It is officially the time of year to begin celebrating the milestone of graduation.
Whether you are hosting a graduation party yourself, or are invited to attend the festivities for someone else, the follow etiquette tips will help you celebrate the special event with ease and graciousness.
1. If your child is the graduate. When sending out announcements and graduation party invitations, it is difficult to decide who to invite.
– Remember that although it isn’t necessary, most people feel obligated to buy a gift, even if they only receive a graduation announcement and not a party invitation. Because of this fact, you should keep your numbers smaller.
– Don’t send announcements to those people that you don’t send holiday cards to.
– Only invite people that the graduate knows personally. That way your graduate will feel comfortable greeting all of the guests first hand.
2. If you only receive an announcement and not a party invitation, you are not expected to send a gift. Announcements are just the way for the family to proudly “announce” the exciting news to family and friends. You don’t need to feel obligated to send the graduate a gift, but sending a card of congratulations is a wonderful gesture for the graduate.
3. If you know someone that is graduating and you didn’t receive an announcement, it is still okay to send a card or gift. The graduate will probably be pleasantly surprised and honored that you thought of them.
4. If you are invited to attend the graduation commencement ceremony or the celebration party, then you should bring a gift. You can either mail the gift to the graduate’s home before the party, or bring it along with you.
5. What should you give? If you decide to give the graduate money as a gift, the suggested amount is $20.00 for a friend, and up to $100.00 for a family member, or as much as your budget allows.
If you decide to purchase a gift, make sure that you find out what the next stage of life the graduate has planned. If they are attending a university and will be living in a dorm, buying laundry or storage items are a good idea, as well as college logo items, or pre-paid debit cards so that they can purchase what they need.
6. If your graduate has other parties to attend the day of their own celebration, make sure that they stay at their own party for the time shown on the invitation. You don’t want to disappoint out-of-town guests that have traveled just to see the graduate, only to find out that they popped over to attend a friend’s party for a few minutes. Your graduate can visit friends as soon as your party is over, showing all of your guests that you appreciate their presence.
7. Make sure that you keep track of all gifts and have your graduate write and mail thank-you notes within two weeks of receiving the gifts. No excuses allowed for this one. Handwritten thank-you notes need to be a top priority.
8. Remember to Mingle. The graduate needs to remember that all guests have come to the party to specifically see them. For that reason alone, be sure to mingle among all guests, showing that you are honored that they decided to attend.
Graduation time is very exciting, opening doors to the next stage of life. Be honored that you are invited to share this time with friends or family.
