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help me plan a party
I'm terrible at plannning parties... I have too many ideas and can't narrow it down.
So I'm attempting to plan a surprise Grad party for M. I cannot for the life of me pick any menu options. Party set up: There are about 50 people on the invite list (though probably 40 would come) and I'm doing this in our apartment clubhouse. My aunt will be doing the food (with my help) and there will not be a place for tables/sit down dining. There is seating available on a couple of couches, a few small tables, and there is a patio/pool. Here's the different ideas I'm tossing around:
*Taco bar - easy to prep and put out, but is that weird for a grad party?
*Pasta bar - relatively inexpensive, but I worry about the messy factor
*A variety of "pick up" food - sliders, food on sticks, veggies in shot glasses, fruit in waffle cones (see my party pin board) - this is my favorite idea, but I'm concerned about how much prep time is needed and that it will be to much to juggle on plates without a lot of table seating options
*BBQ - easy, I can either do it myself or order it from a local place - most expensive
*Grill out - hot dogs & hamburgers - pretty traditional for a summer party around here, but we have one grill and it is occasionally finicky and I would have to have my dad grill everything versus being a guest
Desert will be cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies. Drinks are pretty simple - tea, lemonade, and water served in Mason jars 
So which option is better? What would you prefer as a guest? Other ideas? Are all of them lame?
Re: help me plan a party
found clubhouse pictures and will add later
I really like the idea of pick up foods.
At my cousin's wedding, they did a slider bar. They had trays of pulled pork, hamburger patties and grilled chicken and then all the cheese and condiments and people built their own. It was great and would be easy for what you're doing.
Kate's Recipe Box || Relatively Bookish
I also think pick up foods would be best, especially if people are not going to sit when they eat.
I like Kate's suggestion of a slider bar.
You girls are fantastic! I'm leaning more towards pick up food or the BBQ now... or a hybrid of both. I am having lunch with my aunt tomorrow, so I'll have to see which of those she's most comfortable with.
I don't know if it matters, but here's a picture of the clubhouse:
ETA: any non-cheesy decor suggestions are welcome. I'm having problems finding grad stuff that's not primary colors or looks high school-ish. I'm completely down with there not being anything "grad" related too, but then I start to draw a blank.
Ditto Laura, no decorations. Maybe a cute homemade banner if you feel like you have time, but it's not necessary at all. Make sure you bring a basket and have it in a designated area for cards
Simple centerpieces for some of the tables might be nice, but again not necessary.
A banner is an almost must, I can't believe I forgot about that! A homemade banner would be WONDERFUL!
Definitely like the banner idea...
http://www.seethatthere.com/2012/04/sun-is-out-lets-party.html
Oooh! I love that one! Perfect!
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What are you looking at?
I'm late to the party too but my preference at a party like this is the ability to eat it with one hand. If I may have to hold or stabalize my plate, the last thing I want to do is end up with a piece of steak or chicken or something in my lap.
I love Kate's idea of a slider bar. I like taco bar but that is limiting if people dont like those flavors. With the slider bar, you can do pulled pork, little burgers (easy and quick to grill)...
I also love kabob parties. This is one of my go tos... you can make all the kabobs ahead of time. You just get your meat marinated and them thread it the night before... throw it on the grill. So you can have something more tasty than burgers but still have it finger food ish so it doesn't need knife/fork (make the pieces bite size. I like doing chicken kabobs with onions, peppers and mushroom skewers too.
I think the easiest, least amount of prep but still feel like a "meal" (versus appetizers) that also allows people to prepare things the way they like while still being an eat with your hands thing is the slider bar.
Maybe that with a couple of easy appetizers would be awesome.
I also like the fruit skewer idea... also easy to grab and easy enough to prep. Or even a fruit salad or fruit trifle works.
I agree with both of you... Especially about the one hand thing.
So if I do sliders, I'm thinking a ham and cheese one (my aunt has the perfect recipe for this), BBQ pulled pork, and meatball... What other slider options are there besides traditional burger?
And I'm thinking some fruit kabobs... Grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries...
Then maybe some shot glass veggies and another appetizer type thing or two.
I think if you want another slider option besides what you have mentioned and not burger, what about a shredded chicken? I will look for some recipes. I think meatball might be too messy, but that's just my opinion.
Yes. All of this!