Graduation Invitations & Announcements

Your graduation ceremony is a time to appreciate all you have accomplished and celebrate with the important people in your life. All your hard work and dedication leads up to this moment where you are celebrated among peers, friends and family. So yes you should make a big deal of it and maybe send out graduation announcements or graduation party invitations if you’re throwing a party.

Here are a few graduation announcements dos and don’t from us to ensure your graduation planning will be absolutely stress free.

What is the difference between a graduation announcement card and graduation invitation card?

The quick answer to this question is quite simple, it’s all in the wording. The word “announcement” means that you are sharing the good news and an invitation “invites” the recipient to the ceremony or party. Graduation announcement also works as a thank you card to show appreciation to those that helped you earn your diploma or degree to anyone that has helped you along the way. And if you’re throwing a party or even a joint party with peers, what better way to announce that than to send out formal invitations for the graduation party.

Both graduation announcements and party invitations are keepsakes and should make their way into photo books or scrapbooks. Finding a copy of it later in life will not only make you smile, it is also a great way of sharing your history and the important time of your life with you future generations.

Check out our range of graduation invitations here.

Why should you send a graduation announcement?

Whether it’s a high school graduation announcement or college graduation announcement, this day marks an important milestone and achievement that deserves attention and proper etiquette. Granted, the people you socialize with will probably already know the details about your big day, but those who aren’t close, like the uncle and aunties from far away, would appreciate an update in your life and to know that you are thinking of them. This is also a great way of networking, sending out your graduation announcement is a great first step to creating connections with family members who may have positions in your interest field and they could just be the gate way into your career.

Who should I send my graduation announcements or party invitations to?

First and foremost, your parents, guardians and family. Though they probably already know about your graduation, we’re sure they won’t mind a personalized graduation announcement hanging stuck to the fridge or in a photo frame for all to admire. An easy rule to follow by when thinking of your recipients is send your announcements to anyone your family would send a holiday greeting card to.

As for graduation invitations, there are some obvious invites - your grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and classmates who have been a part of your life just to name a few. What about your teachers? If there is a teacher or tutor who has impacted you significantly you should send them an invite even if they decide not to attend - it’s the gesture that matters. And if they do, your association with them can turn into friendship rather than just a student teacher relationship, it’s always handy to have a friend continuously advise you in life.

How to word graduation announcements or graduation party invitations?

Both announcements and invitations should reflect your personality and style, as well as being sleek and easy to read. For graduation announcement wording, you will need to include important details such as your name, the date (especially the year) you are graduating and you have the option to add the location of the ceremony and the degree or diploma that you are graduating with. You also have the option to include an inspirational graduation quote to set a tone for the ceremony and event.

Graduation invitation wording is similar except that you also want to add the time, date, location of the ceremony or graduation party, the rsvp date and instructions and a gift/no gifts clarification if applicable. Now remember, the wording you choose will set the tone for the entire event, so if you can word it traditionally and formally if you were having a formal dinner party or light and casual if you were having a casual affair such as a BBQ party.

When to send graduation announcements or graduation party invitations?

Graduation party invitations should be sent out two to three weeks before the event to allow your guests enough time to receive their invitations and RSVP. If you have particular guests who you know have to travel from afar, give them advance notice as well as sending them an invitation. You have a wider time frame if you were sending only graduation announcements, it is permissible to send the announcement two weeks before the date or up to four weeks after the event. Be considerate and not send the announcement too far after the event - after all, who wants old news. 

Where can I find graduation announcements or graduation invitations?

There are plenty of cheap graduation party invitations templates and sometimes free graduations invitations you can find online. These are mostly digital invitations you can send via an email or message. There are also plenty of free graduation announcements online but you would ideally like to get this printed so that your recipients can get a hard copy for keepsakes. If you are looking to keep costs low, download a free graduation announcement template with your details, fill it out and print it out yourself (use those school amenities while you still can!). Otherwise, if you have a budget get your invitations and announcements design and printed with professionals to really celebrate the occasion!