Graduating in Quarantine? How to make the most of virtual commencement!

As the month of May is quickly passing through, so are graduations! While this years' ceremonies and commencements are a little different than usual, it's easy to create a lasting memory for the senior in your life.

An easy way to celebrate with close friends and loved ones is a zoom commencement! Similar to Facetime, Zoom allows you to easily add friends and family to a chat room.  So why not add the whole class of 2020? Although seniors may not be able to walk across the stage, they can walk across their family room with all their friends cheering along side them.  A graduation ceremony memory to last a lifetime. 

As for grad parties, although there won't be a house full of classmates, you can still celebrate all the hard work your senior had done throughout the years with just a few easy steps.  The first and most important thing are decorations! Simple streamers, balloons and table cloths in your dining room can make the space memorable and fun.  For dinner, support local small business by ordering catering for the whole family. 

Besides a virtual commencement and a family sized grad party, there are still more fun ways to honor your grad.  Memory boards are an easy surprise to add to the celebration.  Pick out some of your grads' favorite memories from over the years, certificates of accomplishment, and whatever art work or other achievements your grad has done over their educational years.  

Coming from a family who has a graduating senior, my mom and I teamed up and tried something special for her.  We sent out a questionnaire to our friends and family asking 1. Your favorite memory you share with Grace (my sister) and 2. Any graduation wishes or life advice you wish to impart on the graduate? These were included with self addressed envelopes which we put together in a book with her graduation picture on the front.  Simple ideas can make a huge impact and lasting memory on the graduate, and they can keep them forever! 

Written by: ABBY WEESE, REBECCA ADELE EVENTS INTERN

Throwing the Perfect Graduation Party!

Summer isn’t just the season for going to the beach and vacations; it’s the party season! With the school year finishing up, many graduations will commence and with graduations come graduation parties. Instead of just throwing the same old graduation parties with a box for cards and a picture board outlining the significant events in the grad’s life, why not throw a graduation that’s truly memorable and unique? Don't know where to start? Here are some great ideas you can include in your bash!

Memory jars are a great way to get your guests involved and excited about the party. Set up a simple glass jar and a small sign instructing the guests to write down their favorite memory with the grad on a small slip of paper. It will get your guests talking and create a meaningful keepsake for the graduate to hold onto for years to come.

To avoid the typical picture boards that you see at every graduation party, try a picture wreath instead – or even a few of them! Just take a simple pool noodle and tape the ends together using duct tape. A piece of drop cloth can be wrapped around the noodle to disguise its color. From there, cut a piece of cardstock into the shape of a graduation cap and attach a button to the center to hold the grad’s actual tassel. Then add the graduate’s name and graduation year on top of the cap. Depending on the size of your wreath, you can choose between eight and 12 photos to place however you’d like. Once you gather your pictures, attach them to cardstock that matches the color of your cap and you can easily glue them to the wreath and wa-la! Your picture wreath is complete and creates not only a nice gift for the grad but also a more interesting display for your guests to enjoy.

Instead of having a large cake with only one or two flavors for your guests to choose from, try serving cupcakes! Cupcakes allow for you to decide how many are needed for the number of guests you intend on having as well as picking a variety of flavors to please everyone. This alternative also creates an opportunity to place the cupcakes in the shape of the graduate’s graduation year! It will be eye catching and much more appealing than a plain cake. 

Place your wreath or wreaths above the cupcake display with the memory jar on a nearby table and you already have yourself a memorable and creative graduation party sure to leave your guests and the grad talking about it for years!

Written by Shaylee Dillen of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

A Reflection at My Time at Rebecca Adele PR & Events...

As I approach the end of my internship and the fall semester of my senior year I am so thankful for this experience and all that it has taught me. As a fashion major with a minor in marketing, I have never had any experience in PR but I was excited to get some hands on experience in the industry.

I came into this internship not knowing what to expect and eager to learn more. I was thrown into the crazy life of PR and event planning as I began my experience with Rebecca Adele PR & Events. Starting daily tasks like writing social media plans for various clients, learning how to use social media management websites like Sprout Social and Schedugram, writing blog posts, as well as writing press releases, all quickly became a part of my day-to-day learning.

This internship has taught me so much, and I can’t even begin to explain how thankful I am that this was my first internship experience. I didn’t just learn things like the media writing and how to use the websites like Sprout, but I learned how to deal with clients, vendors, and customer service. I learned how to work in a professional environment and how to work with a team of people. I learned how to manage my time and how to delegate tasks in order to work efficiently and for the office to run smoothly. 

I particulary enjoyed getting to know clients, and learning what kind of content they wanted to see posted to their websites/social media, who they are trying to target, and other information needed to brand their companies successfully.

As well as all of the things I have learned through this experience, one of the biggest ones that I will take away from this are the friendships that I have made working here. Between the days in the office listening to country music or classic Disney songs, the to road tripping to Columbus for a craft show, I have can now call these girls that I worked with some of my good friends.

My favorite part of this internship was getting to learn and see first hand what it takes to run your own business and what goes into planning events like all the craft shows that I have worked throughout this semester. One of my daily tasks was to read and post artist statements from our craft show vendors to our social media. I got to see what kind of products the vendors would be making for the craft shows before we even went to the shows.

After graduation in May, I hope to move to New York City and work in marketing or PR for a fashion design label. No matter what path I choose to go, I know that I will be well prepared for a life in the professional industry. Becki has taught me so much and I am so glad that I had this experience with Rebecca Adele PR and Events!