Getting your whole family together can be a huge undertaking. Dates, times, places. Indoors or out? What to eat? Should you have it catered? So many questions to answer and so many decisions to make…
Here are some tips to help you plan the perfect family reunion without losing your sanity in the process!
The first thing you shouldn’t do is take this task on by yourself. You will need to start a committee, especially if you have a large family. Assign someone to be a chairperson and enlist some volunteers to help out. Dole out duties to each person and meet to talk about decisions that need to be made.
Now with the committee together, decide how big you would like your reunion. The easiest way to begin is by inviting the closest relatives and move out from there. Remember, the more people you invite – aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews – the more they will invite. They all have extended family too.
Expense is the next step. How much would you like to shell out for this shindig? One way to fund it is by charging an admission fee. Figure out how much everything costs for the reunion, and divide that number by the amount of people that are attending. Another way is to have fundraisers. Options include raffles, a bake sale or maybe an auction. When purchasing everything for your party, remember to stay in your budget.
Pick a date. Remember to give yourself enough time to plan your party before the actual date. Also, you will have to give your guests plenty of notice so they can make plans accordingly. Know that the date you choose is not going to be perfect for everyone. Just do your best and try to get as many people as you can. You will also need to book the location of your reunion early enough, so that it is available on your date.
The location of your reunion is important. There are many options for your family gathering. Depending on the amount of people that are coming, you might want to have it in your own backyard. Fire up the grill and have everyone bring a covered dish. It would be less expensive compared to renting a hall and having it catered, and you would be in the comfort of your own home. If you’re expecting a lot of people, other options are restaurants, campgrounds, amusement parks or maybe a state park. They may be a bit more pricey, but you won’t have a mess to clean up when everyone leaves to go home.
Let’s think about the menu. The food will depend on what type of reunion you’re planning, and on your budget. The backyard or park reunion is great for a potluck dinner. Each family can be assigned to a dinner course – salads, veggies, potatoes, main dish and even condiments – so everything is covered. A restaurant is another option. It will be more expensive, but you won’t have to worry about the food or the clean up.
Have some planned activities. If your family reunion is outside, set up volleyball net or have a game of softball. Ask some people to bring board games or a deck of cards. Think of how much fun a healthy pie-eating contest would be. Just be sure to assign some family members to bring the pies and plenty of napkins.
Last but not least, enjoy yourself! Have fun with your family and take plenty of pictures.
If you find the whole ordeal of planning your reunion overwhelming, or if you’re just have a hard time getting things started, there are family reunion programs to help you run through each step.
When all is said and done and you’ve said all of your goodbyes, you can know that your reunion was a success and it was worth all of your hard work.
-The Alternative Daily
