The price for the yearbook and the yearbook advertisement came directly from the school, so no shopping around would be needed. The ring (advertisement from Balfour) and frames (advertisement from University Frames Inc.) came in a mailing from the school.
@dfbdfb But you are correct, besides trying to find reasonable hotel rates, I did not intend to shop around and find cheaper prices for anything else.
Hang on…for a wedding you didn’t invite relatives or purchase a ring!!! 
That framed diploma? When our kids get to our age and are downsizing, it will be counted among that “stuff” that just has to be gotten rid of.
I agree completely. My diploma just sits in a drawer along with photo albums and has for 30 years. Honestly why couldn’t I toss it? It’s really just clutter. If I ever needed proof I graduated, I can get that from a registrar. I wasn’t in a profession where people framed / displayed them.
Nothing is really required except moving the kid out of his/her college dorm room or apartment. It isn’t even necessary for the student to attend the graduation ceremony.
Eh, I think if parents have been loving and supportive and really want the kid to go through a graduation ceremony, he can suck it up for a few hours. They sat through enough of his soccer games and school plays, not to mention boring meeting at work to earn the money to send him in the first place.
No, @SlitheyTove I did not purchase the ring! 
And relatives not being invited? I wish.
Where do you get these? I wouldn’t mind getting a few more invitations to send to relatives who are coming to my D’s commencement. We just got one for ourselves. No mention of yearbook, ring, or cap and gown.
"We did not pay for hotel rooms for people attending. If someone said that to me, I would think they didn’t really want to attend.’
THIS!! I can’t imagine asking someone if they are going to pay for the hotel rooms, that is so TRULY tacky. And just because someone asks the question doesn’t mean you need to even consider it. Hotel rooms for 18-20 people? Maybe if you’re a billionaire. Paying for dinner the night before will cost quite a bit, and is very generous of you. Don’t think you have to pay for everyone’s food besides that, certainly not lodging. If they don’t want to come, then they won’t. I can see helping out someone who is very young and broke, that I would really like to be there—but that is a kindness, not an expectation.
You’re assuming that the parents want to attend. Sometimes, they don’t care one way or the other or would actually prefer not to attend because of conflicting obligations or the desire to save on travel costs.
Not everybody is fond of ceremonies, especially hours-long ceremonies outside in the heat.
^So true. I don’t know if people like to come to the commencement. We have so few relatives that I would have paid everything for them to come. To my delight, they are all coming including kids and they are paying their way.
@igloo My DDs graduating class is approximately 540 students and the ceremony is in an open space that accommodates many, many people. Therefore tickets are not required and all are welcome. In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved indoors and then tickets (I think 2 -3 per graduate) would be needed. Additional seating will be available on a first come basis at another venue where the ceremony will be broadcast on a large screen.
If your child is in a large graduating class and the venue can only accommodate a limited amount of people, then I can see where tickets would be limited.
All information (ring, yearbook, frames, etc.) came from mailings I received from DDs school.
I have sacrificed a lot to give my DD the option of choosing the school she wanted to attend. I really want the kid to go through a graduation ceremony and would expect her to suck it up for a couple of hours.
^BLUEPH, Thank you. My d"s school don’t require tickets but the invitation includes programs. It looks like there’s a lot going on throughout the commencement weekend. It would be nice to send that to eveyone attending so that they can plan.
I don’t have a particular desire to attend my D’s graduation. We are going for her. If she wants to skip, I’d be fine with that.
My D2’s school is small (less than 200 per class). Many of the underclassmen stay around and attend graduation! My D has gone frosh & sophomore years. She would not miss hers for anything – she has worked way too hard for it.
My kid went to every large graduation but his own…because he played in the music ensemble for,graduation.
To be honest…at the end of the day, we were thrilled NOT to attend the very large outdoor ceremony…which happened in the rain…on a chilly May Day. We were much happier to attend the nice indoor departmental graduation where every student’s name was called. That didn’t happen at the BIG university graduation either.
My parents are incredibly loving and supporting and they didn’t give a hoot whether or not I went to my graduation.
I didn’t go to the main graduation or the graduation for one of my bachelor’s degrees. I only went to one- the one for my small RC- because there was only about 35 of us graduating and they were all close friends and my now-spouse. Had I not been in the RC, I probably wouldn’t have gone.
They didn’t want to sit through the long university graduation any more than I did.
I skipped all my graduations, but I was a part of a large group. My son’s class was @225? Kids walked across the stage, wearing special symbols of their house. There was a luncheon for everyone. Later, a reception at the President’s house. The only expense was a dinner. My son and his roommates families all sat together. It was nice to meet these people.
Your parents did not care if you attended and that’s fine. In pizzagirl’s statement the emphasis is on ** parents who want their children to go through graduation **. I want to attend the graduation ceremony and want my child to be a part of the graduation ceremony, therefore, I expect my DD to be there.
Older than dirt person here. My HS graduation class was over 1000. After enduring that very lengthy graduation, I never went to any of my own again. Plus…graduated college in March…graduation was in June. Would have had to go back for it. Got masters in July. Couldn’t walk I graduation until the following May. That didn’t happen either.
But I did go to my kids’ graduations.