Wow, your high school reunion is approaching so quickly! Where has the time gone? Whether you’re the class president or a kind volunteer helping to plan your high school reunion, you’ll soon be able to take pride in knowing you gave your schoolmates an extra special celebration of your golden years.
But until that day, you’ve got a lot of preparation to do! And even if you book the best venue and DJ,will it truly be the best class reunion ever without the right decorations? You need theme-related and personalized decorations, from table decor to wall art to goodie bags, to really make it a night to remember.
Panic not. In this guide, you’ll have the perfect decorations good to go long before reunion day arrives. Here’s the most comprehensive list of reunion decoration must-haves for your high school reunion.
Key Takeaways
| – Essential Decor Checklist: A successful reunion relies on a mix of personalized signage, school colors, and nostalgic memorabilia to transport guests back to their graduation year. – Custom Wall Art: Use high-resolution photos from the Classmates® archive to create themed walls that spark conversation and nostalgia. – School Spirit Integration: Incorporate official school colors, mascots, and slogans into everything from welcome banners to disposable tableware for a cohesive, polished look. – Interactive Photo Ops: Elevate the experience with a themed photo booth featuring props like varsity jackets and graduation caps. – Meaningful Memorials: Dedicate a specific area for a Memorial Wall or table to honor deceased classmates with photos and written tributes. |
The Ultimate High School Reunion Decor Checklist
You’ll need to be thorough to make your reunion special. At a glance, the best high school reunion decorations include:
- A welcome sign featuring the name of your school and graduation year
- General signage (sign in here, seating arrangement details, etc.)
- Balloons (both a balloon arch for the entryway and ‘happy reunion’ balloons for the tables)
- Wall art featuring old group photos and candid shots from your high school yearbook.
- ‘Happy X-Year Reunion” welcome banner
- Party favors / goodie bags
- Disposable plates, silverware, napkins, etc. that match the reunion theme
- Table centerpieces
- Photo booth
- Garlands & streamers
- School memorabilia
Let’s go into more details on each!
A Welcome Sign
A welcome sign sets the tone the moment your schoolmates walk in. Personalize it with vibrant colors matching your school colors, your school name, a picture of your mascot, and graduation year so every guest instantly feels transported back to high school.
Designed by Freepik
Take things a step further by including a collage of yearbook photos to give everyone a true sense of nostalgia right from the get go.
“Happy X-Year Reunion” Welcome Banner
Placing a large reunion banner right by the entrance helps to anchor the room and get your schoolmates ready to celebrate. Make it customized with your school logo, name, and colors, graduation year, and even an old school slogan.
School Memorabilia
No need to decorate with just props. Use old high school memorabilia that’s still in the possession of your reunion planning team, or get in touch with the school to borrow old memorabilia like trophies, jerseys, spirit wear, etc. from the era you graduated in.
If you have digitized yearbook photos, display them on a loop on a TV or projector.
Every personalized detail reminds guests why the night feels so special.
Personalized Gifts & Goodie Bags
Party favors can make the memory last for all of the attendees.
Give a goodie bag including one or more of these popular custom reunion gifts, featuring your school name and/or classic high school pictures:
- Mugs/wine glasses
- Baseball caps
- T-shirts or sweatshirts
- Tote bags
- Coozies
Designed by Freepik
Use the Classmates® yearbook search to find inspiration for personalized reunion swag.
General Signage
Make the whole event feel polished and easy to navigate with informative directional signs, including
- A sign-in area: make sure everyone documents that they’ve attended with a sign letting them know where to sign-in.
- Photo booth, memory lane, and memorial wall signs: make sure everyone sees all the special things you planned for them, whether it’s a theme decorated photo booth or a dedication wall to old schoolmates that have passed away.
- Seating arrangements: if you’re going for assigned seats, a large sign breaking down who is sitting where will make things much easier.
- Food sign: you deserve to celebrate over tasty food! Let your guests help themselves to the buffet.
Have fun with customization to match your school colors, logo, and more. This subtle personalization ties the whole experience together and keeps guests smiling as they navigate around the event.
Balloons
Balloons instantly add color and energy. A balloon archway matching your school colors is sure to give your schoolmates a sense of excitement as they walk in and makes for the perfect first photo op.
Balloons can make every table pop too (figuratively speaking; although it could be literal as well!) They’re the perfect centerpiece, especially if you get your school name and graduation year printed on them or go for inflated numbers to match the reunion year.
Custom Wall Art
Wall art is where personalization really shines.
Print old group photos, candid shots, and yearbook pages, and even club or sports photos, inspired from Classmates’ yearbook archive. Arrange them in a memory lane setup or create themed walls like “Freshman Year,” “Clubs and Sports,” or “Senior Favorites.”
Designed by Freepik
This is where schoolmates will often stop and linger, and these classic pictures always spark the best conversations.
Memorial Wall
If some of your schoolmates have passed away, plan to dedicate some wall space to a memorial poster featuring old school photos and written tributes for each.
A table with printed out photos of the deceased is another nice option.
