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Here at FamilyReunionTips.com, you will find all the information you will need for planning the perfect family reunion-ideas, tips, resources, advice, and even a way to communicate with family members with their FREE family reunion listing service.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Reunion Magazine
A good starting place would be a source we carry dedicated to just such affairs - Reunion Magazine which provides many helpful articles and resources to help you put your reunion together.
http://www.reunionsmag.com/
http://www.reunionsmag.com/
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Family Reunion Check List
15 MONTHS OUT
Organize a committee to prepare for the event.Research and compile family reunion ideas perfect for your family.Send out a letter/e-mail to a handful of relatives. Ask questions like "where should we have our reunion," "what kinds of activities should we plan," and "how long should it be." Let them know you need their suggestions back as soon as possible.Begin building an invitation list.Start a list of things that will need to be paid for and payment options. Look into building a Web site for your family and the reunion; discuss its design.
ONE YEAR OUT
Pick a date. Stick with it no matter what!Send out the invitations--include information like when, where, who to contact, cost (if necessary), and Web address. Have the reply date set for no more than three months later. Also, make sure that if there is a registration fee to cover expenses, that family members send it along with their confirmation.Make tentative reservations at the reunion site. Launch a family reunion Web site.
NINE MONTHS OUT
Compile your guest list.Start building your reunion itinerary and a newsletter. Send both through e-mail and "snail mail" to your family members to keep them up to date.Make final reservations--remember that some family members will have to cancel, and others may decide to show up at the last minute. Have the committee come up with a reunion souvenir or package (for example, T-shirts).
SIX MONTHS OUT
Send out another newsletter, updating the guest list if necessary, and letting everyone know what's in store for this event. Update your Web site. Put together maps and directions for out-of-town guests. You can post these on the Web site, and also mail them out; include car rental information if necessary.
THREE MONTHS OUT
Compile local weather information and clothing tips for out-of-town guests. Post these on your Web site and include them in the next newsletter. Start to plan the meals.Build a shopping list. Send out the next newsletter; ask for event volunteers, and include information like what food to bring.
ONE MONTH OUT
Confirm your reservations (venues sometimes lose information).Come up with rainy day alternatives. Send out your next newsletter--let everyone know things are going according to plan and you're looking forward to seeing them soon.THREE WEEKS OUT:Have the committee discuss any outstanding bills. Make signs to post along roadways directing your family members to the reunion site. Don't forget about your own family--start getting them ready for this event.
TWO WEEKS OUT
Buy all non-perishable food items. Buy all supplies (for example, disposable cameras, paper plates, etc.). Confirm that the souvenirs (for example, T-shirts) are almost finished.
ONE WEEK OUT/WEEK OF REUNION
Buy all perishable food items. Re-confirm your reservations.Pick up all souvenirs.Set up the reunion site.
POST REUNION
Send out thank you notes to everyone who helped you plan your get-together.Update your Web site with some great stories and photos from the reunion. Send out an updated newsletter to everyone in the family, including those who couldn't make it, with stories about what happened during your family time together. Have a post-reunion committee meeting to discuss any outstanding bills.Start planning your next reunion!
Organize a committee to prepare for the event.Research and compile family reunion ideas perfect for your family.Send out a letter/e-mail to a handful of relatives. Ask questions like "where should we have our reunion," "what kinds of activities should we plan," and "how long should it be." Let them know you need their suggestions back as soon as possible.Begin building an invitation list.Start a list of things that will need to be paid for and payment options. Look into building a Web site for your family and the reunion; discuss its design.
ONE YEAR OUT
Pick a date. Stick with it no matter what!Send out the invitations--include information like when, where, who to contact, cost (if necessary), and Web address. Have the reply date set for no more than three months later. Also, make sure that if there is a registration fee to cover expenses, that family members send it along with their confirmation.Make tentative reservations at the reunion site. Launch a family reunion Web site.
NINE MONTHS OUT
Compile your guest list.Start building your reunion itinerary and a newsletter. Send both through e-mail and "snail mail" to your family members to keep them up to date.Make final reservations--remember that some family members will have to cancel, and others may decide to show up at the last minute. Have the committee come up with a reunion souvenir or package (for example, T-shirts).
