Family Reunion Planning

Earlier, family was a closely knit group of members who lived only a few miles from each other and visited one another on a regular basis. The family members knew each other too well and stood by each other's side through thick and thin. Even the children knew their second and third cousins and often played together. However, times have changed since then, and so has the definition of family. Today's children rarely see their own grandparents, let alone cousins. Even siblings are separated by a distance of thousands of miles and see one another only during family weddings, Christmas or similar occasions. However, irrespective of the geographical barriers between the family members, the sense of bonding and an urge to reunite still remains. This sentiment is responsible for the rise of family reunion and similar gatherings all over the world. If family reunion planning is on your mind, follow these tips to make it a huge success.

How to Plan a Family Reunion

From the inception of the idea of family reunion to the actual event, planning plays a very important role. If you have ideas for planning a reunion on a very large scale, then you will need even more immaculate planning.

Delegate Tasks
The first thing that you should do is form an organizing committee for the event. If your family reunion is going to be a small affair with only a couple of cousins and their families attending it, then you can manage the event on your own. Yet, it is best to proceed in an organized and structured manner. On the other hand, if you are going to have a very large gathering of distant relatives with a common ancestor, then it would make sense to form committees and delegate tasks to each committee. Also appoint a chairman to supervise the entire affair. Make a checklist in order to simplify the planning and execution process.

Communicate
If you haven't seen most of your distant family members in years, then obtaining their numbers and addresses can be quite a task. However, Internet and social networking sites may come to your rescue while finding your long lost relatives. Mail them the dates and details of reunion and confirm their availability for the event. You can inform them over the telephone if you have only a few relatives attending the event. It is always best to decide upon dates that can be suited to most family members, than asking convenient dates for each family. This will help you to come to a consensus quickly so that further planning can be done.

Travel and Accommodation
If you are going to have family members flying from all over the country or outside, it would make sense to plan their travel and accommodation beforehand. Although, most of the members will take care of their own travel and accommodation expenses, as a host you should assist in the reservation of tickets and hotel bookings. Check for how long your guests will be staying in the town and if they have their own private plans while in town.

Venue and Menu
The most important aspect of family reunion is food, followed closely by location. The choice of venue will mostly be influenced by the number of guests attending the event and the general liking of the group. Also, the age of the group should be taken into account while choosing a family reunion location. If there is a substantial number of small children and elderly people in the group, choose a venue that is not physically demanding. In that case, go for a resort, state park or a lakeside which offer scenic backdrop for the event. As far as food is concerned, you may hire private caterers if your group is particularly large. In case you decide to organize the reunion in a restaurant or a resort, the staff can take care of the food arrangements. However, make sure the menu has something appealing for every age group. Also inquire if there are any members who are on a special diet.

Family Reunion Planning Ideas

Although, the main aim of family reunion is to bring all the members of family together, it should also offer something of interest to every age group. One of the most popular ideas is to have a family tree bearing the names of all the attendees upon it. This will help the members to get acquainted with each other in a better way, more so, if they hardly know each other. Even the kids will be thrilled to see their name on the prestigious family tree. Although, making a family tree is a laborious job, the results will often be rewarding.

Another way to help the group interact with each other is through icebreaker family fun games and similar activities. These games are fun to play and keep the group engaged for a long time. However, make sure you have a game for every age group. Lastly, have an elderly member of the family say something about the family lineage. You may also encourage young people to express their views about the whole event.

Planning a family reunion is indeed a responsible task. However, if you follow these tips you can make the whole event enjoyable for everyone and also less stressful for you.