Graduation Invitations: Modern vs. Traditional

Today, the amount of graduation invitation choices can be staggering, especially if you aren’t sure whether you want to choose a traditional or modern invitation style. Learn about the message each style may send to your recipients to choose the one that suits your style best.

Modern Graduation Invitations

Modern graduation invitations give you more options in terms of color and format. They can be casual or formal, but don’t have to reflect your school colors. If you have chosen a theme for your graduation party, then you might extend this theme to your modern graduation invitations to achieve a cohesive look and inform guests of your theme.

For example, your school colors might be navy blue and orange, but you have decided to throw a luau-style graduation party. Thus, you can choose bright turquoise invitations with a hibiscus flower border and a lei around your party information.

Another way modern graduation invitations differ is in your choice of format. You could choose a single pane invitation with the wording on the front, but you could also choose a bi-fold, tri-fold, z-fold, or even a photo invitation to create some excitement. Photo invitations have really climbed the popularity ladder in recent years, especially since you have the freedom to choose which graduation or non-graduation picture you want to include. It also makes it less expensive to give relatives and friends a recent photo versus ordering extra photos from a professional photographer.

Traditional Graduation Invitations

Traditional graduation invitations adhere to stricter guidelines and are usually formal in appearance. They are typically printed on heavy white or ivory paper and can feature a border, swirled design, or other formal flourish, like a monogram, printed or embossed in the school’s colors.

For example, if your school colors are navy blue and orange, your graduation invitation might feature a navy blue and orange entwined border with a centered swirl at the top of the page. Your invitation information would appear inside the border, usually written in a black script or block font.

Choosing the Right Graduation Invitation

There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to choosing graduation invitations. Your choice will depend largely on your taste and the style of your graduation. Some people naturally gravitate towards tradition and want to choose a style that speaks to the importance of graduation as an achievement.

Others, while still recognizing the importance of graduation, want more freedom to choose a graduation invitation that reflects their personality. Choosing a modern graduation invitation doesn’t mean you are throwing tradition out the window or even that you must choose a casual style; it simply means that several elements won’t be in line with traditional invitations. For example, you could choose a tri-fold style in a shimmery silver paper with a burgundy ink color to reference your school’s colors. The design is modern, but the idea of using your school’s color is traditional and the overall feel is still formal.

Whether you choose modern or traditional, or even combine the two into a formal yet fun graduation invitation, your special day is sure to be remembered no matter what style you send.