Planning A Family Reunion From A-Z

PLANNING A FAMILY REUNION

The A, B, C’s of Planning A Family Reunion

A

Advance arrangements – details are the hardest to put together. Planning 6 to 12 months in advance is the best way to correlate the times (dates) for all family members. This gives them the ability to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and time off work for the reunion. Early is always better than later, since it saves time, money and headaches.

B

Budget, budget, and more budgeting is the key to a successful family reunion. It doesn’t matter if it’s a backyard BBQ or a full blown formal dinner and dance, the budget is important. Be sure to book ahead for national parks, mailers, phone calls, hotels, and other expenses that go with planning a full blown family reunion. Don’t forget fees for deposits, food, and travel arrangements. Set up a bank account and give everyone the option to make payments to satisfy their portion of the family reunion cost. Also, check to see if there are family members who will be willing to sponsor and/or assist other family members who can’t afford it.

 

C

Choose the Big Chief. Too many chefs in the kitchen can ruin any dinner. Be sure to have one person, The Big Chief, who will correlate all the responsibilities for the little sub chiefs. If there is one person keeping track of all the destinations, prices, people, and accommodations, they can keep the rest of the little chiefs up to date on all elements of the reunion and ensure the sub chief are carring out their designated assigments.

D

Design a Website that contains all the information for the reunion. A simple website is easy to do and it keeps all the information in one place for all to see. Most of them are free, so you don’t have to worry about the cost or finding a domain name. You can use Facebook, Blogger, Squidoo, or build a website with HTML. Be sure to include phone numbers and email address for communications to all. A website is great for the latest news and to make key decisions for the reunion.

 

E

Easy on the times and dates. It’s better to start with a few dates and times for the reunion. Anymore and you’ll never come to a consensus on what days to use for the reunion. Put it up on the website and let the voting begin. Everyone will want a say in the matter of dates for the reunion. If a few dates don’t do it, then pick another set of dates until everyone is in the majority.

F

Find a location everyone can be happy with, especially as there will be children involved. It should have activities for all including resources that will help with the reunion. Almost everyone enjoys outdoor activities, but there will be a few that don’t. Try for a central place, so all can enjoy the reunion, inside and out. Theme parks, local parks, cruises and national parks are always a great place for everyone to enjoy.

 

G

Grasp the group discounts when you can! There’s a deal out there for every type of party. Spend time looking for group discounts, specials, and other ways to save on your event. Places to start are benefits clubs, organizations like AAA, or travel agencies who specialize in group discounts.

H

Hire the help you need to keep everyone happy. You can find nanny sitters, baby sitters, catering companies, and others such as chefs, tour guides, professional photographers and videographers to help you out with everything that is going on when everyone is at the reunion. That way everyone gets to enjoy their time and not have to worry about watching the kids or the grannies.

 

I

Include everyone in every part of the responsibility for the reunion. You’ll need help from almost everyone in guaranteeing everyone is taken care of from traveling to accommodations, to food and activities including incidentals, which include details, expenses, meals, taxis, and other “incidentals”. The larger the group, the more help you’ll need to keep it great.

J

Jump for enjoyment! Take a few minutes to pat yourself on the back for all your hard work. It may seem like there’s so much to do that you can’t see the end of the road, but with little steps you’ll get there. So, take a minute to congratulate yourself and everyone who helped get the reunion on the road to success.

 

K

KISS stands for Keep It Simple, Simon. When choosing a location for the reunion, choose a place everyone will be able to afford. Not everyone has money just hanging around for a luxurious spot to have a reunion. Choose a place everyone will be comfortable and affordable, so no one person or family is overextending on the cost. You won’t be able to please everyone, but you can please the majority. It will help keep the stress and strain down for everyone.

L

Localize the experts. Use as many of the local experts as you can such as the visitor center of the area where the reunion will be held. Also, contact the local tourism board and use local attractions for activities. It helps on cost and gives the locals something to talk about when the reunion is over.