SIX MONTHS OUT
Send out another newsletter, updating the guest list if necessary, and letting everyone know what's in store for this event. Update your Web site. Put together maps and directions for out-of-town guests. You can post these on the Web site, and also mail them out; include car rental information if necessary.
THREE MONTHS OUT
Compile local weather information and clothing tips for out-of-town guests. Post these on your Web site and include them in the next newsletter. Start to plan the meals.Build a shopping list. Send out the next newsletter; ask for event volunteers, and include information like what food to bring.
ONE MONTH OUT
Confirm your reservations (venues sometimes lose information).Come up with rainy day alternatives. Send out your next newsletter--let everyone know things are going according to plan and you're looking forward to seeing them soon.THREE WEEKS OUT:Have the committee discuss any outstanding bills. Make signs to post along roadways directing your family members to the reunion site. Don't forget about your own family--start getting them ready for this event.
TWO WEEKS OUT
Buy all non-perishable food items. Buy all supplies (for example, disposable cameras, paper plates, etc.). Confirm that the souvenirs (for example, T-shirts) are almost finished.
ONE WEEK OUT/WEEK OF REUNION
Buy all perishable food items. Re-confirm your reservations.Pick up all souvenirs.Set up the reunion site.
POST REUNION
Send out thank you notes to everyone who helped you plan your get-together.Update your Web site with some great stories and photos from the reunion. Send out an updated newsletter to everyone in the family, including those who couldn't make it, with stories about what happened during your family time together. Have a post-reunion committee meeting to discuss any outstanding bills.Start planning your next reunion!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Additional Reunion Ideas....
A reunion cruise
Whatever time of year, cruises are great hits for multigenerational families because there are plenty of activities for all ages--even the preschoolers. Just as important, no one has to worry about organizing a single meal or washing a dish. Cruises are a good vacation value, too, when you figure your bed, your food, and all of your on-board activities are included.
Today, there are more cruise reunion options than ever, as most major cruise lines offer well-run children's programs and a greater number of short cruises. Cruise Line Inc., one of the largest cruise discount agencies in the country, handles many such family groups. (Call 800/466-9150 or visit cruiseline.com.) Among the cruise lines themselves, Carnival Cruise Line expects to carry 250,000 kids this year, more than any other cruise line, and half of its fleet offers itineraries of five days or fewer. That means a family can cruise for four days for roughly $450 per person or for a week over Thanksgiving for under $600 a person, including port charges. Third and fourth passengers in a cabin are just over $300 on either trip. For every 15 adults, you get a free berth. (800/CARNIVAL or carnival.com)
Disney Cruise Lines has an entire deck devoted to kids, including a nursery for infant cruisers, as well as adult-only areas. Disney offers seven-day trips to the Caribbean as well as three- and four-day options combined with a stay at Disney World. Forty percent of the passengers are multigenerational groups. Both trips are a good deal, starting at (for a small number of cabins, true) $829 per adult, $399 per child; expect to pay at least $200 more for a larger number of cabins. (800/WDW-CRUISE or disneycruise.com).
On land....
Whether or not you're a family of snow-lovers, mountain resorts are good choices for family gatherings whatever the season. In fall, there are hiking and mountain-bike trails to explore, golf, fishing, gondola rides to mountaintops, and more. In winter, besides skiing, there's snowshoeing, ice-skating, spas, and the chance to read the kids story after story by the fire. There are plenty of organized children's programs to choose from.
Examples? At Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado, kids 6 and under ski free and there's a Club Med there for folks who want an all-inclusive vacation. The savings on condo and house rentals are best early and late ski season, even cheaper in fall and spring when the kids can mountain bike and the adults can hike amid the wildflowers. (Crested Butte: 800/544-8448 or crestedbutteresort.com. Snowbird: 800/232-9542 or snowbird.com).
For all these western destinations, Rocky Mountain Tours can arrange bargain-priced ski packages including air (800/525-SKIS or sskithewest.com).
