How to Decorate with your Senior Pictures at your Grad Party

One of the best parts about being a senior is celebrating with a graduation party. Gathering with family and friends at this special time in your life will leave you with lifelong memories. And it’s such a fun way to celebrate all your hard work! Plus who doesn’t love an excuse for a party?

A great way to make your graduation party unique is to use your senior photos in the decor. You invested a lot of time and money to have awesome senior pictures made, so why not show them off in a big way at your graduation party? There are so many unique ways you can do this! Below, I’ve collected just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 

Display multiple photos in a collage

Here are some creative ways and ideas to do this.

  • Pallets. Prop them up vertically and clip photos to the slats with clothespins. Or run a string across to hang prints. You could even attach multiple pallets together to make a tall display. 
  • Empty frame with string. Find a large empty frame and run multiple strings across it. Then clip photos along the strings. 
  • Vintage window pane. Find an old window pane with grids or not, and adhere your photos behind the glass. Experiment with different ways to position the photos. Try overlapping corners to create a 3D look like this one. Window pane collage idea
  • Hula hoop frame. This is so cool and simple! Spray paint a hula hoop to match your decor. Tie 4 fishing lines or ribbons to the top half spaced apart equally. Attach your photos vertically to them. A nice touch is to also wrap some kind of faux greenery around the line in between the photos. Search for this on Pinterest and you'll find so many cool ideas!
  • Bookshelf with framed prints. Straightforward and simple. If you’ve got a simple bookshelf at home that is easy to transport, bring it to the party and then decorate it with a mix of framed photos of various sizes. You could also work in other props and small items that represent your activities and interests. Favorite books, vinyl records, poms, dancing shoes, etc. Make it a unique display to truly represent you and senior year.

    >>>Extra tips: If you’re using a mix of professional images and snapshots, keep the look sophisticated and uniform. Print them with a white border. Print them all in black and white. Or print them to look like old school Polaroids, so cool!

    Also, if you’re using pallets or empty frames, don't be basic. Pretty them up by adding greenery and/or twinkle lights wrapped around them. 

Make your senior photos part of your table centerpiece

There are so many ways you could do this. Here are a couple of ideas.

  • Put 4x6 prints in mason jars. I highly recommend printing them with a white border like I mentioned above. This makes them look more purposeful and less like a casual snapshot.
  • Make a photo “bouquet”. Get creative with this one! Design a grad card announcement specifically for this or glue your fav photo prints onto card stock. Attach them to wooden skewers. You could do multiples in one vase as a “bouquet” or you could insert one as an accent into whatever arrangement you’re using for a centerpiece.

Use photo book albums and large prints in your party decor

This is one of my favorite tips because it’s a way to double duty things you will purchase anyway!

  • Photo Book. You’re probably going to make a high quality photo book of your professional photos for yourself. Hint, hint, you definitely should! So do it and then bring the book along to your party! Work it in to display as part of the decorations and in a way where people can flip through it and admire your gorgeous photos.
  • Large prints. More than likely you will have at least one large print of your favorite senior pic that is matted and framed or canvas wrapped, etc. that will be displayed in your home. Borrow that for your party also! You can make it the focal point of a display or mix it in with a grouping of other framed photos on a table or shelf.
  • Permanent photo collage decor. There’s a good chance you are going to decorate with your fav photos from senior year in your bedroom or dorm room next year. Why not put that together as a pretty collage before your party? Use it as party decor and then bring it home to decorate your walls!

Use photo prints as party favors

You could do this in all kinds of ways. Print up wallet size photos and scatter them on tables. Or put them in a basket for people to grab as a party favor when they leave. Also you could make small prints (like 4x6 or 5x7) of your favorite senior pictures and put them in simple black frames to display around as decorations. At the end of the party, these can be given as gifts for special friends or close family. 

These are just a few ideas and tips to help you plan photo decorations for your grad party. Be creative and brainstorm more unique ways you can use your senior pictures in your party decor. The end result will be a memorable, fun party that celebrates your senior year and your beautiful senior photos!


 

CHERYL JACKSON PHOTOGRAPHY | OKLAHOMA CITY SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

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