Now that you know why you want to have a reunion, whom you are inviting, your budget, and the type of reunion you will have, you can begin planning activities and games to do during the actual reunion. Icebreakers: Icebreakers are a good way to get your relatives mingling. Some ideas include introducing yourself by saying how you got your name, a game of truth-or-dare, without the dare, or a scavenger hunt to find relatives that have something in common with each other (same color eyes, your cousin, same age, same birth month, etc.). Family Memorabilia: I am assuming that … Continue reading →

As I discussed in my last post, there are different types of family reunions you could have-from a small gathering of only a few relatives, to a large event of anyone who shares your last name. The size of your gathering may be dependent on factors, such as the reason for the reunion, your budget, and how many people your venue can accommodate. Start by grabbing a pen and notepad and jotting down a list of everyone you want to invite. Don’t forget to include your relative’s spouses and children. Note which relatives you have addresses or phone numbers for. … Continue reading →

I may have gotten ahead of myself in this family reunion planning series, since technically this post should have come before my post about budget, venue, and food. Considering the type of reunion you will have, and any theme you may want, will help tremendously when determining your reunion budget. TYPES Small, intimate gatherings are probably the easiest and most inexpensive family reunions to plan. These often include just a few of your closest family members, and may be held in celebration of a special event, such as an anniversary, birthday, graduation, baby shower, etc. Medium-sized family reunions can also … Continue reading →

In my last post, I talked about why someone might want to plan a family reunion. This post will discuss planning for the reunion budget, venue (location), and food. Budget Unless you have recently won the lottery, you are probably planning your family reunion on a limited budget. There are a number of websites that offer free budgeting worksheets for party (and reunion) planning. The first thing you need to do when planning a family reunion budget is to make a list of everything you will need to purchase or rent. Some items that may be included on your list … Continue reading →

According to Genealogy.com, approximately 200,000 families hold family reunions each year. More than half of family reunion coordinators say their primary reason for holding a reunion is to keep in touch with other family members. Another quarter of coordinators hold reunions in an attempt to introduce their children to their family heritage. There are many other reasons why people hold reunions: to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, to get together one last time before someone dies, to carry on a regular tradition of getting together, and more. It is a common occurrence at my family’s funerals to hear someone say … Continue reading →