Graduation e-invitation: what to write and how to send it

A graduation is one of the few parties where the whole family wants to come: grandparents, cousins abroad, old school friends, the neighbours who watched them grow up. A printed card can't reach everyone in time, and a photo in a group chat gets lost by the next morning. An e-invitation sent as one link does both jobs. Here is how to make one that people open, read and answer.

What a graduation e-invitation should include

• The graduate's full name, written the way they like it
• The degree and the school, for example Bachelor of Architecture, or Doctor of Medicine
• The class year, which is what people love to see on a graduation invitation
• The date and time of the party, with an end time if it is an evening event
• The venue, with a map link so nobody has to search for it
• Who is hosting, usually the family
• A way to reply, ideally a button and not a message they have to type
• Anything practical: what to wear, parking, whether it is outdoors

If there is both a university ceremony and a party, say clearly which one guests are invited to. Most ceremonies have limited seats, so the invitation is usually for the celebration afterwards.

Wording examples

Keep it warm and short. The graduate's name and the degree do most of the work. Here are three you can adapt.

The Haddad family invites you to celebrate Maya's graduation. Five years of studio nights, and Maya is finally an architect. Come and celebrate with us.

A family party at home or in a garden.

The Nassar family requests the pleasure of your company at the celebration of the graduation of Karim Nassar, Doctor of Medicine.

A formal dinner or a hall.

I did it! Come and celebrate with me. Dinner, cake and dancing, and I want all of you there.

When the graduate is sending it themselves.

When to send it

Three to four weeks before the party is right for most graduations. Graduation season is busy and many families hold their party on the same weekends, so earlier is better if you want people to keep the date. Family abroad needs even more notice if they might fly in.

How to send it on WhatsApp

1. Send it personally to grandparents, aunts, uncles and close friends first, with a line from you before the link
2. Then send the same link to everyone else, with a short friendly note
3. Ask people to reply through the invitation, so every answer lands in one list
4. A week before, send a reminder only to the people who haven't answered

Hi! We are so proud of Karim and we would love you to be there. Everything is in the link, including the venue and where to reply.

Change the first line for each person.

Why a link works better than a picture

A link always shows the latest details. If the time or the venue changes, you change it once and everyone sees it, while a picture you sent last week stays wrong forever. It also keeps the map, the plan for the evening, photos of the graduate and the reply button in one place, so you are not answering the same questions in fifty chats.

Our graduation designs open like the real thing: a yearbook where the cap is thrown and the cover swings open, or a rolled diploma tied with a ribbon that unrolls into the programme. Each one is one flat price, however many guests you invite. Send us the graduate's name and the date and we will set it up with you.