CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- May is graduation month and if you know any high school or college graduates, you have probably started to already received graduation announcements and party invitations in the mail.
You can send a graduation announcement to anybody. It's appropriate to send them to all of your family, friends.
"Typically you send them after the graduation ceremony because you are announcing that they have already graduated," said Aimee Symington, etiquette expert.
If you receive an announcement from a friend or relative, you don't have to send a gift just for an announcement.
"You can send a gift. It's always nice to send a gift, but you don't have to," Symington said.
Cash is always appreciated or a gift card. You can also give a gift if you know what they are going to be doing after graduation.
If it's someone who is graduating from high school, the minimum is $20-$25. If it's a college graduate it's around $50, Symington said.
If you receive an invitation to a graduation party, you are obligated to send a gift.
"If you're going to go to a party, you really should give a gift. You should actually bring a hostess gift when you go to the party something like a bottle of wine. Then give a card with money or a gift for the graduate," Symington said.
And make sure to RSVP. Let the host know within a week whether you will attend or not.
Unless the guest has actually requested that you open the gift in front of them, you typically wait until later.
"And the reason is that you want to be able to send a hand written thank you note to the person specifically indicating what they have given you," Symington said.
I have seen way too many people send out these blanket thank you notes that say thank you for the gift. And that's very impersonal and not nice. You wait until afterwards, write it down that Mr. and Mrs. X gave you X and then you can write them a nice personal thank you."
During the actual graduation ceremony don't yell or make noise so the person walking behind your graduate doesn't miss their name being called. Don't stand up to block the view of the person behind you. And keep your cell phone turned off or on vibrate.
"Everyone is there for the same reason. Be respectful," Symington said.