Graduation Ideas

The right words to congratulate your grad

It's more than a cap, gown or diploma. Graduation is a milestone that marks a fresh phase of life. Whether your grad is 12, 18, 22 or 42, this major accomplishment deserves a huge pat on the back! Here are a few easy ways to make your words of congrats—whether written in a card or spoken in a toast—extra memorable.

Commemorate the noteworthy event
Cards are so much more meaningful when they include a personal message. There are six basic steps to putting together a scrapbook-worthy congratulatory note.

• Greet the grad. Be as formal as your relationship. (Close enough to share a nickname? Use it!)
• Express your congratulations clearly. This is the first sentence of your note, so be straightforward, yet warm.
• React to the news. Let the grad know how you felt when you received the announcement in the mail.
• Compliment & look ahead. Always knew the grad could do it? This is the time to say so! Take a few sentences to make the note feel extra personal.
• Restate your congratulations. Because, truly, you just can't say it enough.
• Give your regards. A "sincerely" makes for a good general closing, but consider warmer options for a closer relationship.

I'll toast to that!
A great congratulatory speech is constructed similarly to a memorable note. But toasts come with the added benefit of fewer space and time restraints. So take an extra moment to share anecdotes that the grad—and party guests—will appreciate, from humorous to heartfelt. Props are encouraged! So bring your art major-to-be's very first refrigerator door creation, or recall a story about the law student's earliest attempts at talking his way into an extra helping of dessert.