help me brainstorm about a party!

[MrsPotatohead]

so... it's a little ways off, but I have some time to kill and I'd like to daydream about my graduation   Hoping it will be in early December! 

most typical option: go out to a bar/restaurant after work, invite all the grad students who want to come, everyone pays for themselves

less common option 1: reserve a room at a bar/restaurant, maybe host part of the drinks (my one classmate paid up to $X), invite whoever

less common option 2: casual thing at a bar w/everyone, then (if they have family in the area) host a smaller party at their parent's house etc

very rare option: fully hosted party at a bar/restaurant (I've only heard of one I think who did this since I've been here)

So it would be great to do it at my parents' place since they live here, backyard BBQ etc... except it will be Dec   Their house isn't big enough IMO to invite that many people and it would just be more stressful than if it was in the yard or at a beach.  I like the idea of at least reserving a space and maybe providing some apps/drinks but since we're planning a vacation I can't really blow a ton of money on this (and people aren't expecting it really).  I also know that the second you tell a restaurant you're having a party they will start throwing minimums at you etc, which with this crowd might not be too hard to reach   but still would make me somewhat nervous.

So for any of the options above, do you have a place I could do it?  Pretty much needs to be in Seattle somewhere or no one will go, lol.

[monsterz]

I've reserved space at the following places before and none required a minimum spend

Belltown Pub
Rob Roy
The Loft (Ballard)
The Ballroom (Fremont)
Pike Pub & Brewery

[madDawg228]

I'm going to follow this thread, since I have 6 months to plan my Dirty 30 and I want to do something similar to this.

I imagine you probably would want to do something classier than a place near the Ave, but there might be a few spots in that area that also don't have a minimum for a space. Though, the Ave might be a good central location for your guests.

[MrsPotatohead]

Aug 20, 2014 10:42:56 GMT -5 madDawg228 said:

I'm going to follow this thread, since I have 6 months to plan my Dirty 30 and I want to do something similar to this.

I imagine you probably would want to do something classier than a place near the Ave, but there might be a few spots in that area that also don't have a minimum for a space. Though, the Ave might be a good central location for your guests.

LOL I wish   it really is a decently central location.  Capitol Hill is usually another go-do as well

[MrsPotatohead]

Aug 20, 2014 10:28:59 GMT -5 monsterz said:

I've reserved space at the following places before and none required a minimum spend

Belltown Pub
Rob Roy
The Loft (Ballard)
The Ballroom (Fremont)
Pike Pub & Brewery

thanks I'll check these out!

[Deleted]

If you can hold off till January then you might be able to get a room at a hotel with no rental fee and a reasonable f&b minimum.

Most event spaces are a lot slower in January and you can potentially get a great deal.

Also, people's social calendars aren't as full in January with holiday commitments.

[MrsPotatohead]

Aug 20, 2014 11:48:19 GMT -5 @uwhuskygirl said:

If you can hold off till January then you might be able to get a room at a hotel with no rental fee and a reasonable f&b minimum.

Most event spaces are a lot slower in January and you can potentially get a great deal.

Also, people's social calendars aren't as full in January with holiday commitments.

I would, but two of my classmates are already going to have moved away and I think will be flying in for a few days because another classmate and I (the last two) are defending back to back, so it feels weird to not do anything that week, which is what most people usually do.

I have also thought about asking my classmate if he wants to just do something together and maybe share the cost of partially hosting something, since most people would overlap anyway (although people sometimes invite outside friends, it's not usually that many so it wouldn't be too weird IMO to do it together)