Shopwe did it. homecoming 2025 was an incredible week of celebrations (some very unexpected!) and bringing kids together in a place they could laugh, create memories, be fed, and enjoy themselves. like i always say, it is an absolute joy to be able to do this for these special ones that are my son’s amazing friends!
(the centerpiece to the right? my favorite DIY of this season. inspired by the greatest, martha stewart, it’s going to be super tough to have to put this decoration away when the season turns!)
last time we talked about how extra i am, and we talked about how to do those initial plans for this kind of celebration…choosing a vibe/look, menu, drinks, and since it’s me, any DIY decor. once i had those elements worked out, it was down to logistics. figuring out how to get DIY decor created, reaching out to the helpers (because let’s face it, it’s okay to ask for help), and how the food prep was going to need to be scheduled on the day of the dance. when you’re dealing with homecoming, you’re also dealing with homecoming week. it’s never just the game and the dance. for us, there was a parade. there was the game with the highlight of my son’s girlfriend being crowned homecoming queen. there were other photo sessions to work into the schedule. there were powder buff + powder puff games thrown in there, in addition to just the normal day-to-day we all had to handle. so yeah, planning is necessary.
i have always been so fortunate to have a crew of my son’s friends’ parents who are always willing to help with the dinner. once i figured out the menu (more on that below!), i sent out the group text with options of what was needed, what could be brought, and this year, the option to throw a couple of bucks my way if their lives were just too busy to make a run to the store to pick something up. i highly recommend this option if you have parents who really want to help and pitch in. it helps a ton. (this year, i even had my bestie – who no longer has kids going to the hoco dance, but knows + loves my deep need for celebrating – offer to help. i took her up on it. her daughter saved the day by making the cookies + cupcakes for the celebration. they were amazing!)
so what was on the final menu? remember last time how i mentioned it’s important to think about serving foods that have minimal spill damage risk? spills happen. but they don’t need to ruin homecoming dresses or shirts + ties. so here’s what we went with:
grilled chicken. simple, no sauce.
cacio e pepe. again, simple. no sauce.
french bread + butter
salad
drinks: sprite, water + sparkling apple cider. (this was a HUGE, massive hit. i bought some of the individual martinelli’s bottles and also had large bottles too. the kids scooped these up. i think it made them feel fancy!)
vanilla cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies + rice krispy treats
the kids ate it all up. there were no spills (that i knew of!) for prep, i pre-made the salad earlier in the day and threw it in the fridge. the bread was loaves of french bread that could be easily sliced up and tossed on a plate. the biggest thing to plan for was the grilled chicken and the cacio e pepe. i started both about an hour before the kids arrived, doing the pasta first. once it was cooked, i tossed it with the oil and cheese, placed it in a disposable aluminum pan, and kept it in the oven at 170 degrees. i would toss it every 5-7 minutes to keep it from sticking/melting, but this allowed me to do that pre-prep before the kids arrived.
beyond the menu, the other big thing to consider with kind of event are photos. we always start these dinners with 45 minutes of just pics in the backyard. big group shots, smaller group shots, families. we invite all of the parents/guardians of the kids over so they can all have those photo ops with each other. when you have a large group of kids and parents like this, it’s super important to be comfortable with giving direction on photos to take. and to have a loud, booming voice (or get a megaphone!)
my other pro tip, especially with the kids: have some candy for them. i started this last year, and this year it was even more popular. they loved it. they loved packing their purses + pockets with it before heading to the dance. for these kids who are literally on the verge of adulthood and all of the stuff that’s coming with that, there was something lovely about seeing them react to the candy the way they did.
the evening was fast, a blur, and oh so much fun for this mom who loves nothing more than a great big, extra, over the top celebration.
