Graduation Weekend

My college graduation was this weekend!! Although we couldn't celebrate with an in-person ceremony, I am so grateful that I got to be with my family. My brother and I both came home to celebrate graduation and Mother's Day with our mom, so the three of us had a fun little weekend together.

Graduation Dresses (All Under $200!)

Even though graduation is postponed, I am still on the lookout for a white dress to wear for graduation photos! I love the tradition of wearing a white dress for special occasions. Obviously, I could mix up the colors, but it just feels right... we had to wear white dresses for my high school graduation, so it seems appropriate to wear one for college graduation, too! 

College Graduation Gift Ideas

It is absolutely insane to me to think that I am graduating from college next weekend. I haven't been in a classroom, seen my friends, or gone to a bar in what feels like forever. Like, is it just me, or has anyone else kind of forgotten we're actually students? Of course, I have the occasional homework and zoom class, but it's not the same...

However, it is really important (maybe I'm biased) to still acknowledge the achievements and graduation we would have had. A global pandemic doesn't mean we aren't still graduating, or have put in any less work over the last four-ish years. There is still so much to be celebrated, even if we can't actually wear a cap and gown to commemorate it!

I've rounded up a handful of things that I think would make fabulous graduation gifts if you have someone in your life graduating. These are particularly curated for college students but many would make great high school graduation or graduate school gifts as well!

My Biggest Announcement Yet...

I am thrilled to announce today my post-college plans! I really can't believe this is happening and that I am finally sharing it with all of you!

I'm moving to New York City.

Gift Guide: The Graduate

Hello, hello!! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving yesterday! Heading home for Thanksgiving to see my grandparents and family has, of course, led to the answering of many questions regarding post-graduation plans. This inspired me to put together a little gift guide for anyone shopping for someone graduating in just a few weeks, or in the spring. Leaving college, starting a job, or moving into a new apartment are all huge milestones that should be celebrated with something special!

Especially today on Black Friday when there are so many great sales, investment pieces like some of these can be scored for a great deal that rarely happens at any other time!

If you know someone who has recently accepted a job or will be doing a lot of interviewing in the coming months, a few professional essentials include:

Nice ballet flats

Classic heels (40% off on Bloomingdale's right now!)

An everyday leather tote (30% off with code GIFTWELL)

A polished, timeless blazer

An everyday watch

For someone graduating and moving into a new apartment, some thoughtful gifts include:

A personalized set of wine glasses (20% off + free ship w code FRIENDS)

A chic bar cart (something she might not want to splurge on herself right away!)

A candle or print that reminds her of her hometown or college town! (more cities here!)

And for anyone who just deserves a timeless, nice gift, I think the following would make great gifts:

A signet ring (this is 14k gold on sale for 65% off... probably the best deal you will ever see on a gold signet ring!!)

A nice perfume for special occasions (this is the best scent ever. three of my best friends wear it religiously for special occasions. it is gorgeous!)

xoxo

15 Graduation/Occasion Dresses

tbt to my grad party!

I talked about graduation party invitations and graduation gift ideas a few weeks ago, but before all else, the most essential part of graduation is securing the perfect dress! I went to a Catholic, all-girls high school, so for graduation we wore long white dresses and white gloves to our elbows. I loved the traditional look and I thought it made our graduation ceremony so special. In general, I do believe that white dresses are the perfect choice for graduation ceremonies, and I feel like most private schools ask that girls wear some sort of white dress. However, if you're graduating this year and not feeling the all-white look, I personally find seersucker dresses, Lilly Pulitzer dresses, and really any other pretty dresses of that sort fabulous for the occasion as well.

Honestly, I think these dresses are all gorgeous, and they would work well for any nice occasion you might have on your calendar for this summer.

1: Lace // 2: Ruffle // 3: Scalloped Off-Shoulder // 4: One-Shoulder // 5: Daisy-Patterned Lace

6: Lace Overlay // 7: Eyelet // 8: Tea Length // 9: Periwinkle // 10: Off-Shoulder Bow-Ties

11: Gold Detail // 12: Eyelet // 13: Tiered Scallop // 14: Pink Crepe // 15: Lilac Lace

Do you have your graduation dress picked out already? Or if you're not a graduate, where did you find your dress?

xoxo

Graduation Gifts

After sharing the cutest graduation announcements last week, I remembered that one of the most fun posts I wrote last year during the graduation season was about great gifts to give a graduate at her party. When it comes to graduation gifts, I think the perfect memento is tasteful, timeless, and exciting to receive. For new graduates, whether high school or college (even middle school!), this might include a nice piece of jewelry like a simple necklace or pearl earrings, a new wallet, a ladylike fragrance, stationery, and the list goes on...