Disposable Tableware
Match your napkins, plates, and silverware to your school colors for a cohesive look. Order disposable plates and napkins printed with your class year or school photos to get a real laugh out of your peers.
Even the simplest snacks will feel extra festive when the tableware has your school name, yearbook photos, or matches your school colors.
Table Centerpieces
Custom table centerpieces can tie your event-wide decor together and are the perfect place to weave in nostalgia. Use old yearbook photos on small stands, mini chalkboards with inside jokes, floral arrangements wrapped with school color ribbons, or decorative items with your high school logo and name.
Adding these personalized touches will have all of the alumni feeling nostalgic and like they’re back in high school.
Photo Booth
A photo booth gives the alumni a fun way to capture new memories. Create a backdrop with your school colors, an enlarged yearbook page, or direct ties to your reunion theme.
Add props related to your theme or more general high school nostalgia like replica varsity jackets, pom poms, graduation caps, or cutouts of your mascot. You can even add small signs that reference school inside jokes or iconic hangout spots.
Garlands & Streamers
Match your school’s color scheme with garlands and streamers throughout the event hall. It’s the perfect decoration for tying the whole room together around your school colors.
How to Find Your Old Yearbook Photos
Reprinting yearbook photos is one of the best strategies for making your reunion decorations unique.
Here’s how you can use the Classmates high school yearbook search with over 480,000 yearbooks from over the decades to search and see if yours is available:
- First, register for free with Classmates to get access to our yearbook search tool.
- Lookup your school name
Type your school name into the search bar and select ‘Search’ to kickoff your hunt for yearbook photos
- Refine your search
Once you select search, there will be results featuring yearbooks from over the decades. To narrow your search, filter by decade or state to look for your school specifically.
Once you filter by decade or state, scan the results list to look for your high school yearbook, which will be featured by name and year if it is available:
The screenshot above is for demonstration purposes. Individual user experiences may vary.
- Alternative Search: By People & Schools
You can also search for your high school within the “People and Schools” section under the search bar.
Register on Classmates for free to browse all of the available yearbooks from your school over the decades, along with a list of other registered high school alumni.
- Find the Photos You’re Looking For
If your class’ yearbook is on Classmates, scroll through the pages to search for pictures that would inspire great options for custom reunion decorations.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Reunion Decorations
Now that you know what you need, you’ve still got a lot of things to consider before you buy reunion decorations. Before you get to shopping, answer these questions:
What is the reunion theme?
Are you doing a Hollywood red carpet? ‘70s, ‘80s or ‘90s theme? Or perhaps a more casual BBQ theme? Ultimately, the aesthetic of your decorations will need to match the theme.
What decorations will match my school’s colors?
You can’t have yellow napkins if your school colors are blue and white! Make sure the decorations match your school colors.
Where is the event being hosted?
Is your event at your old high school? At an event hall or restaurant? Make sure the place you’re hosting the event at allows you to decorate the walls, tables, etc.
What kind of decorations does the reunion planner want?
Usually, the class president takes charge of planning school reunions. Whoever is in charge of acquiring decorations needs to align with the lead planner and their vision for the event!
What is your budget?
Can you order every fun trinket listed under ‘class reunion decorations’ on Amazon? Or do you need to DIY some things? Don’t rush into purchasing every decoration that catches your eye? You should assemble a wishlist of everything you’d like and then make cuts to make sure your decoration order is within budget.
Decorate Your High School Reunion the Right Way
Putting time into decorating (and planning) your reunion is essential if you want it to be an evening to remember. Assemble a list of must-have reunion decorations along with specific personalization needs for each (colors, text, imagery, etc.) before you get to buying.
In the meantime, make sure your fellow alumni will be in attendance. Use Classmates as your reunion planning website to get instant access to the registered Classmates members on your class list.
Reunion Decor FAQs
What Are the Best Class Reunion Decorations?
The most popular high school class reunion decor items to buy include tablepieces (think balloons, flowers, disposable silverware, napkins, etc.), banners and signage featuring your school name and graduation year, personalized wall art featuring class pictures, a memorial poster or table, garlands and streamers, and goodie bags featuring custom gifts.
Get decorations that match your school color, logo, and theme to make the whole experience more memorable for your schoolmates.
What Are Good Personalized Gifts for a School Reunion?
If you’re the event planner, personalized gifts like mugs, wine glasses, shirts, or sweatshirts featuring your class name, graduation year, and even your class yearbook photo will give your fellow alumni something to cherish forever.
Consider fun gag gifts for your friend group too. Custom reunion gifts featuring inside jokes, old photos of you and your friends, etc. will make for perfect presents.
How to Plan Your High School Reunion
When you’re planning the reunion, follow these steps:
- Get together a team of volunteers from your graduating class to help with managing event prep.
- Choose an event date and get people to RSVP well ahead of time.
- Book your venue, DJ/band, caterer, and any other event staff you need.
- Order personalized decorations and gifts featuring your school logo, name, and photos
- Provide regular updates ahead of the event using Classmates as your reunion website.
Related Reunion Blogs
All product names, logos, brands, trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
