The prospect of seeing your former teachers, out-of-town friends and distant relatives all gathered at your graduation ceremony definitely has its appeal, but you might want to consider a few things before investing in formal graduation announcements. The weeks preceding graduation can be a bit chaotic, so you'll want to work out most of these issues while you're still thinking clearly and have time to make adjustments. Graduation announcements may need to be ordered several weeks in advance, and someone will have to compile a list of recipients and mail the announcements to them.
One thing you'll need to know before sending out graduation announcements is the time, date and location of the event itself. Some venues handle several graduation ceremonies a day, which means seating and parking may be at a premium. It is not unusual for the school administrators to limit the number of tickets per student, so you may not be able to invite more than your immediate family or a few friends to the actual graduation ceremony. If this is the case, you may want to hold off on ordering formal graduation announcements until you have a better idea of your family's plans following the official graduation ceremony.
Formal graduation announcements are a great idea for those who are planning a large post-graduation reception. Graduating from high school or college is generally one of the highlights of your young life, so it can be very gratifying to have a large number of people share this moment with you. If you do send out formal graduation announcements, you may want to think outside the box for potential invitees. Former teachers, church members, employers, and coaches may be just as interested in attending your graduation party as much as family members or classmates.
Before ordering any graduation announcements, it is important that you and your parents are on the same page where a party or reception is concerned. You may have to combine your financial resources with others in order to afford a celebration of this magnitude. There may also be some other logistical problems to work out, such as the availability and size of a private venue. Gifts and monetary donations from invitees might help to offset some of these expenses, but you should keep the number of graduation announcements realistic. You might anticipate a certain number of declined invitations, but never send out more graduation announcements than your backyard or other venue can comfortably accommodate.
