First things first, why should you send graduation announcements? 

I’m going to state the obvious here–because it’s a big deal! You have worked so hard to accomplish this huge goal of graduating and you want everyone in your world to know it so they can celebrate with you! And trust me, they will want to. They will probably shower you with some gifts (score!) and mailing a graduation announcement card is a great way to remind them that it’s happening. Also, if you’re having a graduation party your announcement could even double as your invitation (although some traditional etiquette sources will say this is a no-no, I say this is your graduation and do it however you would like!)

Finally, my favorite reason for you to mail out physical graduation announcements is obviously because they are a great way to show off your gorgeous professional senior photos to everyone! In today’s digital world where photos are so often on a screen, it’s even more special to have an actual physical card that you get in the mail that has your senior pictures printed on it. And when you choose a great company to design and print your announcements, they will allow you tons of options to customize them. (more on that later)

When should you send your graduation announcements?

If you’re wanting the recipient to attend your graduation, send them out about 4 weeks before the ceremony. If you simply want to announce that you’re graduating you can send them out anywhere from about 2 weeks before to 4 weeks after the ceremony. If you’re doubling your announcement as a party invitation you will definitely want to get them sent out about 4 weeks before the event.

So when should I order them?

You don’t want to be stressed about the cards arriving on time, so I recommend you start this process as soon as you know all the details about your graduation, and your senior photos have been delivered to you. To have your announcements arrive on the timeline we went over above, that means you will need to be choosing and ordering them about 6 weeks before your graduation date. I highly recommend using Basic Invite for your custom graduation cards. One of the reasons is because their standard order lead time is only 7 days! And you can even have them rushed as quickly as 5 days. 

Who should I send my graduation announcements to?

This can feel overwhelming, but you can make your decision really simple by asking, who has had a positive impact on the graduate’s life? Here is a list of some possibilities to get you thinking.

Family members (Of course...but maybe not your fifth cousin twice removed? Whatever, it’s up to you.)

Close friends of the family

Co-workers of the graduate or the graduate’s parents

Adult mentors like special teachers, coaches, etc. 

Close neighbors and your church community

Anyone else you feel has been impactful on the graduate’s life or has watched them grow up and would enjoy seeing their graduation achievement. 

Where should I order graduation announcements and invitations?

There are so many options out there, so I thought I would help you with this decision. I’ve already mentioned them once, but Basic Invite is my number one recommendation for where to order graduation announcements. What makes them so special? Here are several reasons why they really stand out from the crowd:

They have over 180 colors to choose from so the options are almost unlimited. It is one of the few companies that has this many color options and instant previews online. Once you select a design, you can also customize the color of each element on the card so the invite is sure to be exactly how you want it. 

They also have over 40 different envelope colors to choose from. With so many options, you can really make your envelope match the invitation. Plus, all of the envelopes are peel and seal so they can be closed quickly and securely. 

Basic Invite offers Foil Cards. These are available in gold, silver, and rose gold. You can choose flat or raised foil on all of the foil designs.

You can get a custom printed sample of your actual invitation before you place your final order. This is such a great thing, especially if you’re very particular in how you want the announcements to look! This way you can see the paper quality, how the colors and type will print, and make sure your card is absolutely perfect! Note: If you plan to order a sample be sure and start the ordering process another week or two earlier than I mentioned above.

They offer an address capturing service. I’m sure I’m behind but I didn’t even know this was possible, and it’s really cool and a great time-saver! Basic Invite offers an address capturing service where you can share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media to request your friends and family’s addresses. The addresses are stored in your secure account and can be selected during the design process. Then, Basic Invite gives you the option to print the recipient address FOR FREE on all card orders.

I also love that they offer thank you cards. Since you know so many people will be giving you gifts, you can go ahead and order a thank you graduation note along with your announcements. My favorite thing is that the thank you cards coordinate with announcements so you can choose a design you like and carry the theme through both things. 

Finally, right now Basic Invite is offering 15% off with coupon code: 15FF51 so now is the perfect time to go check out their site and get those graduation announcements ordered. They also offer a full line of stationery for pretty much any major life event like weddings and babies. 

You can check them out on their website or on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest 

I hope this post was helpful to all you high school and college seniors and senior parents out there ready to send out your grad announcements and party invitations. This is a super special time in your life and you deserve to celebrate it with your loved ones in every way, including on paper!