HS Graduation Announcements Tissue Paper

[Yvaine]

I've seen invitations with and invitations without, never really thought about the origin of the practice, and always just assumed it was a stylistic choice, kind of like how some wedding invitations have a ribbon threaded through them and some don't. I would never even notice.

[kansha]

youngest is a senior, and i ordered no tissue for his announcements.

[kareng57]

I can't really comment re HS graduation announcements, since they're not done here.

But I think I can commonly assert that tissue papers in wedding invitations went the way of the dodo bird some time ago, so I would think that, unless it was a very, very conservative culture, that you'd be fine for omitting something that really is not needed anymore.

[kudeebee]

Haven't received an invitation with tissue in it for many, many years.
I would not waste the money on it.

[Sootikin]

I'd notice.  I may not hold it against the graduate, but it would be something that would get my attention when I opened it, because it is a traditional part of the announcement.

Isn't that a little harsh?  You'd really consider holding the lack of a useless piece of paper against a teen-ager?

OP I think you are right to leave it out, I'm sure there are better ways for your DD to spend the $24.00.

Congratulations to her too!

[DottyG]

Sootikin, I think you may have misread my post. There's a "not" in there. Although I would NOT hold it against the graduate, I would notice it not there.

[Sootikin]

Sootikin, I think you may have misread my post. There's a "not" in there. Although I would NOT hold it against the graduate, I would notice it not there.

No, I read it, you didn't say 'would not' you said 'may not' that implies that you could go either way.  Anyway I'm glad to see you wouldn't be that petty

[Zilla]

it's also being greener to the environment. I too wouldn't miss it and be cheered you didn't use it.

[onyonryngs]

I wouldn't notice this any more than I would notice the absence of a corset at a winter formal. The reason for it even happening is gone, so now it's just a waste of paper.

This.  It's unnecessary and I wouldn't even notice. 

[bansidhe]

I have never heard of nor seen a graduation announcement. So no, I wouldn't miss the tissue paper. 

[Bob Ducca]

Somewhat related anecdotal tale:

There was once a little girl named Fran who loved to watch her mother cook Sunday dinner. Every Sunday, Fran's mother would cook a ham.  She would painstakingly make her glaze from scratch, cut the ham in half, and bake it slowly until it was crisp and delicious.

When Fran grew up, she prepared her mother's ham every week for her own family. One day Fran and her daughter were cooking together and her daughter asked, "Why do you cut the ham in half?"

"I'm not sure," Fran replied, "but it must be important. My mother always did it."

The next time Fran's mother visited, the three generations were cooking together. Fran's daughter asked, "Grandma, why do we have to cut the ham in half?"

Grandma blinked, visibly surprised, and said, "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Mom," Fran laughed. "You always cut the ham in half. It's part of your recipe."

Grandma laughed. "I cut the ham in half because none of my pans were the right shape. It didn't fit unless I cut it."

The moral of the story: some traditions are borne of necessity, so continuing them doesn't always make sense. Tissue paper in invitations is one of those. Putting one in a non-engraved invitation can help it look more formal, I suppose, but the reason for the practice is mostly gone.

[DottyG]

The original reason for the tradition might not apply, but that doesn't mean some of us don't notice its absence. I wouldn't include the ones the OP mentioned if they were printed with something and tacky looking. But leaving tissue out isn't something I'd do. It's a part of the announcement, in my opinion, that's still used. There are some things that, to me, still "require" that little additional touch. There may not be many things that do. But wedding announcements and graduation announcements are two of them in my view.

[SamiHami]

The origin of the use of tissues  in invitations had nothing whatsoever to do with etiquette and everything to do with practicality of the part of the printer. Since the reason for using them no longer exists it seems silly to continue to do so, not to mention the wastefulness of it and the added expense. If I received an invitation with it in there I would of course not be offended but I would think the sender was a bit silly.

[Aeris]

The original reason for the tradition might not apply, but that doesn't mean some of us don't notice its absence. I wouldn't include the ones the OP mentioned if they were printed with something and tacky looking. But leaving tissue out isn't something I'd do. It's a part of the announcement, in my opinion, that's still used. There are some things that, to me, still "require" that little additional touch. There may not be many things that do. But wedding announcements and graduation announcements are two of them in my view.

It's perfectly fine if you personally prefer the look of tissue paper. It's perfectly fine if you personally would always use tissue paper. But your post reads as though you think that it's still a requirement of etiquette, as the bolded indicates. It's not. It's not even a suggested element of etiquette. It is now nothing more than a personal preference of style.

[Yvaine]

The original reason for the tradition might not apply, but that doesn't mean some of us don't notice its absence. I wouldn't include the ones the OP mentioned if they were printed with something and tacky looking. But leaving tissue out isn't something I'd do. It's a part of the announcement, in my opinion, that's still used. There are some things that, to me, still "require" that little additional touch. There may not be many things that do. But wedding announcements and graduation announcements are two of them in my view.

How does it "require" it? And how is it "still used"? It doesn't serve any purpose anymore except aesthetics.

And if you're calling it a requirement, then you would judge a graduate for not doing it, which just makes no sense to me given the origin of the practice.

The ham-cutting anecdote is the perfect analogy. Why is it a requirement when the reason for it is gone? Is it just that you want to see some kind of stylistic "frill"? And if so, why would it need to be that particular frill? If they've made it look essentially nice, what on earth difference does tissue paper make?