March 4, 2020

How to Plan a Retirement Party

Retirement is an exciting time and certainly a reason to celebrate. Whether you’re planning a party for yourself or a coworker, knowing the basics of retirement party planning can help you throw a bash that will always be remembered.

Party Prep

The first step to planning a retirement party is to consider the wishes of the retiree. If they would prefer a smaller gathering, don’t invite the entire company, just those they were closest to. But, if the individual was the life of the party and everyone knew them, then a big blow-out bash is appropriate. 

Once you have the size of the guest list tailored, consider your theme, as this will help pick catering and location. If you want a generic, happy retirement theme, then most likely any restaurant will do. But if you want to go for a specific theme, maybe celebrating 50 years working, or to highlight their hobbies the retiree hopes to pick up in the coming years, that can help plan for the entire event.

We suggest picking one theme and sticking to it! If you want to go with gold and black to highlight 50 years, do that. But if your coworker is an avid fisherman, go with that. 

Once you have a theme and venue, consider your catering options. Decide if you want a sit-down meal, buffet or maybe just appetizers and cake. Getting the input from the retiree as long as it isn’t a surprise gathering will help, too.

Best Wishes

A retirement party is a great way to let a coworker know how much they were valued by the office team and just how much they will be missed. Before you throw them a bash, make sure to send around an office card so everyone can send their best wishes, even if they cannot attend the gathering. 

If you want to take it a step further, get recorded video messages from family, friends, and coworkers and send a heartfelt message. You can even make it into a video that can be played during the event.

A Gift

Your relationship with the retiree will determine the size and amount of the gift. If you are the employer, you may opt for a clock or watch, which tends to be the go-to retirement gift. But if you are a close friend to the retiree, you may want to go for something more personal or oriented to how the individual plans to spend their upcoming years out of the workforce. 

If a group of you are planning to go in on a gift, consider an experience instead of a tangible object like a trip, class or workshop. They’ll appreciate the thoughtfulness of it, and that they’ll have something to look forward to.

A Toast

You have a theme, venue, guest list and gift. Now you need to plan who will speak. It’s important that whatever tone is set for the venue follows through with the speeches. It will be very uncomfortable for you and your guest of honor if someone makes a funny speech laced with inside jokes that no one gets while the rest of the speakers stick with heartfelt messages.

The key takeaway is to know your audience! And plan for anything, of course.

Looking for the perfect venue for your retirement party? Give Grico’s a call!

You have your party to-do list. Now it’s time to book the venue! Grico’s is open any time for private parties! Call 570-654-9120 today for details!

We look forward to serving you at all of our fine establishments:                                      

The Beaumont Inn;

The River Street Jazz Cafe;

Grico’s;                                              

Kevin’s;

Cork Bar & Restaurant;

Le Manhattan Bistro;

Fire and Ice

arrow-up