Graduation Season with Minted

Even though I graduated high school last year, I am close with a ton of seniors that will be embarking on their own graduation seasons very soon! Graduation season is so much fun... from planning parties to getting excited about what's to come next, there is also something to look forward to. Of course, there is a lot of stress that comes with that, and I remember one of the most stressful (but exciting!) parts about my own graduation was planning my party. You can read about my graduation party here; it turned out to be one of the most fun days of my whole year!

If you're new around here, I worked for a custom paper store in high school where I made mostly wedding invitations, but I had the opportunity to make my own graduation party invitations. This year, if I were to do it again, I would also want to mail out graduation announcements to people I wasn't inviting to my party! When I discovered Minted, an online paper store, I fell in love with their collection of graduation announcements. Seriously, if you're in the market for invites or graduation announcements, there really couldn't be an easier option out there with incredibly cute styles to choose from!

left column: stripes (also available in foil) // foil "graduate" // collage of photos // floral

middle column: stripes // mint (available in multiple colors) // script "graduate" // circle

right column: block font // rectangle border // arch over 2017

Aren't they fabulous? I'm obsessed... kind of makes me look forward to doing it all again in three years! You can see the whole collection here. 

xoxo

White Dinner Recap

It's hard to believe that White Dinner, the final senior dance for my school, was already two weeks ago. This summer is definitely in full swing, but it still hasn't even hit me that it's actually summer! The White Dinner dance was honestly the most fun dance I've ever been to and the whole venue was so beautiful that I felt like we were really at a wedding the whole time... only adding to that was the fact that we were all in our white dresses! It's crazy to consider myself a "college" student now, but also so fun to look ahead towards all of the new adventures to come. I definitely think I finished the year in the most fun way possible, so it makes me feel so happy to have created the memories that I did!

Does your school have any fun traditions like this? You can read a little more about white dinner and my graduation recap here and graduation party recap here.

xoxo

Graduation Party Recap

Having my graduation party on Saturday afternoon, the day following my graduation, was absolutely the best idea. Although there were quite a few other parties that day, it meant so much to celebrate while my family was all still in town! My friends stopped over, too, and the party lasted until literally 2 AM, and even then a few of my girlfriends slept over. Leave it to me to order cupcakes, accessorize them all in custom flags, and then eat like 10 of them myself.... eh, it was a celebratory occasion so #noshame. 

The party itself was incredibly fun, the food was delicious (we catered pulled pork sandwiches and also grilled kabobs), and the company was fabulous. Just being surrounded by the people I love most was enough to fill a gorgeous afternoon. I wore the same dress I wore Thursday night to baccalaureate, which I unfortunately can not find anywhere online, but you can shop similar dresses below:

xoxo

Graduation Recap

This weekend was all a blur... Celebrating graduation with so many of my family members in town and celebrating for four days in a row with seemingly infinite amounts of parties and festivities was a little overwhelming! My family all left yesterday morning so I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon with my mom and tried to recover a little bit from all of the events prior. Tonight is the senior white dinner dance, the final "high school" event I will ever attend, where we all wear our white graduation dresses again. It's basically like a very, very formal prom, but it's apparently the most fun dance and I am so beyond excited!

Today I wanted to share a few photos from the actual graduation ceremony on Friday night. The ceremony is held every year at the Milwaukee Theatre and I honestly think they could not have done a better job of making it a beautiful commencement. My class of 158 girls had four valedictorians, and every speech was incredible. Last year I went to graduation for some friends, and I felt that the valedictorian speeches were so boring, but my classmates this year really killed it. We also elect one "spirit of the class" speaker to give a final speech after we walk across the stage, and she also did a wonderful job... her speech was hilarious!

My little cousins came in from Long Island and Boston! How cute are they?!

