One of my favorite aspects of working at one of my local Hallmark Gold Crown stores was high school graduation time. Parents – especially mothers – bombarded the store to print up their graduating son or daughter’s high school graduation party invitations. One thing you learn very quickly is that parents want their invitations to be perfect! The wording should be precise and to the point, while creatively highlighting the accomplishments of the graduating student.
The Graduation Invitations’ Main Body
The main body of a graduation invitation, be it for a high school graduation or the graduation party, should focus on the student. The center of the invitation, therefore, will most likely bear the announcement of the actual graduation. Wording like “Please join us for the graduation of Sally Smith” is very common. The words preceding and following the graduates name should be smaller than the actual name; this allows the graduate’s name to become the focal point of the invitation. For a high school graduation party, parents will often choose wording like “Please join us for a graduation celebration for . . .” Other options include:
“Please help us celebrate the graduation of . . .”
“Please join us in a celebration in honor of . . .”
“Please join us to celebrate the accomplishments of . . .”
“You are invited to join us in a graduation celebration for . . .”
The Graduation Invitations’ Header
Parents usually like to get creative with the header, or top, of the graduation invitation. This is what those who you invite to the high school graduation party will see first, so it should be creative and eye catching. Parents often go with a variety of choices here as well. Some opt to introduce the graduation invitation with a congratulatory message to the graduate: “Congrats, John!” This phrasing suggests the party has already started, and sets a light tone for the invitation. However, as you will be announcing the graduate by name in the main body of the invitation, you may want to avoid listing his or her name in the header as well, to avoid repetition or wordiness. (Note: Many graduation invitation printers will charge you either by line count or lettering, so the more concise you are, the cheaper your graduation party invitations will be.)
Parents may also choose to state a sentimental message to invitees telling them how proud they are of their high school graduate: “We have watched Emily Johnson grow from a little girl to a young woman/ Now it’s time for her to graduate from high school!” If the graduation party will be among friends of the family and others who have known your graduate for a long time, make it more personal to them by saying, “You have watched” instead.
Other headers steer clear of mentioning the graduate at all, instead stating a general phrase of congratulations. “Congratulations, Class of 2008!” will probably be popular. Other general headers include:
“Let’s Tip Our Hats to Our Graduates!”
“Hooray! Graduation is Here!”
“It’s Time to Celebrate!”
“It’s Party Time!”
“Guess Who’s Graduating?!”
“He’s Graduated!”
(Note: On a typical graduation invitation, punctuation is kept to a minimum. Sentences are usually not punctuated with periods. However, in the header, and sometimes elsewhere in graduation invitations, exclamation marks can be used.)
The Graduation Invitation Announcement
Instead of opening with a header-greeting and main body announcement, some parents will opt to simply announce their child’s graduation. In this case, popular phrasing includes wording such as: “Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith wish to announce the graduation of their daughter, Betsy Smith, from Anyname High School.” In this case, the name of the graduating student should be on its own line, printed larger than the other words, including the parents’ names. Remember, the high school graduate is the main focus of the party, and so should remain the main focus of the graduation party invitation. With such phrasing, parents are able to state a simple invitation to the graduation party and list the details of the party (when, where, RSVP information, etc.). Other popular phrasing includes:
“Please join Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith in celebrating the graduation of their daughter, Betsy Smith”
“Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith invite you to join them at the high school graduation party of their daughter, Betsy Smith”
“Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith request the pleasure of your company at a graduation party in honor of Betsy Smith
“Please join Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith for a night of music, dancing, and fun in celebration of the high school graduation of their daughter, Betsy Smith”
The Graduation Invitation Conclusion
Your graduation invitations should end with the important information regarding the high school graduation party. List, as you would on any invitation, the date, time, and location of the graduation party. If extra information is needed, include it only after the most important information. For example, if the party is a surprise, state that at the very bottom of the invitation in large or capitol lettering. List the RSVP information after the important information as well, and in smaller print. These days, it is popular for parents to list both a telephone number and email address for guests to RSVP.
The typical format will look something like this:
Month Day, Year
at (state the time)
Street address (i.e, 123 City Street)
City, State (no zip code)
(in smaller font) Please RSVP to Mrs. Susan Smith at (phone number, with area code) or (email address)
Other Important Elements of Your Graduation Invitations
Many parents will opt to include a photograph of their graduate on the party invitation. This is an increasingly popular option; however, always be sure to approve the images you use with your graduate. On a few occasions while printing graduation party invitations parents selected their favorite pictures, which turned out to be the graduate’s least favorite picture; while some reprinted, others simply had to deal with grumpy graduates!
If a picture of your graduate isn’t your cup of tea, consider asking for clipart images like graduation caps and gowns, a border that states the year of graduation, or other artwork to enhance the appearance of your party invitations. Many parents select ivy borders; however, this seems like more of a college graduation theme, so try to stick with something light and fun!
