Announcements are used to announce an event.
Graduation announcements are meant to inform friends, family members, teachers and other acquaintances that you are graduating and when. Announcements aren’t technically invitations but they often double as graduation party invitations.
Invitations are used to invite people to the party.
Graduation party invitations are sometimes referred to as open house invitations. An open house is a type of party where guests come and go as they please within a specific timeframe. Open houses are extremely common for graduation parties because of the amount of guests and because guests often have multiple parties to attend.
We’re going to work backwards from your graduation date so you can easily determine the right time for you to order and send your announcements/invitations.
When to send graduation announcements.
You can send them anywhere from 2 weeks before the graduation to four weeks after. We recommend sending your announcements before or immediately after. Waiting too long can take away from the excitement of the occasion for you and for recipients.
When to send graduation party invitations.
We suggest sending them 3-4 weeks before graduation (definitely no less than 2 weeks before). The same rule applies for graduation announcements doubling as invitations. Why so early? 3-4 weeks is pretty standard for event invitations, especially in today’s busy world. Sending early is especially important for graduation because so many parties can occur on the same day. You want to ensure that guests get your party on the calendar right away.
When to order graduation announcements/invitations.
An order takes 1-2 business days to leave the facility and up to seven days for shipping depending on the shipping method you choose. Take a look at Shipping & Delivery to see what options are available.
Addressing your announcements/invitations can take awhile so add a week to your timeframe. We suggest placing your order 6-8 weeks prior to graduation. Printing address labels will help save you time plus stylish address labels (available with and without photos) become a powerful finishing touch.
Don’t be afraid to order even earlier!
We start to see orders in December with the majority of orders coming in around April. However, we still suggest following the recommendations above for when to send. You want to be one of the first to get your announcements out but you also want to remain fresh in the memories of your guests.
