Going Away Party

Throwing a "going away" party for a special friend or relative who is moving will leave the guest of honor feeling very touched by your effort, and missing friends before even departing for a new destination. Here are a few ideas to create some warm memories:

Send invites out letting all of your guests know that you will be paying tribute to your guest of honor before he/she moves. Send out a card with the invitation that says "I will miss "John" when he moves because...". Ask each guest to complete the card, and share why they have appreciated having "John" close by and why they will miss him after he has moved away. Ask them to think of funny and heartwarming stories to share at your party. Request that they bring the completed card on the special day. At a specified time, possibly before you eat, have each person read the message they have prepared. Videotape each guest as they deliver the message to your guest of honor, and then present him/her with the videotape as a memento of the party. He/she will be moved by the gesture, and you will have created a priceless treasure. As an alternative to videotaping the messages, you can collect the cards after they are read and compile them into a scrapbook. You could add a photo of each person/family to their message, and the scrapbook would serve as a lovely goodbye gift.

Plan a "This is your life" or "Spotlight" segment during the party. Gather old family videos, photo albums, school pictures, artwork, trophies, etc., and take the time to "chronicle" the life of your guest of honor. Decorate a special chair for him/her to sit in.

If your budget will allow, purchase favors for each guest to make the day unforgettable for everyone. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Check out our selection of custom imprinted stemware. Guests can drink water, wine, etc. from the special glass, then take the glass home and fondly recall the party every time they see the glass. They will add a lovely touch to your tables...tie a small piece of gold ribbon to each stem for an elegant look.

Give guests frames imprinted with special party details. Try one of our inexpensive imprinted acrylic frames, or one of our other specially imprinted frames. Either use a Polaroid™ camera to send a picture home with your guests, or mail souvenir photos at a later date. Make sure that you have plenty of film on hand, so that you can take lots of pictures of the guest of honor with each family/couple/ or individual in attendance.

Our imprinted photo albums or imprinted Photo Boxes make a very special favor, and one that your guests will treasure for many years to come. Leave disposable cameras on tables and encourage guests to use them. You'll have plenty of warm memories captured to pass along to your appreciative friends. Nothing could be more effective to provoke warm memories.

A nice touch for the evening would be to set up a photo backdrop area - either a balloon arch, or a gold curtain - so that the guest of honor can have his picture taken with either individuals or groupings of his choice. If you don't like the idea of having guests come with a prepared message, you could also use this area to set up a video camera, and ask guests to stop by at some point during the evening, and record a more spontaneous message. Have each guest start by saying "I WILL MISS YOU BECAUSE...". Throughout the evening you will create a touching tribute, filled with warm memories, funny stories, and the smiling faces of those who came to say goodbye.

An open house format would be a terrific choice for this type of party. The food need not be complicated or costly. One clever visitor to our site hosted a "Deserting Us" going away party…and served a buffet of "desserts"!

…Because life should be more fun…don't forget that even as the host or hostess, you should absolutely enjoy yourself and reap the rewards of your good planning. Let the celebration reflect the caring and joy you have put into your planning. If you need additional ideas or suggestions more specific to your party, please email us anytime…we're here to help make all your parties a huge success!