If a really great teacher decides to retire, don’t you think they deserve a retirement party? Even if it’s a few parents inviting them to a quiet dinner at a really nice restaurant? Even better – you could make it epic, throwing a retirement party that parents and teachers will recall with nostalgia many years later!
If you decided on the idea of throwing a memorable retirement party, here are some guidelines to get your party on.
Add an Epic Touch
How do you make a party epic? It’s simple: pick a fun theme.
You can get almost all the party supplies you need for any party theme by shopping online. If, for example, your guest of honor loves to travel (or is at least a vicarious adventurer fascinated by travel documentaries), then a wanderlust theme will work beautifully.
You can build out this theme with props and decor.
Pile a few suitcases with tags and stickers in the dining room and tack a few travel posters on the walls, the type you would see at a travel agent’s office.
Perhaps use maps as placemats and postcards as place cards.
You can even ask the guests to come in fancy dress related to a travel theme, maybe dressing up as tourists heading off for a week on an African safari or for a few days in Hawaii.
Make It Easy
When throwing a large party, make it easy by hiring a catering company.
You’ll benefit by staying on budget and working with people with plenty of experience when it comes to putting all the right elements of a party in place. Also, think about how much time you can save and how much stress you'll take off your own shoulders by taking this route.
When you work with a professional party planner who is detail-oriented, everything will be meticulously organized for you, including arranging a theme for your party. You can choose to work with the party planner to get all the details right or trust them to take care of everything. It’s entirely up to you.
To continue that wanderlust theme, perhaps the catering company might even be open to allowing their staff to dress up as a flight crew.
Offer a Selection of Dishes
Don’t assume that all your guests like the same foods. Offer a wide selection. Besides catering for those on an omnivore diet, be sure to make a few special dishes for vegetarians and vegans. For instance, vegan stuffed peppers are always an excellent choice.
Additionally, you may want to check with your guests to find out if anybody has dietary restrictions. For instance, some people may have to avoid gluten, sugar, or salt for health reasons. If some guests are on dietary restrictions, make special dishes for them so that they don’t feel left out of the festivities.
For beverages – feel out the local culture before deciding on whether you want there to be adult beverages or not. If you do opt for something like beer or cocktails, go for quality over quantity. In other words, offer a few six-packs of craft beer instead of a few cases of a “lite” beer. If you’d like to serve something even more elegant, you can often find cocktail deliveries in major cities that offer premade whiskey drinks, mojitos in bottles, and more. If that isn’t an option, ask a local mixologist to craft a pre-mixed beverage for the occasion.
Timing Is Everything
If you get the timing wrong, it could ruin everything, even if you’ve planned all the details of the retirement party impeccably.
The ideal time would be on the teacher’s actual day of retirement. If that’s not possible for logistical reasons, then it should only be a few days later. In the worst-case scenario, don’t go beyond two weeks.
Momentum is of the essence. The further away the party is from the retirement date, the lower the enthusiasm for a party. The retired teacher will no longer feel the thrill of novelty, and many guests may find excuses not to show up at all. Even those who attend will not be as enthusiastic about the festivities.
In sum, the elements of a great retirement party for a beloved teacher include finding a party supplier, hiring a catering company, making sure that everyone loves the food, and throwing the party as close to the day of retirement as possible.
