Graduation Etiquette

Graduation from either high school or college is a huge milestone and deserves to be shouted from the rooftops! But sending out announcements… invitations… party invites… let’s not get too bogged down in the details. Let me help you understand how this all happens!

Graduation Announcements

Announcements only serve one purpose – to tell everyone you know that you made it, you graduated! These are sent out after it’s official and the ceremony has already occurred.

What to include on an announcement:

Graduate’s name
School name
Degree (if applicable)
Graduation year

Graduation Invitations

Often, graduates can only invite a select number of people to the actual ceremony. To do this, you’ll need to send graduation invitations, which include the exact details of the ceremony – location, date, and time. If someone receives this, they assume they are invited to attend the graduation ceremony. I usually put the detailed ceremony information on the back of the card, along with graduation party information. You’ll need to send these invitations at least 3-4 weeks ahead of time to local guests, while out-of-town guests may need advanced notice of up to 6 weeks for planning.

What to include on an invitation:

Graduate’s name
School name
Degree (if applicable)
Detailed information about the ceremony – date, time, and location

Graduation Parties

Often, the all-inclusive announcement list may differ from those who are invited to the ceremony, which can be different still from the list invited to the party! This is where it can feel very overwhelming. Let me help you navigate these tricky lists and customize your invitations and announcements to reflect the different sets of guests. Graduation party invitations can be separate or included as part of your announcement package. You’ll also need to send these invitations 3-4 weeks before the date to local guests, while out-of-town guests may need advanced notice of up to 6 weeks for planning.

What to include on an invitation:

Graduate’s name
Detailed information about the party – date, time, location, and what type of food to expect
Local hotel information for out-of-town guests can be a nice touch
Do not include registry or gift information – it’s considered tacky

Summary

My recommendation to make the process run as smooth as possible:

Figure out your various guest lists – make a list of those who get an announcement, ceremony invitation, and party invitation.
Choose an announcement design that will be sent to your largest all-inclusive list.
Choose coordinating ceremony and party invitations that can be put inside the correct guests announcement as an insert card.
Mail the announcement + ceremony and/or party cards 3-4 weeks before graduation.
Mail the remaining announcements after the ceremony! This will help save stamps, time, and the aggravation of ordering 3 different versions of your announcements!

Please let me know how I can help guide you through this exciting time! Although my online shop gives a great variety of what’s available, I’m happy to customize each product to get the wording just right for you.