There is no doubt that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench into most of life’s biggest celebrations. If you have upcoming graduation this year, you may be wondering how you can celebrate it safely while still making it feel special. Here are six ways that you can celebrate graduation virtually.
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Create a Digital Guestbook
Rather than lament the drawbacks of having virtual graduation, think of ways that you can make the most out of having to go digital with your celebration. A digital guestbook is an easy way to collect good wishes for the grad while making it easier for your guests to connect.
Instead of requesting congratulations cards, ask the guests to leave their thoughts in a digital guestbook. The benefit of this is that all of the notes will be gathered in one place and preserved forever. There are a number of online services that can help you to launch this project.
Design a Festive Backdrop
If you are going with a virtual celebration, you will want to create a festive backdrop for your screen. The centerpiece of your celebration should be the grad’s diploma. There are a variety of vendors that offer custom diploma frames online.
Regardless of if you are looking for a high school or college diploma frame size, you can find what you need to display this special piece of paper. Accentuate the actual diploma with balloons in your school colors or other decorations to make the background stand out.
Implement a Fun Theme to Involve Guests
Although it is true that some of the fun is lost when you have to pivot from an in-person event to a virtual gathering, there are still a lot of ways that you can involve the guests. Implementing a fun theme will encourage guests to participate and become engaged in the event.
For example, consider asking your guests to wear fashion popular in the year that they graduated. Or maybe you want to send out graduation caps to your attendees prior to the celebration and ask them to decorate their cap to wear during the event. These ideas will support a festive vibe and get everyone involved in the celebration.
Create a Presentation or Video
One of the best parts about a virtual celebration is that everyone is already gathered around a computer. This makes it a breeze to create a presentation or video honoring the grad.
This is the ideal place to present special photos from the years, highlight the grad’s accomplishments while in school, and more. It also provides a lasting keepsake that the grad can treasure well after the party is over. This is also a good place to include congratulatory messages from people who cannot be there.
Send Treat Boxes
No graduation party is complete without the appropriate food and drink. Even if you cannot gather in person, you can still send food and drink to your party attendees. The time of the event will largely dictate the size and scope of your food delivery.
If your event falls over a meal house, consider sending a pizza to each home. Or maybe you want to pack a box of homemade goodies to drop off at each home prior to the celebration. Customized sugar cookies honoring the graduate, charcuterie platters, or crudites trays are all good ideas to send to each guest to enjoy as you gather together in a virtual format.
Hire a Keynote Speaker or Performer
Looking to kick it up a notch for your virtual celebration? Consider hiring a keynote speaker or performer to serve as the main attraction of the event.
Maybe the grad has a favorite teacher from the past who would like to address the attendees? Or perhaps you want to ask a beloved coach to speak to the grad? If you do not want to use a speaker, you can hire a musical guest or another type of entertainer to serve as the highlight of the party.
These six ways will honor your special grad while ensuring that you are following all recommended COVID-19 protocols. Do not let this momentous occasion pass you by without acknowledging it with an appropriate celebration.
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