What to Write: Congratulations Messages

Writing congratulations messages in a card seems pretty straight forward, right? You just write “congrats” then sign your name and...done! But you probably wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to learn how to write the best congratulations messages and how to make the card a little more personal by adding your own words.

For the giant leaps, milestones, smaller-stones, well-earned moments of pride, or simple times of joy, a card with your own words inside can really help make someone’s celebration extra-special. Whether you’re looking to say congrats on a new home, sending congrats wedding wishes, or saying congrats on a pregnancy or new baby, each requires a fairly similar approach that really shows your person how happy you are for them.

Here’s the angle on going that extra meaningful mile. A short congratulations message, for example, which states why they deserve what they’re celebrating, always works perfectly. Or, try a sincere acknowledgement of their amazing qualities. You can also try giving props to the journey that got them there, or a shout-out to the time they first dreamed of getting to this exciting moment in life. A little humor can add to the happiness factor, too. Any of these approaches work for just about every occasion.

Sample Congratulations Messages

When good stuff happens to good people, jump in on that and share their excitement. A thoughtful, simple acknowledgement is easy — and long remembered.

• It's about both the journey and the destination! Enjoy!
• You deserve every exciting and wonderful thing about this!
• All of your hard work has finally paid off, congrats!
• You're a true inspiration and I couldn't be happier for you.
• Enjoy every minute of [insert what you're celebrating]!
• Bravo! Props! Kudos! Applause!
• One more fantastic chapter to add to the book of your life!
• Amazing things happen to amazing people!
• See? This is all the good karma you've put out there coming right back at you.
• Couldn't think of a person who has earned this more than you. XO

Congratulations Sayings & Quotes

Congratulations sayings and quotes are a great way to add meaning and weight to your greeting. Here are sample congratulation messages — both serious and fun — that would be great for promotions, graduations and other life achievements.

• “It’s time to celebrate all the hard work that led to this joyful occasion.” — Sheryl Sandberg
• “The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest.” — Deepika Padukone
• “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!” — Dr. Seuss
• “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” — Leonardo da Vinci

Short Congratulations Messages

With American Greetings ecards, witty or wonderful verse is bound to be included. If you’d like to complement them with short congratulations messages of your own, we’ve compiled a variety of casual and formal tones in the lists below.

Short Casual Congratulations Messages

• You rock!
• Well played! Congratulations!
• You’re killing it — congrats!
• You nailed it!
• Hats off to you!
• WAY TO GO!
• You rule!
• Nice one! Congrats!
• Look at you!
• WOO HOO!
• High five!
• S L O W C L A P!
• Big shout-out for a job well done!
• Big smiles for your success!
• Thumbs up on your accomplishment!

Short Formal Congratulations Messages

• Bravo!
• Well done!
• Cheers to your achievement!
• Congratulations on your well-deserved success.
• Pop the champagne, you did it!
• Congratulations! You’re on your way to great things.
• Warmest congratulations!
• I’m so impressed with your achievement!
• You’re remarkable.
• A salute to your success!
• Congratulations on a truly outstanding achievement.
• Sending you a heartfelt congrats!
• Celebrating you on your big day!

Congratulations to All & Team Achievement

Your group of family, friends, co-workers, schoolmates and others might want to combine their wishes into one “congratulations from all” card. If so, here are some winning messages they’re sure to approve of.

• We are all so happy for you! Congrats!
• Congratulations from all of us! You deserve every bit of your success.
• Sending a collective high-five from the whole team!
• Cheers to you! The entire group is celebrating your amazing achievement.
• We are so proud of you! Cheers!
• Sending a round of applause from all of us! Well done!
• A big congratulations from all of us at [name of workplace/school/group]!

Say "Congrats on Your New Home"

The dream of their very own special place … the excitement of their Pinterest posts coming to life … there’s nothing like a brand-new place to call home. Try these messages in your card to really make them feel welcome and excited on their new journey as a homeowner!

• Congrats on your great amazing new place! (Can’t wait to see my guest room!)
• A place all your own to help your dreams come true, congrats!
• New home, new life! You deserve all this and more.
• You found the perfect place! Now enjoy watching your Pinterest boards come to life!
• So glad you’ve finally found an amazing place for this exciting new chapter in your life.
• Hope every room is filled floor to ceiling with happiness, laughter and love.
• You’re an amazing person who deserves this amazing new place, congratulations!
• You must be sooo looking forward to all the memories you’ll be making in your beautiful, brand-new home!
• May your home be filled with lots of wonderful moments with family and friends.
• Can’t wait for the grand tour (housewarming party)!

