Express Your Joy with These Graduation Invitation Wording Ideas
All that hard work has paid off, and someone special is graduating soon! Whether you’re inviting loved ones to the graduation ceremony, hosting a graduation party afterward, or both, you need the perfect words to convey your excitement and invite everyone.
This guide will help you find the best graduation invitation wording for your digital invites. We’ll cover everything you need, from wording examples to some of our most-loved graduation party invite designs.
Graduation Invitations vs. Graduation Announcements: Which Should You Send?
There are a couple of different ways to share the news and excitement of a graduation, but there are subtle differences between announcements and invitations.
Graduation Announcements
A graduation announcement is ideal if you want to share the exciting news that your loved one is graduating, but there’s no event or party to attend. Your graduation announcement wording can include a sweet note about their achievements or future plans, some heartfelt graduation wishes, and serve as a keepsake.
Graduation Invitations
A graduation invitation is the best option to invite people to a graduation ceremony or party. While they should include the grad’s name, graduation year, and degree, the focus is on letting people know where and when the party (or commencement ceremony) is.
What to Include in Your Graduation Invitations
Graduation invitations are a lot like other party or event invites, in that there are some essential details that you can’t miss. But some are unique to grad celebrations — like the school, degree, and graduation year. Here’s what to include on your graduation invites.
Guest Names
It’s important to let the recipient know who’s invited, especially if you’re limited on numbers. Space might be an issue for ceremony invitations, but for a party at home, you can be more casual with how many family members or plus ones you invite.
The Graduate’s Name
Graduation is a big moment, which is often reflected in the formal way that a grad’s full name appears on the invite. It’s also helpful for extended family members who may not have seen the new grad for a while, or for neighbors or new friends. If formal isn’t your style, swap the full name for a first name or even a nickname.
School or College and Degree
Celebrate the grad’s achievements by listing their college or school name and degree on the ceremony or party invitation. Adding these details also helps guests understand whether they’re joining you to celebrate the graduate earning a bachelor’s degree or leaving high school.
Graduation Event Details
If you’re sending an invite to the graduation day, here’s where you’d include that information. Let your guests know the event’s date, time, and location. It’s also a good idea to include a meeting point, so you can catch up before you all sit down to watch the ceremony.
Graduation Party Details
For celebrations that include an after-party or where you’re hosting a separate graduation party, it’s important to share all the information your guests will need. Add the date, time, venue for your graduation celebration, and any key information, like whether there’s a graduation theme.
How to RSVP
Help your guests out and make your job easier by telling guests exactly how and when to RSVP. Encourage guests to RSVP early so you can make arrangements, and specify whether they should reply by text message, email, or phone call.
If you’re sending your invitations through Greenvelope, this step is easy — guests can RSVP online in moments, and you can manage your guest list more easily.
Extra Details
We’ve covered all the essentials, but there might be a few extra details you want to include on your invitations. If there’s a formal dress code, let your guests know what it is — and the same goes for a theme. If gifts are welcome, share a gift registry if you have one, so they can find the perfect graduation gift ideas.
You could also include a note on how to donate to the grad’s favorite charity or how to contribute to a fund for their new chapter.
Exciting Graduation Invitation Wording Ideas and Designs
While adding the essential event details for this momentous occasion is easy, coming up with the right graduation party invitation wording is a little more challenging.
To help you out, we’ve put together these wording examples and paired them with one of our matching graduation invitation designs. Get inspiration on what to say and how to share it with your loved ones.
Our digital invitations are easy to customize, so you can take any of our grad party invitation templates and turn them into a beautifully personalized invite in moments. Choose the color palette that matches your grad’s style, find the right fonts, and add a personal invite message.
Ready to start putting it all together? Explore some of our favorite graduation invitation designs and wording examples.
1. Formal Graduation Invitation
Design: Stacey Meacham Design, llc
A formal graduation invite is ideal if you’re inviting a handful of loved ones to the graduation day ceremony itself, and we love pairing it with this stylish metallic graduation invitation. You could even swap to one of our new lace envelopes to further elevate the elegance.
Here’s an example of how to word an invitation like this:
“Mr. and Mrs. Richards announce the graduate
Sophia Elizabeth Richards
Saturday, the Fourth of June
Two thousand twenty-five
Eleven o’clock in the morning
The Regal Theater
135 University Avenue, Rochester, NY”
2. Casual Graduation Invitation
Design: Tamara Hilje Design
Try a colorful design like this whimsical graduation invite alongside more casual wording for a more relaxed vibe. Here’s an example of what to say if you’re inviting a few loved ones to a grad ceremony or after-party:
“Let’s celebrate our grad
Edward James Morrison
May 6 at 4 pm
The Morrison Residence
14 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA”
3. High School Graduation Ceremony Invite
Design: Jessica Williams
Celebrate your new high school grad with this simple yet elegant graduation invitation. Since it’s a photo card design, it’s perfect for a formal photo of your teen alongside details of the graduation ceremony.
Here’s an example of how to handle this graduation invitation wording:
“Let’s celebrate the graduate
Ainsley Chesterton
as she graduates from Ridgeway High School
Saturday, May 28th at 7 pm
La Taverna, 248 Eastchase Street, Greenville”
4. Degree Themed Graduation Party Invitation
Design: Signature Greenvelope
Celebrating a new medical school grad? This medical-themed grad party invite is the perfect match, and it’s available in several stylish color options. Even if your loved one isn’t graduating from med school, you can apply the idea to their degree, like an art-themed invite for an illustration grad or a book-themed invite for a literature grad.
Here’s a quick example of what to say if you’re inviting people to a medical grad party or something similar:
“Please join us for a graduation celebration in honor of
Richard D. Kinsman
Harvard Medical School, Class of 2026
The Kinsman Home, 29 Castleton Street, Brookline, MA
Saturday, June 10, 5-9 in the evening
RSVP by June 1”
5. Relaxed Graduation Garden Party Invite
Design: Lisa Travis
Let your loved ones know all about the grad’s achievements and future plans at a casual garden party and open house BBQ in your backyard, and use this floral-themed grad party invite to spread the word. Here’s what to say:
“Please join us for a grad party in honor of
Annabelle Williamson
Saturday, June 15 at 3 pm
The Williamson Home
6607 Marigold Street
Monterey, CA”
6. Creative Graduation Invitation
Design: Stellax Creative
Whether the grad is an art student or just loves all things creative, pair this painterly grad party invite with your own personalized wording for a fun way to let everyone know about your event. For example:
“Join us for a grad party honoring
Anna Lewis
Class of 2026
Oakdale High School
June 4th at 6 pm
124 Georgetown Court
Annapolis, MD”
7. Sophisticated Graduation Party Invite
Design: David Michuki
For a grad party invite with a graduation cap and tassel that doesn’t feel too bold, this elegant border grad party invite is perfect. It’s ideal for a formal invitation to a sophisticated celebration, and here’s what you could use for the college graduation invitation wording:
“Join us for a graduation party in honor of
Hunter Thompson
18th August 2026
2 o’clock in the afternoon
1230 West Drive, Chicago”
Put Together the Perfect Graduation Invitation
Planning a grad celebration takes a lot of effort — from finding the right graduation party ideas to writing thank you notes to guests. With the help of this guide, though, there’s no need to worry about your graduation invitation wording.
As you put together the perfect words to say congrats to your grad, use one of our graduation invitations to help you spread the cheer. With so many designs in different styles, there’s something to suit every grad and every moment.
