Photo courtesy of Melinda Long
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Melinda Long, a 48-year-old owner of Grit and Glow, a health and fitness company, and mother of three from Lloyd Harbor, New York. It’s been edited for length and clarity
I love a good party, so when my oldest daughter, Sienna, was accepted to the University of Miami via early decision, I threw her a bed party. A bed party is a celebration where a student publicly shares the college or university they’ve committed to.
It took me about 30 hours to plan and source everything, and two hours to set it up the day of the party. Sienna loves the attention, so I knew I could really go all out for her.
I spent around $2,000 altogether. Did I have to spend that much? No, you could easily do this on any budget, but I just went for it and did it how I wanted to do it. Sienna worked hard to get into her dream school, and a bed party felt like a fun way to celebrate with family and friends.
It’s easy to figure out the must-have staples you need for a college bed party
I first heard about bed parties three years ago when my son, Dylan, who is now a sophomore in college, was invited to a few of them. Then, last year, Sienna started going to them for girls in the grade above her.
Thanks to social media, it’s easy to gather all of the necessities: the branded blanket, the bling Champagne bottle, and the Dot Cake covered in sprinkles in the school colors.
Photo courtesy of Melinda Long
I went the extra mile with marquee letters and boxes of personalized balloons and even bought a $200 inflatable mascot and some blow-up palm trees. My mom lives in Florida, and my son already goes to the University of Miami, so we bought everything we could get our hands on.
It was an hourlong party with her close friends
We hosted 25 girls, and for the first 15 minutes, there was a total social media frenzy with music blasting and girls posing for pictures on the bed with the bling bottle. Then they ate.
We had plenty to choose from, including a charcuterie board with the school initials, a custom candy sushi platter, and a candy board. I even found cheese in orange and green — the school colors.
Within an hour, the party was over, and the girls went home to do their homework.
Many of her classmates have thrown bed parties this year
This year, Sienna has already been to at least 15 bed parties and probably has 15 to go. It adds up because you buy a gift for each one you attend to add to the bed.
Photo courtesy of Melinda Long
Gifts can range from school merchandise to items in the school colors. Some girls pool their money and go in on a bigger gift. Our go-to gift is a baseball cap with a patch from the school on it. It’s simple, and since we have so many of these, it just makes sense, price-wise.
The parties themselves vary. Some girls have them in their rooms, while others prefer to have everything laid out on the couch in the living room. There are no hard and fast rules.
I got mixed reviews online, but I don’t regret it
After half a million views on TikTok, I’ve been called everything — good, bad, and in between. I’m immune to it at this point. I went extra and I don’t regret it a single bit.
Sienna loved every minute of it, and that’s what matters. I’d do it all over again, and since I have one more kid at home, I’ll have the chance to in two more years.
If you have a unique expense story that you would like to share, please email the editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected]
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