A family reunion can be as simple as a picnic at the park or elaborate as a week’s stay at a resort. It depends on the size, budget, and time frame of your reunion. For starters you need to decide who will be invited, who will plan the reunion, the date of your reunion, and what type of reunion you will have. I will discuss other details such as activities, finances, and further planning in later blogs.
Who Will Be Invited
A reunion can consist of parents and their children’s families or it can extend outward.
My father’s family often has reunions with his parents, siblings, and all of their children and spouses.
My mother’s family has a yearly reunion with my grandma’s family and all of the descendents, which is a lot of people since there were 11 children in my grandma’s family. Of course everyone doesn’t come every year.
Decide Who Will Plan the Reunion
In my husband’s family planning the reunion rotates between families on a yearly basis. Since there are less than twenty-five people it is feasible for one person to be in charge.
For extended family reunions the planning can rotate between siblings and their children. A committee will need to be organized so one person isn’t stuck doing all of the work.
Choose A Date
With the many schedules that people have choosing a date can be difficult. Here are a couple of suggestions about how to choose a date:
If your group is small you can have each family submit a few dates that work for them and then choose one that you can all agree on. This works best for immediate families and is what my husband and my family both do.
If the group is large, usually extended family, you’ll have to pick a date that works best for most people. You might schedule it for a time when relatives from out-of-town are planning to visit. You can also pick a date and have the reunion the same weekend each year so people can plan to attend. This is what my mother’s family did. Some years we had a large group and other years the group was smaller.
If people are driving great distances make the reunion longer, if people live close one day can be sufficient.
Most families hold summer reunions, but family fun is not limited to summer. You might want to rent a cabin or stay at someone’s house during the winter and do some snow activities like skiing, sledding, or snowmobiling.
Choose a Type of Reunion
Simple Reunions
The easiest reunion is a picnic or barbeque at a park of family member’s home. It takes less time to plan and doesn’t cost a lot.
You could also have dinner and a reception at a restaurant, hotel, or resort. Since the meal is planned all you need to do is send out invitations and plan a few get together activities for before and after dinner.
Outdoor Reunions
Many families enjoy camping trips. Make sure the campsite is large enough to accommodate the group and that everyone knows to bring their own equipment. You can have everyone bring their own food and share it, just eat dinner together, or have all the meals together.
Large Reunions
Large reunions require people to plan and save. They need to be announced far in advance. This includes reunions at theme parks, on cruises, and at resorts. Although fun they require more cash from those attending and might eliminate some family members.
This category also includes reunions with large amounts of people. Planning housing, food, and activities for a large group takes a lot of time.