Who Should You Invite
- Talk to your graduate! Make sure you agree on who to invite. They will want to invite their friends, but a graduation party is also about celebrating the passage to “adulthood” so encourage them to invite adults too.
- Look at your holiday card list. It’s an easy place to start. Take off people you don't consider appropriate. Send invitations to the rest.
- Family, of course! Add a short handwritten note to printed invitations.
- Friends of the graduate. High school grads typically invite their friends via social media like Facebook. This is kind of scary considering you have no idea how many kids will come. But don’t worry. They tend to travel in packs. They will arrive in large groups, drink all your water & pop, and barely eat a thing. Some kids may decide to hand out printed invitations. Talk to your grad about this. It may mean you need more printed invitations.
- Graduate’s friends’ parents ... especially the fun ones! Make sure you address the graduation invitations with the friend's name as well their parents' names or there may be some confusion over who is invited.
- Neighbors ... we don’t like to snub anyone in our neighborhoods.
- Teachers and coaches ... which ones really made an impression? Think back to middle and elementary school. These invitations should be mailed or hand delivered by the grad.
- Graduate’s coworkers. Don’t forget to ask for the day off. We heard of one party where the grad couldn’t come because he had to work!
- Friends of the family ... especially ones that know the grad.
Warning! Don't rely on your grad to pass out invitations to parents of friends. It's best to mail them. We've heard too many stories of invitations never making it home to the parents. Feelings were hurt on both sides. Address the envelopes clearly so parents know they are invited. Options include: The Venable Family (bring the whole family) or Jon, Mary and Ashley Anderson (Jon and Mary and their graduate).
As you prepare your invitation list, keep a copy of the addresses to be used later by your graduate for sending thank you cards.
Many people want to avoid looking like they only invited a lot of people to receive gifts. We respect that concern. If you feel awkward about inviting someone, don’t. However, we would rather not hurt someone’s feelings. Graduation gifts can be as little as $10.
Many people want to avoid looking like they only invited a lot of people to receive gifts. We respect that concern. If you feel awkward about inviting someone, don’t. However, we would rather not hurt someone’s feelings. Graduation gifts can be as little as $10.
Grad Party Tip: When ordering graduation invitations, order your graduation thank you cards & personalized return address labels at the same time. Have them on hand and ready when your grad needs them. Thank you cards & labels can be ordered online at the same websites as invitations. Need ideas for writing thank you notes or need some examples? You can find some on our Thank You Cards (insert link for "Thank You Cards" page here).
Planning for Out-of-Town Guests
Are you inviting out-of-town guests? Let them know your schedule. Call them or send an email long before the graduation invitations go out. Some people send out save-the-date cards well in advance of their party, as soon as they know the date and time.
Are you going to invite out-of-town guests to stay at your home? Or will they be staying at a hotel? Create a list of hotels, telephone numbers, prices and availability for them. They'll appreciate your help with this.
Keep in mind that your graduate is going to have a lot of exciting activities going on, so don’t expect them to spend the whole week sitting home with grandma. Also, decide ahead of time if you are going to invite people to stay in your home and who gets first dibs. We suggest someone that is helpful – the “likes to do dishes” type. Contact your first choice ahead of time to invite them, even before you mail an invitation. If you have room in your home and your heart for more, invite the ones that like to run errands!
Speaking of out of town, don’t plan any unnecessary events for yourself the weeks around graduation. You may be invited to parties that you won’t want to miss.
Are you going to invite out-of-town guests to stay at your home? Or will they be staying at a hotel? Create a list of hotels, telephone numbers, prices and availability for them. They'll appreciate your help with this.
Keep in mind that your graduate is going to have a lot of exciting activities going on, so don’t expect them to spend the whole week sitting home with grandma. Also, decide ahead of time if you are going to invite people to stay in your home and who gets first dibs. We suggest someone that is helpful – the “likes to do dishes” type. Contact your first choice ahead of time to invite them, even before you mail an invitation. If you have room in your home and your heart for more, invite the ones that like to run errands!
Speaking of out of town, don’t plan any unnecessary events for yourself the weeks around graduation. You may be invited to parties that you won’t want to miss.
RSVP's
We have found that if you're having an open house, RSVP’s don’t work. Don’t be disappointed when people don't call. But if you're having a sit down dinner then an RSVP is a good idea. Even with RSVP printed on the invitation you may need to make some follow up phone calls. In our book we have an invitation checklist with more specific suggestions.
How Many People Will Come
Look at the "Food Formula" on our Food & Catering page. No matter who you invite or how many, they won't all be able to come. Our food formula gives you an idea of how many people to plan food for.