If you create a photo collage poster as a centerpiece decoration for your next special occasion, it will be the talk of the party. Here are 10 simple tips and tricks to make this memory-filled tribute in pictures.

Collage basics

1. Start with a large card stock in the color of your choice. This will be the background for your collage. Cut the cardstock, if necessary, to fit a large standard-size frame. You can check typical frame dimensions at local stores to make sure it’s trimmed to a compatible size.

2. Select photos and make COPIES of them. It is important to keep the original photographs. This is especially true with older images that can be difficult to replace. Ask all party guests to bring in snapshots of the guest of honor, so you have a good selection.

3. Decide on the theme or layout of the collage and organize the photos. When you finally have the look you want, take a digital photograph of your design. In this way, you can recreate the composition, if something is disturbed when pasting.

4. Glue each photo onto the poster board. Glue sticks or rubber cement are good options.

5. Finish your collage. You may want to use a sealer like Mod Podge. You can add embellishments like stickers, ribbons, feathers, beads, fabric, artificial flowers, or anything else that is complementary. Put a frame, if you like.

Collage Design Ideas

Of course, you can glue your photos randomly onto your cardstock and it will be a nice tribute to the guest of honor. But it’s just as easy to create a truly unique party collage that stands out.

6. Make it a number. If the celebration is for a birthday, arrange your photos in the form of the age of the guest of honor. For example, for an 80th birthday, you would draw a large 80 on the poster board. It doesn’t have to be perfect because you’re just using it as a guide. Place your photos evenly on the eight and zero that you wrote on the board. This works for any age and is also great for a 50th anniversary.

7. Create a shape. Draw a big heart on your background, then cut and paste your images to fit the shape. Overlap slightly so you don’t see the pencil marks. This is especially good for a wedding, anniversary, or sweet 16 birthday, but can be adapted for other occasions. You can even dress it up using cardstock or foam core in gold or silver. Any simple shape can be used for this idea.

8. Make it about memories. Enlarge a photo of the guest of honor and cut out the background. Place the image in a corner of the poster. Draw a large cartoon thought bubble above the celebrant’s head to indicate that these are their thoughts. Fill the cartoon bubble with pictures that represent your memories.

9. Focus on your favorite things. Expand the concept of photography to include images of your interests and hobbies. What food, sports equipment, music, movies, places do you prefer? Is he a guy who goes hiking, skydiving, skiing, or is he a television junkie glued to his remote control? What is it known for? Find clip art in places like Google Images that represents your personality and hobbies and include them in this tribute.

10. Make it like a timeline. You can create a poster with columns showing different years or decades. Or you can make individual posters that focus on a particular time in the person’s life or marriage. For example, if you were doing this exhibit for someone turning 50, you would have a section with photos of him in the 1960s, followed by a section dedicated to the 1970s, then the 1980s, and so on. In each category, write date captions that highlight that person’s milestones in that decade. You may also want to include interesting or important dates in world history to go on the timeline.

It doesn’t matter if you are planning a big birthday party, a golden wedding anniversary, or a special occasion. A photo collage poster is a wonderful way to pay tribute to the celebrant and inspire memories for guests. It is fun and easy to do. And everyone will love it.