The recent events and isolation of the last year have shone a light on the importance of spending time with family. A great way to do this on a larger scale is to plan a family reunion! Planning such a reunion can become overwhelming, but with these tips, you’re sure to arrange an event worth repeating!

Start early and Start Small: When planning a reunion it is never too early to begin organizing and preparing for the event. Most event planning sites recommend 6 months to a full year to plan an event that organizes multiple families. One site even recommends planning a small-scale reunion with just your branch of the family tree to establish a baseline. This smaller event can help you see just how many members are likely to attend, how much space and food to plan for, as well as activities that keep everyone engaged. Once you have this baseline you can begin to extend invitations to the remaining branches of the family tree and grow your reunion.

Make Committees and be sure to delegate: Once your reunion gets underway and more members of your family tree are invited, you can begin thinking about breaking up the responsibilities within the planning process. These committees could be rotated between families to ensure that not one family (or person) is left feeling the weight of all of the planning. Possible committee responsibilities could be location choice, food planning, clothing orders, invitations and RSVPs, and events on the day of. 

Have something for everyone! For the most part, families are just excited to get together and catch up with members they haven’t seen in a while, but it can still be fun to have events or activities ready for the day of! These events can keep all members of the family interested and make the reunion worth it for all generations to continue to participate. Some great activities to incorporate could be a competition of sorts (bags, ladder golf, or even slow-pitch softball), commemorative t-shirts, cups, or coozies, or individual and whole group family photos to take home!

Under the current social distancing expectations, planning a reunion may need to be scaled back (great time for a trial run!) or planned at an outdoor location during warmer months to accommodate a larger group.  Either way, getting together with family is always an experience to be cherished! Using these tips can help take the stressful edge off of the planning process and allow all attendees to enjoy their time together with family!