Every year, students march to get their high school or college diplomas wearing caps and gowns that tie them to hundreds of years of tradition and history. If you look at a graduation ceremony from a distance, you may think everyone looks the same.

Step a little closer, though, and you'll see that each graduate is set off with special touches that show off their uniqueness. These elements, which traditionally include graduation stoles, sashes, and cords, have special symbolic meanings in many cases.

The spring of 2020 was a time unlike any other in recent memory. As early as mid-March, students found themselves out of school and taking classes from home with no indication of when classrooms might welcome them back. The realities of the pandemic, from mortality rate to how the disease spread, were still unknown, leaving parents and students alike with more questions than answers. And, unfortunately, most graduation ceremonies were entirely virtual last year, if they happened at all.

Sadly, spring 2021 is shaping up to be very similar. While the realities of the pandemic are far better understood, and many people have learned to make do as best as possible with masks, hand-washing, and social distancing, plenty of restrictions are still in place. This as left many students and parents wondering: what might graduation day look like in 2021?

Many graduation stoles simply use school colors to brighten up the stark black of graduation gowns. For instance, a school whose colors are red and gold might opt for custom graduation stoles of red satin with gold embroidery.

However, over the years, an entire tradition of colors has grown and been expanded on to speak to different fields of studies, and many schools opt for this more multi-hued approach instead. The colors, of course, come into play again for students being hooded with advanced degrees, where the colored hoods indicate both the alma mater and the field of study.

Graduation season is coming up. We see that many graduates are procrastinating on ordering their custom graduation stole. Remember that you should place your order at least eight (8) weeks before the big day.

How can we motivate our beloved graduates (or ourselves) to prepare for graduation day? Simple. Grads love having a way to show their school spirit off. Customized stoles are one way to do this.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many graduations have either gone virtual or have been postponed or canceled yet again this year.

Lots of students want graduation pictures but either don’t want to work in close proximity to a stranger or can’t afford professional pictures to commemorate this rare moment of achievement in their lives.

The big question for many graduates is: Should I order a custom stole for graduation, or should I stick with the basic stole in my graduation bundle?

Whenever we attend graduation fairs, I have found many students were pondering this question.

October 15th is National Learn a Word Day, so The Sash Company felt it was appropriate to do some research and find some of the more obscure English words related to weddings!

Photo Credit: NC Watermelon Queen

Introduction

The coronavirus pandemic has brought most events around the world to a halt and pageants are no exception. Many have already been postponed or canceled, while others have made the decision to go virtual. Essentially every system is under a time crunch to crown a winner and get them ready for the next level. This obviously isn’t ideal but is necessary during these uncertain times. After all, who knows if the world will be ready to have a theater open to full capacity anytime soon?