Graduating is one of the most memorable accomplishments for anyone. Regardless if your child is the first to graduate, or is joining a long-line of graduates, their special day should be celebrated with beautiful invitations and announcements.
When I was younger, everyone received an invitation to your graduation, even if you knew they weren’t coming. It allowed your relatives to retain a portion of your day in their family album or scrap book. Today, ceremonies are much more intimate, thus, graduation announcements have replaced the traditional invite. Although you may have heard the terms “invitation” and “announcement” used interchangeably over the years, they are still very different. Invites are for those who are invited to attend the graduation. Announcements are for everyone.
Graduation Invitations
Before ordering invitations, the graduate needs to verify how many tickets they will be able to secure for guests to attend the ceremony. Graduation events held outdoors are often more flexible than those held inside a auditorium. If the ceremony will be held inside, be prepared for guests to be limited to immediate family only. That means, Great Aunt Bev. will be placed in charge of the after graduation dinner while parents, siblings, and grandparents attend the actual ceremony.
When choosing your graduation invitations, discuss style preferences, pricing, and inspect the guest list. Invitations should be a blending of the graduate’s taste, school color theme, and appealing to the recipient. My best advice is, if your guest list is short (grandparents only), go with a traditional, non photo, invitation. If your guest list reaches further, mix traditional and modern by choosing an invite with plenty of room for details and a small accent photo.
Graduation Announcements
Who gets one?
Every family member (one per household), friend of the
family, and close business partner of the parents
should receive a graduation announcement.
Picking out the Graduation Announcements are truly my favorite part of graduation preparations. They are a fun reflection of the graduate that is cherished by family members for years to come. Remember: announcements that have a large photo on the front, with much of the details and the future plans of the graduate on the backside, are the style that works best for loved ones to use in memory books.
Experiencing conflict? If the graduate and parents clash on the announcement style, consider sending two different announcements: one designed by the graduate for family and personal friends, and another designed by the parents for their friends and business partners. You want to please everyone because both (the parents and the graduate) have a lot to celebrate. No one should feel excluded from sharing the news.
When should you send Graduation Announcements?
As tempting as it is to send the announcements as soon as they arrive, really, you should hold off on mailing graduation announcements until the ceremony is over. This is the way it is customarily done, and is listed as the “proper” timing. Plan for a fun trip to the post office on the Monday morning following the ceremony.
Where to Buy? What About Samples?
Basic Invite is a wonderful online shop that offers unlimited color options, a wide selection of styles, and high end cards. The graduate can customize the entire order, even the envelopes! Basic Invites are also one of the few websites that will allow customers the ability to order a printed sample of their actual invitation; showing you exactly how your order will print. I cannot imagine opening my box of 500 Graduation Announcements and being unhappy with what I see and feel. This is why I love Basic Invite, they truly want their customers to be satisfied with their order and understand that each invite/announcement will be cherished by the family years after the diploma is hung on the walls.
