Creating a memorable graduation experience is the perfect way to acknowledge all the hard work and resilience of your soon-to-be university graduate. This June, as my daughter prepared to graduate from McMaster University, I also felt that we were making up for lost time. Covid time. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, her graduating class had already been stripped of a proper high school graduation, a senior prom, and a first-year, on-campus university experience. So, I embraced the opportunity to go all out!
Before planning any festive occasion, I look for ideas and inspiration – colours, décor, food & beverages, music, gifts, wardrobe – to create an overall look and feel. While the convocation ceremony itself would be designed and executed by the university, the rest was open to some personal creativity!
The colours. Obviously, the colour scheme would have to incorporate pink – my daughter’s all-time favourite colour – but I also wanted to somehow include her school colours (one of which is maroon). To cover all the bases, I decided to incorporate several shades of her favourite hue (including the darkest, maroon) to create a palette that was appropriate for a university graduate – and decidedly more sophisticated than the “it’s a girl!” pastels of her childhood.
The music, the gifts…and the themed cocktail. The night before the convocation, the four of us had a private celebration at the house during which my daughter opened gifts while we listened to a curated playlist of her favourite songs on iTunes. In addition, we enjoyed a themed cocktail that not only represented her school colours, but also incorporated her favourite fruit (the pomegranate) and symbolized a treasured mother-daughter dinner we had shared at which we both tried a French 75 cocktail for the first time.
However, when I decided on the themed cocktail – the Pomegranate French 75 – I had forgotten that pomegranates are not in season in June, at least not already seeded in those convenient little cups you find in the produce section. So how was I going to make those “cute” little ice cubes in the picture that first inspired me? I was going to have to manually remove the seeds from one of those pesky little suckers! Turns out “the underwater approach” is the easiest and least messy…for most people.
The décor. To further incorporate the colour palette, I decorated with two large balloon bouquets, three small arrangements of ombre pink roses, and various styles of gift wrapping and ribbon.
The wardrobe. While my daughter wanted to wear a white dress on the day of her ceremony (she already owned one, so that was a bonus!), she needed some help with accessories. So, in the weeks leading up to the graduation, I happily went shopping with her to pick out some new shoes and accessories – jewellery and a purse – to pull together a look that matched her vision. Of course, I also wanted the rest of the family to dress nicely for the occasion, but in somewhat neutral colours, so that my daughter would take centre stage – not just during the ceremony, but also in the family photos that would be taken throughout the day.
But on the big day, fifteen minutes before we were scheduled to leave the house, my husband realized that his suit didn’t fit! I guess he didn’t think to double-check that in the days/weeks/years leading up to this occasion?! Thankfully, despite a number of colourful words, I remained calm and quickly helped him choose something else that would coordinate with the rest of us – I mean, there was an established theme here, and there was no way I was going to let him alter it in the 11th hour! (No, you cannot wear the lime green blazer – and why is that still in your closet!)
The dinner venue. For the convocation itself, we were limited to only three tickets. Anyone else wishing to attend would be required to stand in line 1-2 hours in advance for the chance to obtain any extra tickets. So, to ensure others would be able to participate in her special day, we also arranged to have a small celebratory dinner afterwards. Because my daughter wanted the occasion to feel relaxed and intimate, she was involved in choosing the venue (a small private room at a restaurant where we have celebrated other family milestones in the past) and in creating the guest list. I arranged for my close friend (and my daughter’s godmother) to pick up the balloons and flowers from the house to bring them to the restaurant while the rest of us attended the convocation. Finally, because my daughter tries not to eat sugar, she requested that I order a sugar-free cupcake for her for dessert – but I also ordered a decadent chocolate cake for the rest of us (because we do eat sugar).
The morning after. Of course, no major event (at least not for my daughter’s generation) is complete without social media acknowledgement. So the next morning, I began sorting through the myriad of photos we had taken to create a post on Instagram and Facebook for those friends and family members who were not able to join us. I even managed to figure out how to add one of my daughter’s favourite songs to the IG post (admittedly with some help from one of her roommates).
As I sat in my favourite chair near the window with coffee cup in hand, I not only felt incredibly proud of army daughter’s achievement, but pleased that my plans had (basically) gone off without a hitch.
But just as I began to exhale, I suddenly remembered – we are going camping tomorrow – this coffee break is over!
Credits:
Images – Kay Parent
sincerelykayparent
Sincerely Kay Parent 
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