In the East, Smugglers' Notch Resort in northern Vermont offers AutumnFest packages starting at $780 for a family of four for seven nights, including golf, fishing, and canoeing. Opt for a long-weekend winter package and let the kids try snowboarding while mom and dad work on their skiing and grandma takes an art workshop. Everyone can join the karaoke and bingo parties (800/451-8752 or smuggs.com).
Whatever time of year, cruises are great hits for multigenerational families because there are plenty of activities for all ages--even the preschoolers. Just as important, no one has to worry about organizing a single meal or washing a dish. Cruises are a good vacation value, too, when you figure your bed, your food, and all of your on-board activities are included.
Today, there are more cruise reunion options than ever, as most major cruise lines offer well-run children's programs and a greater number of short cruises. Cruise Line Inc., one of the largest cruise discount agencies in the country, handles many such family groups. (Call 800/466-9150 or visit cruiseline.com.) Among the cruise lines themselves, Carnival Cruise Line expects to carry 250,000 kids this year, more than any other cruise line, and half of its fleet offers itineraries of five days or fewer. That means a family can cruise for four days for roughly $450 per person or for a week over Thanksgiving for under $600 a person, including port charges. Third and fourth passengers in a cabin are just over $300 on either trip. For every 15 adults, you get a free berth. (800/CARNIVAL or carnival.com)
Disney Cruise Lines has an entire deck devoted to kids, including a nursery for infant cruisers, as well as adult-only areas. Disney offers seven-day trips to the Caribbean as well as three- and four-day options combined with a stay at Disney World. Forty percent of the passengers are multigenerational groups. Both trips are a good deal, starting at (for a small number of cabins, true) $829 per adult, $399 per child; expect to pay at least $200 more for a larger number of cabins. (800/WDW-CRUISE or disneycruise.com).
On land....
Whether or not you're a family of snow-lovers, mountain resorts are good choices for family gatherings whatever the season. In fall, there are hiking and mountain-bike trails to explore, golf, fishing, gondola rides to mountaintops, and more. In winter, besides skiing, there's snowshoeing, ice-skating, spas, and the chance to read the kids story after story by the fire. There are plenty of organized children's programs to choose from.
Examples? At Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado, kids 6 and under ski free and there's a Club Med there for folks who want an all-inclusive vacation. The savings on condo and house rentals are best early and late ski season, even cheaper in fall and spring when the kids can mountain bike and the adults can hike amid the wildflowers. (Crested Butte: 800/544-8448 or crestedbutteresort.com. Snowbird: 800/232-9542 or snowbird.com).
For all these western destinations, Rocky Mountain Tours can arrange bargain-priced ski packages including air (800/525-SKIS or sskithewest.com).
In the East, Smugglers' Notch Resort in northern Vermont offers AutumnFest packages starting at $780 for a family of four for seven nights, including golf, fishing, and canoeing. Opt for a long-weekend winter package and let the kids try snowboarding while mom and dad work on their skiing and grandma takes an art workshop. Everyone can join the karaoke and bingo parties (800/451-8752 or smuggs.com).
Family Reunion Ideas: Tips for planning a great family reunion
Family reunion ideas: Tips for planning a great family reunion
The task of planning a family reunion and coming up with great family reunion ideas can be daunting, but by following these few, small steps you can ensure that your family reunion will run smoothly and be tons of fun too.
The first step in planning a family reunion is to create a list of all the family members attending the reunion. This is a crucial step, because knowing who is coming will help you make many of the following decisions. Are there going to be lots of children? Are there going to be elderly individuals that need wheelchair accessibility? These are just a few small things that need to be thought of before jumping straight into the family reunion planning process.
The second decision in planning a family reunion is the location. There are a variety of great locations to hold family reunions: old family homesteads, national parks, cruises, ranches and resorts. However, there are many items that need to be considered when choosing a location. The first is proximity; traveling distances will vary between the individuals attending. It is best to choose a place that is centrally located. Second, before choosing a location it is necessary to do some research to ensure that the location will have proper accommodations and also will offer plenty of activities and attractions for the reunion attendees to do. Third, the location needs to be affordable for everyone. The best thing to do when choosing a reunion location is to send out a survey to everyone attending and get their input before deciding. The survey can also include questions on the best dates, favorite activities and costs.
