Personalized Graduation Announcements

Graduation is an exciting time in any young person's life, whether graduating from high school, university or Clarence's Clown College. It's also a very busy time (for student and parent alike). There are exams to take, parties to plan and futures to dream. There are also graduation announcements to mail to family and friends.

Most traditional graduation announcements include a folded greeting card, often featuring the mascot and colors of your school, a tissue insert, inner envelope, and an outer envelope. They are a little old fashioned, not to mention lack originality and personality. They also usually end up in the trashcan of the recipient, even though you spent hours assembling and addressing them, and significant cash to purchase and mail them.

Photo graduation announcements (in small or large postcard format) are a fresh alternative to a traditional boring announcement card. Not only are they colorful and customizable, they also display your smiling face right there on the front. They're a lasting keepsake that your family will treasure forever, storing lovingly in their photo albums and scrapbooks. Even better, the money you save when you purchase photo graduation announcements in postcard format can go towards that fabulous graduation party you've been planning.

Before you begin the process of selecting the perfect photo graduation announcement, you need to determine your order quantity. Class sizes at schools and colleges have grown to such an extent that many now limit the number of guests you may invite to the commencement ceremony. Some schools set a limit on the number of guests that can attend the graduation ceremony and therefore you may need to keep your announcements generic or send different variations to the appropriate guest lists.

When creating your mailing list for the photo graduation announcements, you should consult with your parents. They have all the names and addresses you will require (including your great aunt Gertrude and your cousin Waldo twice removed). Send your graduation announcement to anyone who will be excited about the news. This includes your parents, grandparents, siblings (if no longer at home), aunts and uncles, cousins (if grown), godparents, friends of the family, mentors, favorite teachers and religious leaders. Chances are your chiropractor, orthodontist and the guy at the drive-through do not care about your graduation, so you can leave them off the list.

It is appropriate to send photo graduation announcements to friends and relatives who live in different states (or even countries), and who are unable to attend the festivities. They can still share in the joy of your greatest accomplishment. They will likely send you a nice graduation card (maybe full of cold hard cash!) as a result.

Because a graduation announcement is a formal piece of mail, you'll want to address it in a formal manner, even if you're sending photo graduation announcements in postcard format. It's not as hard as it sounds. To create a formal address, you just need to include Mr., Mrs., Miss and avoid abbreviations within the address itself. For example:

Mr. Buck Rogers 2000 Space Station Road Longmont, Colorado 80501

Miss Betsy Ross 32 Flag Street, Apartment 205 Louisville, Kentucky 12938

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stevenson 5239 Seagull Way Northeast Boston, Massachusetts 28282

Your next step before ordering your photo graduation announcements is to gather the information you'll want to include. You must include your name (or your guests won't know who to write their checks to). You should also include the name of your school and your graduating class. If you're saving even more money by using your announcements as party invitations, you should include the location, date and time of your party as well. You could even include your favorite quote or motto (such as "The Class of 2011 Kicks Butt!") on your photo graduation announcements.

Graduation announcements may be mailed two weeks before your commencement or up to two weeks after. Be sure to send the announcements out well before the commencement excercizes if you want anyone to attend the events. Keep this timeline in mind when ordering your photo graduation announcements. Some printers can take up to five or six weeks to complete the order. However, if you want your announcements fast, consider selected online greeting card or invitations companies. They will print, address, stamp and mail your announcements within one or two business days of your order.

If you plan to send photo graduation announcements, you are going to need a flattering photo taken before you can place an order. Unfortunately, graduation portraits are often (at best) boring or (at worst) hideously cliché. To ensure that your graduation photo truly captures your personality, you need to choose the right photographer, put some thought into what makes you unique, and speak up if you don't like something about the proposed shot.

My graduation photo is a perfect example of what would happen if boring and cheesy married and had a baby. In this portrait, I look like a cowgirl. One would think I loved nothing more than the Wild West and dancing around to country western music. One would never know that I was an honor student, newspaper editor and lover of pop rock. My younger sister's graduation photo was even worse. Thanks to the checkerboard tile backdrop and diaphanous white curtain the photographer used as a prop, she appears to be posing in a bathroom. Don't let a bad graduation portrait the likes of that happen to you.

Picking a Photographer

Most of us are a little (or a lot) uncomfortable when a camera lens is pointed our way. This discomfort yields unflattering and awkward portraits. The right photographer will be the one who knows how to put you at ease. Interview a few, preferably in person. Ask them to describe the way they work and how they handle apprehensive subjects. If you meet one who makes you laugh, or with whom you feel a connection, this is likely the photographer for you.

Deciding what Makes you Special

The "leaning against the tree" shot or "sitting against the wall" shot are a dime a dozen. You don't want to look like just any reasonably groomed young person in your graduation photo. Spend some time making a list of the things that are special about you. Do you excel at soccer? Were you the star of the basketball team or lead with your enthusiastic school spirit? Did you revolutionize the yearbook? Did you capture the hearts of your audience in every school play? Do you know the library like the back of your hand? Give this list to your photographer. He or she can use it to brainstorm unique and interesting ideas for both portrait location and style.

Speak Now or Forever Hide Your Face

Thanks to modern technology, many photographers are able to show you photos instantly by shooting tethered to a laptop or monitor. Ask your photographer if he or she is able to do this. If so, you'll be able to give immediate feedback as far as where the shoot is going. If you don't like what you see, say so. You don't want to end up with a graduation photo you hate just because you failed to ask for another take.


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John Welsh has combined his expertise in graphic design and direct mail to provide cool tools for creating your own custom graduation announcements and graduation invitations. For great deals, go to his interactive and fun website, Astonishingcards.