With sending out invitations, reserving venues, catering and photographers, finding missing classmates, and organizing entertainment, there’s a lot involved in planning a class reunion. An often overlooked item that really adds a special touch to a class reunion are party favors. Party favors are actually a very important aspect of the party. They serve as keepsakes of the good times shared with the old school and will help your companions to remember the reunion.

Here are some tips on how to choose the best class reunion party favors:

Tip #1 – When trying to come up with ideas for your class reunion favors, you need to keep the purpose of the party in mind. A class reunion is about reminiscing and catching up with old friends, remembering old fashion styles, sharing old stories, listening to old music, etc. Your party favors should remind your classmates of the good old days! This can be done using old photos from graduation, prom, sports games, class outings, etc.

Tip #2: You want to have favors that are practical and usable, not something your classmates throw in a drawer or trash as soon as they get home. The favors should be something your former classmates see or wear every day so they can remember your reunion every time they see it. You also want some of your favors to be something that will be a lasting keepsake, not just for one-time use.

Tip #3: Party favors are a keepsake to remind guests of their high school experience. Favors can be personalized with school colors, mascot, graduation year, graduation photos, and reunion year. You can customize just about anything, so why not add a personalized touch so classmates can remember each time they use the item? (People tend to like something sweet, so you can order personalized candy bar wrappers, lollipops, picture cookies, and personalized M&Ms. Although your classmates will enjoy this and find it appealing, once they eat it, disappears).

Tip #4: While the class reunion is mostly about reminiscing, it’s also a time to make new memories and rekindle old friendships. You want your classmates to remember your high school experience as well as the reunion with the party favors. You can have on-site activities, like a photo booth, where pictures can be instantly printed and placed in a pre-made frame with the name of the school and meeting date. Your classmates can take home the personalized frame and enjoy a recent photo with old friends.

Tip #5: Class reunion decorations can also double as take-home party favors. Placemats with a collage of photos of your graduating class or lists of the best movies, songs or news from your graduating year can be placed on each seat. Guests will not only enjoy looking at it, but it is also a great conversation starter and can be taken home at the end of the night.

Here are a few more party favor ideas your classmates will love – they can all be saved for frequent use and personalized with school colors, logos or mascot.

• pen
• Handbag
• Magnet
• Cup of coffee
• shot glass
• key ring
• Clothing (hat, t-shirt)
• bottle opener
• Tin with sweets inside (candy, chocolate)
• markers
• pocket notebook
• paperweight
• Calendar
• CD (with songs that were hits during your high school days)