 

M

Make and record more memories for the family. Getting together with people you’ve never met or only see once in a while can take some doing. Relax and have fun once the party gets going. Share and record stories for those who can’t make it and record them for history, so others can have a glimpse of how the family is today. It may be the last time some of the people will be there to enjoy their company. You can post the pictures up on the website or make it into a hardbound reunion book to share with everyone who attended.

N

Never say no to a practical requests. Someone will want to bring along cookies or cakes because that’s all they can do for the reunion. They want to be a part of it, so let them bring what they want, even if the tastes like rocks. Some people will do it anyway, so you might as well give it the OK, so you don’t get any surprises when Aunt Martha brings along here spinach hash for dinner.

 

O

Order, order and order. Be economical when ordering t-shirts, hats or other souvenirs. However, be sure to order extras. Many will want to show they attended the reunion. It’s better to have more than less, so Aunt Jennie has a t-shirt she can take home to show others about her family. Some family members will want to share these with others who were unable to attend. Also, you can use some of the extras as prizes or giveaways. When ordering t-shirts, Be sure to order larger sizes, so those who are larger aren’t embarrassed by having to don a t-shirt that is too small.

P

Perfection is not necessary. As much as you want to please everyone, it’s just not going to happen. The weather, bugs, and other pests just love to get together as much as you do. They will hang around just to see how much damage they can cause. Of course, there’s always the mishap of an overturned table or rain that will cause many obstacles to all your hard work. Plan for them and they won’t happen, you hope.

 

Q

Quit when the going gets good. You don’t have to do all the activities if there just isn’t enough time. Just go with the flow and let everyone have a good time.

 

R

Remember to always have a contingency or backup plan in case something happens with your venue or if Mother Nature decides to join in the fun.

 

S

Share the responsibilities. A family reunion is a major undertaking and you can’t do everything! Share some of the cleanup, and arrangement with others, so everyone can sit back and enjoy. One thing you can do is buy disposable cameras and let everyone take pictures, then share them with everyone else. Put them on the website for others to download. What one person sees, another might miss. Cameras tell their own stories.

T

Take time to appreciate the day. Spend some time sharing the day with others. If you’re the leader of the pack, don’t spend all your time running the show. Let others take over for a while and sit back and enjoy the company.

 

U

Use the travel agencies to make the trips perfect. Travel agencies can find you the best deals for group travels. They can also coordinate the arrival times for those coming a great distance. They can help set up payments, tickets, rentals and any other amenities the guests may require.

V

Don’t worrying about veering off course. You’ve spent hundreds of hours putting things together so it’s normal to want to stay with the plan. Don’t worry if it doesn’t go according to plan. Don’t make the plans so concrete they can’t be changed. Leave some room for spontaneity. Remember, to have a backup plan or a plan B for the unexpected.

W

Waste disposal disposed of in the proper place. Regardless of the type of reunion you have there are going to be leftovers. Be sure the trash is picked up, if outside. Also, check with the local homeless shelter for donating the leftover food. Many won’t be able to take it home with them, especially the ones flying out or traveling long distances.

 

X

eXplanations galore. You’ll need to explain some of the technology to some of your family members. Although some of the older folks will embrace technology, there will be some that just don’t understand some of it. You’ll need one or two people to make connections the old fashion way through snail mail, telephone or drop by someone’s house to keep them abreast of plans.

Y

You, yourself and them. That means enjoy yourself and don’t sweat the little things. No matter how much you plan, something will not go according to plan. Don’t worry about it, just enjoy your family and things will work out. Take time out to visit with your family and go with the flow.

Z

Zap the feuds fast! There will be drama; it’s the one thing you can count on at a reunion. Stress levels will be high, and old arguments will reappear. It’s best to stop them in their tracks. Let everyone know they can deal with problems later, now’s not the time. This time is for enjoying everyone’s company so leave the quarrels at home. Concentrate on making the memories of your family reunion pleasant ones.

 Do you know your FAMILY REUNION A, B, C’s?

I hope you got value and inspiration from this post. Your feedback is welcome. Please leave it in the comments below.