Beautiful Congratulations Wedding Wishes

When the happy couple finally has a chance to sit down and open their cards and gifts in pure wedded-bliss mode, they’ll love reading your personal message that sends love and happiness for the biggest day of their life.

• You two are absolutely perfect for each other — couldn’t be happier for you!
• Yay! Cheers to no more app dating! XO
• Here’s to love and laughter and happiness that never ends — love you both!
• Wedding wishes and congrats to the sweetest couple ever!
• So awesome — in this great big world, two of the most amazing people found each other
• May joy and love fill every day of the rest of your lives.
• Love and congrats on your very own happy-ever-after.
• Wishes for a future filled with beautiful memories together.
• Both of you are fantastic people, but you’re going to be even more fantastic together. Congrats! XO
• You’re both keepers. You deserve each other! Love and happy wishes always!

Congrats on Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an absolute whirlwind of emotion! It’s a wonderfully happy thing to celebrate, but also an entire journey that always requires support and love and most likely, humor. A nice mix of sweetness and humor will make your expecting mommy or daddy-to-be feel loved and supported the entire way.

• You are about to experience the most wonderful, scary, awesome thing in the world. Congratulations!
• You did it! It’s happening! It’s really happening! I’m so happy for you!
• It all just got real, and it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving, awesome person.
• You’re going to be the best parent in the world, because you’ve been the best friend (sister, brother) in the world!
• I hope this baby is exactly like you are — a beautiful person inside and out.
• You deserve all the joy and love this baby is going to bring to your life.
• Isn’t it crazy that your body was designed for this very thing? It’s completely beautiful, and so are you!
• Your world just got so much more lovely.
• You are going to be so good at this! (But I’m here just in case you ever need a pep talk.)
• You are now a walking miracle with a beautiful little life inside you. Enjoy every moment of your pregnancy!

Congrats on New Baby

The sweetest thing in the universe just happened to a person or people you love so much. New babies arrive in all kinds of ways — including adoption and foster parenting, too. It’s almost impossible to grasp how much a new baby makes our hearts burst, so here are some adorable words that describe the absolute cuteness, the teeny-tiny-ness, the smiley-ness, the happiness, and the heart melty-ness you feel for the new mom(s) and/or dad(s) you’re celebrating!

• Cuteness factor just increased exponentially! Congrats on this new little love of your life!
• Here’s to all the smiles and cuteness ahead that this little peanut will bring! Congratulations!
• The waiting is over and s(he)’s finally here! Cheers to all the exciting next steps for your family!
• You’re amazing, and I just know you’re going to make an amazing life for your new baby!
• Welcome to all the love, little one! You’re so lucky your parents are the greatest people ever!
• It’s official. The world just got cuter, sweeter, smarter and happier. Congrats on your new little one!
• Hope this new chapter in your life brings surprises and smiles and all kinds of delightful memories!
• So much joy to look forward to — happy, happy parenting!
• Thinking of you as you welcome this beautiful baby into your family!
• Congrats, and remember I’m just a text away when you need another hand!

Congratulations With Love & Warm Closings

If you like signing your card in a special way, here are some warm, even beautiful, congratulations closings.

• Love,
• All my love,
• Love always,
• Congratulations my love,
• With warmest congratulations,
• Wishing you all the best,
• Here’s to you,
• Cheers,
• Keep it up!
• Heartfelt congratulations,
• Best wishes,
• Best,
• Blessings,
• Sincerely,
• Warmly,
• With pride,
• Proudly yours,
• Your biggest fan,

Write Your Own Congratulations Message With Creatacard™

Wish you could write the best congratulations message and design the card, too? Lucky you, Creatacard™ allows you to do exactly this and more! This virtual card maker is the perfect choice when you want to send cards with a personal touch by adding your own photos, video and greeting (like the sample congratulations messages we shared). You can even sign your name, design the envelope and choose the music it plays when opened. Start browsing our great selection of Congratulations Creatacards today and send in minutes via email, text or social media!

There’s really no wrong way to tell someone that you’re happy for them, and it’s as simple as sending an ecard, dropping kudos in the mail or leaving a fun acknowledgement on their desk, in their bag — anywhere you know they’ll find it.

Brought to You by the Writers of American Greetings

We are a team of writers and editors with decades of experience creating happiness, laughter and love for American Greetings. When we’re not writing greeting cards and other celebrations content for the company, we are award-winning authors, bloggers, world travelers, singers, photographers, parents, grandparents and pet owners. Most of us live in Cleveland, Ohio, home to American Greetings Corporate Headquarters for over 100 years.