The only time this whole weekend my brother wasn't sporting a man-bun... Smh.

After graduation I went to dinner with my grandparents, parents, aunt, and my brother to the best restaurant in MKE. If you know me at all you know how much I love good seafood, and I'm still dreaming about those scallops, crab legs and lobster!

Overall, it was an incredible night and one that truly made me so grateful for the last four years. I loved my high school experience and I can't quite believe it's over. I'm not sure when it'll really hit me that I'm totally done, but I love that at least it finished off in a fabulous way.

xoxo

Graduation

It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm graduating today. A part of me feels like it was yesterday that I went to my first football game, failed my first English paper, played my first field hockey game... the list goes on and on. I think what makes high school graduations so particularly special is the fact that you go in one person, and you come out completely evolved. Compared to college, high school is a time of actual growth; high school is the time where you develop and discover who you truly are, and over the last four years, I don't think I could have done any better job of that.

When I remember how my life used to be graduating eighth grade, it's incredible to notice the changes. There are the big differences, like the fact that I've lived in three houses over these four years, my parents are now divorced, and like, maybe the fact that I never thought I'd ever have a boyfriend (if we are being totally honest I'm just putting that out there...). There are little things that have changed too. As a freshman, I never would have had the confidence to say half the things that I proudly do now, or I never wanted anyone to find out I had a blog. That one is actually pretty funny for me because I used to be so embarrassed of TBP and just last week at our all-school assembly I won an award for "most likely to become a famous blogger".

Tonight when I put on my white dress and gloves and I look like I'm getting married, I'll probably cry, but I will definitely also look back on these four years as the best of my life (so far!). The happiness and joyful moments that have come from all of the friends and people who have made me the person I am, with whom I created the most wonderful memories, will never be forgotten and will always hold a special place in my heart. Going to an all girls Catholic high school was the best decision I could have made for myself and although sometimes the lows felt that they overwhelmed the highs (I'm looking at you, sophomore year), I wouldn't trade this ride overall for anything in the world.

I am so incredibly blessed and thankful for every wonderful person who has supported me and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to have had such a wonderful education, and four more years of it to come. As anyone would be, I am sad to leave my high school, my 157 sisters, and my home as I move 12 hours away, but I am excited for Lehigh and cannot wait to see what the next four years have in store.

I also just want to share this poem, because it feels fitting for today, and I find it so beautiful.

xoxo

(If you'd like to see peeks of my graduation behind the scenes, add me on Snapchat @franacciardo. I posted a ton for baccalaureate mass last night, I will definitely be posting today, and tomorrow is my graduation party!)

Graduation Gift Ideas

I may have missed the prime time to post on this particular topic given that many of my friends have already celebrated their graduations, but with the spirit of this post and all of the graduation parties to come, it can't hurt to think a little more thoughtfully about what gifts to pick out for your friends to celebrate their hard work!

What to Wear: Graduation Party Outfit Guide

I can't really believe this is it. The last four years of high school are all wrapping up for me this week.... tomorrow is my last day of school, followed by my last exams, and then Friday is my graduation! My graduation party will be on Saturday since all of my family is going to be in town, but I can't even wrap my head around how many Facebook event invites keep popping up in my notifications for invites to even more graduation parties! I seriously feel like I need to start writing everything out on a calendar. I swear my weekends feel booked until July! I'm not complaining though, there really is no better way to celebrate four years of hard work and accomplishments not only for yourself, but for your friends too, than by dressing up and having fun.

With all of the invites of course comes that (not-so) little pressure to wear a cute new outfit to every single party. This definitely won't be the case for me as I have my fair share of summer dresses and Lilly skirts that I'm planning to re-wear this season, but there's no harm in finding a few new pieces to don as well. I've shopped around for the cutest summer skirts and casual dresses, as well as tops and sandals to form the official graduation party guest outfit guide! Whether your attending your boyfriend's backyard barbecue, your best friend's open house, or a country club soiree, you'll definitely find something below that you'll want to wear.

blue printed dress // off the shoulder top // Lilly skirt // Lilly shift dress

cork Jack Rogers // espadrille wedges // scalloped clutch

white scallop dress // tassel earrings

More white dresses:

More party dresses:

More flat sandals:

More wedges and heeled sandals: 

xoxo