Show You Care by Hosting a 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 a photo album would serve as a lovely goodbye gift.

As an alternative, you can use a Heavenly Night Bookmark Invitation and create a personalized invitation. Add the wording of your choice to the beautiful design! They double as great favors!

Tell us your Going Away Party ideas!

Decorate for a Fantastic Going Away Party

To make a Going Away party special and memorable, you will definitely want to create a festive and fun atmosphere regardless of whether your party is going to be held in a home or a more formal reception hall. Here are some ideas to help you make your party spectacular!

Outdoor Decorations:
• Greet your guests with an impressive balloon arch at the entrance of your party.
• Make your party a truely special occasion by hanging a personal photo memories mural in a prominant place. By having your favorite photos of your guest of honor on this you are making your party a very personal experience for all who attend!
• If you are hosting your party in a park or right in your own back yard, you may want to enhance the atmosphere by adding a few lamp posts and park benches to the scenery.

Indoor Decorations:
• If you are decorating a large area, or want to make any area look more intimate and festive, drape and swag our gossamer across ceilings, walls, and the edges of table skirting. Twist two colors together for a stunning
look.
• Never underestimate the power of decorating with balloons, as they can transform any size room into a cozy space in minutes at a very low cost. You can choose to inflate balloons with helium, but you need not think that is the only option. In order to save money, inflate hundreds of balloons in colors to match your theme without using helium. Tie a 6-8 foot piece of curling ribbon to the end of each one. Using scotch tape, masking tape, or straight pins, hang balloons down from the ceiling so they hang at different lengths. Curl the loose end of the ribbon with scissors.

If you are hanging the balloons in a gymnasium, or large hall, cut the ribbon to a length appropriate for the height of the ceiling. A very cost effective means to transform a large space into a much more intimate one, is to hang the balloons down from different spaces all over the area you are decorating.
• Whether you are indoors or outside, there are so many ways places to hang lighted paper lanterns to create a wonderfully soft-lit atmosphere!

Table Decorations & Napkins:
• We offer a large selection of table covers, cups, plates and cutlery. These are available in just about any color, so you’re sure to find something perfect for your particular setting.
• Make your Guest of Honor feel like a star by adding 3-D star centerpieces to your tables.
• Order personalized napkins and have them imprinted with your party slogan and design of your choice. Select a metallic or foil imprint. The napkins will serve several purposes - great decorating in disguise and a delightful memento of the party that can be saved in scrapbooks for years to come!

Activities for a Going Away Party to Remember

In your invitations, let 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 photo album 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. Use gossamer to decorate a special chair for him/her to sit in.

A nice touch for the evening would be to set up a photo backdrop area - either a balloon arch, or a metallic 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”!

Tell us your Going Away Party ideas!

Favors for Parting at a Going Away Party

If your budget will allow, purchase favors for each guest to make the day unforgettable for everyone. Favors are a perfect way to make the party a really special affair both for guests and for the guest of honor. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Check out custom personalized glassware. 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 custom 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.

Personalized photo albums or 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 invoke warm memories.