
| By: vintagegal Date: May 17, 2025, 4:15 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| what would you think of a HS graduation party that consists of | |
| everyone meeting at a restaurant and paying their own way? | |
| #Post#: 81903-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: oogyda Date: May 17, 2025, 5:22 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| Maybe this is a situation of "know your audience". It may be | |
| the norm for this group to celebrate this way. | |
| Aside from that, I think it is gauche. Even giving the most | |
| grace I can summon, it's lazy hosting. | |
| #Post#: 81904-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: Rose Red Date: May 17, 2025, 6:49 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| I think we need more details. Is it a bunch of teens hanging out | |
| who normally pay for themselves and using graduation as an | |
| excuse to party, or is it a bit more formal? | |
| If there is a host sending out invitations to friends and | |
| relatives to celebrate one person, I think the host(s) should | |
| pay for everyone. It doesn't have to be expensive. The | |
| restaurant can help put together a limited menu, or the party | |
| can be held at a pizza place or something like that. | |
| #Post#: 81905-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: vintagegal Date: May 18, 2025, 6:39 am | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| It's the parents. Inviting the rest of the family. | |
| #Post#: 81906-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: jpcher Date: May 18, 2025, 3:25 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| As oogyda said, maybe this is a "know your audience" type thing. | |
| I mean if this is the norm for all parties hosted by any family | |
| member, then I would go with the flow and not think anything | |
| about it. | |
| However, I do think it is a chintzy way to host a party. | |
| Especially a celebration that leans towards a gift-giving | |
| situation. | |
| If the hosts can't afford to treat all the guests to a | |
| restaurant meal, then they should host around their budget. An | |
| afternoon party (between lunch and dinner) with small | |
| appetizers, snacks and lemonade (add in some fun games) would be | |
| a wonderful family get-together to honor the graduate. | |
| #Post#: 81908-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: Rho Date: May 18, 2025, 8:23 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| "However, I do think it is a chintzy way to host a party. | |
| Especially a celebration that leans towards a gift-giving | |
| situation." | |
| Every few months my friend Lori contacts 5 of us to say we are | |
| meeting at Alices' Restaurant downtown at 1:00 for lunch. Those | |
| who want to attend show up. We all request separate checks. | |
| Lori is not a 'host'. A Host pays for the food. Another friend | |
| was a host by inviting folks to Joes Pizza Palace when her son | |
| graduated High School. We gathered in a private room where | |
| pizzas plus pitchers of soda were provided by friend. Joes | |
| provided paper napkins plus cups and trash cans. Simple, | |
| hospitable, and a good time was had by all. | |
| #Post#: 81909-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: lowspark Date: May 19, 2025, 9:15 am | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| I think it depends on how the "invitation" was presented. | |
| If it was presented as a host inviting guests then I agree, not | |
| cool. They should do their own family dinner at the restaurant | |
| and not invite anyone they don't wish to pay for. | |
| Then, they can host a separate party at their house or park or | |
| wherever, and supply light refreshments like chips & dips or | |
| cheese & crackers and such, and cake. A party like that at 2pm | |
| for example, is perfectly acceptable if that's all they are | |
| capable of doing. | |
| Maybe the only way it could play out as them not hosting is if | |
| family asked THEM - "Where are y'all going after the ceremony?" | |
| and the response being, "ABC restaurant, you're welcome to | |
| join!". | |
| In that case, I would not expect the grad's family to pay, since | |
| they didn't really initiate the party as such. | |
| On the other hand, as others have noted, sometimes it is the | |
| norm within a particular social group that whenever the group | |
| goes out, regardless of the reason, i.e., birthday, graduation, | |
| just cuz, etc., everyone pays their own way. | |
| And... a whole other possibility, this particular "social group" | |
| never goes out together, so there is no norm. In this case, I'd | |
| count this as a one-off and just go with the flow. Either go if | |
| I liked the grad and the family and the restaurant, or skip it | |
| if the set up didn't really work for me. | |
| #Post#: 81910-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: vintagegal Date: May 20, 2025, 6:21 am | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| the invitation does not say who is paying for the meal, and of | |
| course I am not going to ask. It's a very long drive for me | |
| anyway so I am not going, I'll just send a card and check to the | |
| grad. | |
| #Post#: 81913-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: Gellchom Date: May 21, 2025, 9:32 am | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| I agree with almost everyone else that it is a "know your | |
| audience," or maybe "know the group," situation. And when it | |
| comes to family, well, times two. | |
| Your last post adds a couple of informative details, though: | |
| 1. There was an "invitation." You didn't describe the | |
| invitation, though, so that still doesn't tell us much. If it | |
| was a written invitation or even an evite, as opposed to just | |
| mentioning it to you in a phone call or email letting you know | |
| the date and time of the graduation, then it would seem that, | |
| absent family custom otherwise, they should be paying. | |
| 2. There is no mention of who is paying in the invitation. Your | |
| original post made it sound like you know they aren't, not like | |
| a hypothetical. If the reason you think so is that this is what | |
| the family usually does -- well, then, my answer is that maybe | |
| it's not how I would do it, but it is "correct" within this | |
| family's etiquette. | |
| #Post#: 81965-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Graduation party | |
| By: bopper Date: July 1, 2025, 2:53 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| I would think it tacky and probably wouldn't go. They just want | |
| the gifts but don't want to host. | |
| They should just have a backyard BBQ. | |
| ***************************************************** |