A Reunion to Remember: How to Plan the Perfect Family Reunion

Are you in charge of planning the next reunion? Congratulations! This is a big honor, and an even bigger responsibility. Regardless of your family’s size, there are a lot of logistics involved with planning an event.

It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed at the task before you. There’s a lot to do before the big day! But we’ll help you plan the perfect reunion with our step-by-step guide below.

Step 1: Assemble Your Team

Reunions require a lot of preparation, which means there is a pre-planning stage to plan for the planning. This should begin 1-2 years before the actual event takes place. During this stage, you should be doing the following:



1. Build Your Team: A large event shouldn’t be handled by a single person. Select a committee to help you manage all the details.
2. Set a Timeline: Set goal dates for major tasks like confirming a location, sending invitations, RSVPs, catering, etc.
3. Confirm the Budget: Even a simple event has costs. Find out how much budget you are working with early on, so you can plan accordingly.

Tips for the early stages of planning:

• Start Early: Venues are often booked out, attendees need a heads up to clear schedules and find transportation, and surprises are likely to pop up. The more time you have to plan, the better.
• Build a Diverse Team: Build a well-rounded team. Not only will they help generate better ideas, but assigning tasks according to their unique skillsets will generate the best results. Think: assigning food to a chef, kids' activities to a teacher, etc.
• Don’t be afraid to consult experts: Most venues have an event coordinator to help you plan. Not only can they help you set up the space, but they can usually offer advice on local caterers, decorators, etc., to provide services.
• Take Advantage of Technology: Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to do everything in person anymore. You can have your planning meetings online, use payment apps for budgeting, use social media to get the word out, and more!

Step 2: Consider Your Needs

Once you have your team, you can start to plan the actual reunion. Once you do, you’ll start to see why we recommend delegating tasks. Instead of requiring a single person to try to think about every detail, it’s easier to collaborate.

Some things to consider are:

• The Occasion: Is this a casual reunion, or are you celebrating a special birthday or anniversary? This may dictate the activities, decorations, or food.
• Size of the Event: Are we planning for a few kids and cousins, or is this an extended family affair? The number of attendees will influence the space you’ll need.
• Duration of the Reunion: Are we planning an afternoon picnic, or a full week of family-bonding? Meals and lodging may need to be arranged.
• Accessibility: Does grandma need a wheelchair? Are there kids who need supervision? Are there food restrictions to plan around? Make sure you make accessibility, health, and safety a part of your planning.

If you have an existing tradition of annual (or semi-annual) gatherings, you will already have a pretty good idea of your family’s unique needs. But if this is the first reunion, you may have to do some extra research. 

Step 3: Confirm a Date and Space

The hard part is almost over, we promise! Now that we know what we need, we can finally start putting it all together by confirming a space and setting a date. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but we promise it can be done. 

Here are a few more things to consider when reserving your reunion space:

• School Schedules: There’s a reason most family reunions take place in summer; that’s when kids are out of school. Try to plan a date that works around classes.
• Travel Logistics: Families tend to scatter over time. Try to find a location that will require the least amount of travel for everyone. This may require some compromise.
• Lodging Logistics: Lodging may be required for family members who are traveling. Finding a location with on-site lodging could be a great bonus for those individuals.
• Backup Plans: If you are planning outdoor activities, you should make some backup plans in case of rain. Choose a location that offers both indoor and outdoor spaces to be safe.

You may need to book a location up to a year in advance, so we do recommend getting things confirmed as soon as possible. Once you have your venue booked, you can finally get started on the fun part– the actual event planning.

Step 4: Plan the Party

There’s no better way to bond with loved ones than having fun. Music, games, and activities are a must for any reunion! Ideally, there would be a combination of activities that are fun for kids and adults.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Talent Show: Invite family members to sing, dance, perform magic, etc.
• Family Trivia Game: Combine friendly competition and reconnection with a trivia game
• Family Bingo or Guess Who: For a twist on classic trivia, create bingo cards or “Guess Who” boards with family members and memories
• Outdoor Movie Night: Play a family-friendly movie on a projector with movie snacks and blankets.
• Classic Lawn Games: Think corn hole, bowling, horseshoes, etc.

Step 5: Send the Invitations

In the earlier stages, we recommended that you consider your guests: how many guests there would be, where they’d be coming from, etc. Now it’s time to actually invite them to the reunion!

Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to mail physical invitations anymore, though some people do like having a printout to hang on their fridge. These days, you can create digital invites to send to emails or across social media. 

When inviting guests, we recommend the following:

1. Create a social page early in the planning process: This will help keep everyone in the loop and allow people to ask questions and make recommendations.
2. Get a list of everyone’s contact information: We recommend having their social media handle, email, and physical address so you can ensure contact, one way or another.
3. Create digital and physical copies of the invitations: The younger generations will often prefer digital invitations, while the elders will often prefer physical copies. Sending out both should cover all bases.
4. Send invitations 1-3 months before: Send the invitations out early! If your family lives nearby, 1 month should be fine. But if your family is scattered, you may need to mail them earlier.
5. Give frequent updates: Make sure you keep everyone updated on any changes and milestones as they come up. As the event draws nearer, you should send post reminders every couple of weeks.

RSVPs: More casual reunions may not require strict reservations, but if you need to coordinate food or lodging, RSVPs will make things a lot easier.

Reunite at Freestone Inn & Events

Plan your next family reunion at Freestone Inn! Located in Mazama, Washington, our mountain lodge offers ideal accommodations and event spaces for families of all sizes. 

Your family can enjoy beautiful mountain views and endless outdoor fun. Whether your family enjoys peaceful forest hikes, exciting rafting adventures, rock climbing, or downtown shopping in Winthrop, Freestone Inn has it all. With onsite lodging, indoor and outdoor event space, and even a restaurant, you’ll have everything you need for family fun.



Plan the perfect family reunion at Freestone Inn. Call now!