After choosing the location is finished, the date needs to be set. Choose a time that will work best for everyone because you can't have a reunion if no one can attend. Also, depending on the location, different times of the year will work better. Once the date is chosen, make the reservations immediately.
The guest list is compiled, the date is set and the location is chosen and reserved. You now have the all the basic logistics covered in planning a family reunion. Now it's time to consider entertainment and come up with some great family reunion ideas. For example, what are you going to do with all these people and how are you going to feed them? Once again, the location depends a lot upon this. If the reunion is to be held at the old family homestead or at a home there a few options to be considered. The reunion itself can be held in the backyard and a tent can be rented. To feed the family you can either cook yourself, or it can be catered. Having the event catered is the best option so you don't have to spend your whole time in the kitchen. You can still cook Grandma's famous chocolate cake though. Another option is to rent out a room at a hotel or other venue and have them cater it. This option may be more costly. If the reunion is to be held at a resort, cruise or out-of-town location, the dining can be done at the resort or restaurant reservations need to be made.
To entertain everybody, choose activities that both children and adults will enjoy. Once again, the location plays a big part in what activities can be planned. Ice breakers are a great way to kick off family reunions, especially if it has been awhile since everyone has gathered. Nametags may also come in handy if there is a large group of people.
Once the reunion has begun and everyone is having a great time, you want to make sure that you archive the event somehow. There several ways to do this. First, shirts, buttons and programs can be printed and given out as mementos. Second, take lots and lots of pictures. A professional photographer can be hired to take photos or a great low-budget option is to have disposable cameras bought and given out. This is great especially for little kids, because it gives them something to do as well and a lot of times they take great photographs. Last, if many people attending have digital cameras, photos can be shared easily via e-mail. So make sure to have a list of everybody's contact information so these photographs can be shared. Also, do not forget to ask for feedback so you can gather more family reunion ideas for next time.
If you follow these few steps for planning a family reunion, everything will run smoothly and everyone will be having a great time. The most important part to planning any reunion is to make sure that everyone is having a great time!
The task of planning a family reunion and coming up with great family reunion ideas can be daunting, but by following these few, small steps you can ensure that your family reunion will run smoothly and be tons of fun too.
The first step in planning a family reunion is to create a list of all the family members attending the reunion. This is a crucial step, because knowing who is coming will help you make many of the following decisions. Are there going to be lots of children? Are there going to be elderly individuals that need wheelchair accessibility? These are just a few small things that need to be thought of before jumping straight into the family reunion planning process.
The second decision in planning a family reunion is the location. There are a variety of great locations to hold family reunions: old family homesteads, national parks, cruises, ranches and resorts. However, there are many items that need to be considered when choosing a location. The first is proximity; traveling distances will vary between the individuals attending. It is best to choose a place that is centrally located. Second, before choosing a location it is necessary to do some research to ensure that the location will have proper accommodations and also will offer plenty of activities and attractions for the reunion attendees to do. Third, the location needs to be affordable for everyone. The best thing to do when choosing a reunion location is to send out a survey to everyone attending and get their input before deciding. The survey can also include questions on the best dates, favorite activities and costs.
After choosing the location is finished, the date needs to be set. Choose a time that will work best for everyone because you can't have a reunion if no one can attend. Also, depending on the location, different times of the year will work better. Once the date is chosen, make the reservations immediately.
The guest list is compiled, the date is set and the location is chosen and reserved. You now have the all the basic logistics covered in planning a family reunion. Now it's time to consider entertainment and come up with some great family reunion ideas. For example, what are you going to do with all these people and how are you going to feed them? Once again, the location depends a lot upon this. If the reunion is to be held at the old family homestead or at a home there a few options to be considered. The reunion itself can be held in the backyard and a tent can be rented. To feed the family you can either cook yourself, or it can be catered. Having the event catered is the best option so you don't have to spend your whole time in the kitchen. You can still cook Grandma's famous chocolate cake though. Another option is to rent out a room at a hotel or other venue and have them cater it. This option may be more costly. If the reunion is to be held at a resort, cruise or out-of-town location, the dining can be done at the resort or restaurant reservations need to be made.
To entertain everybody, choose activities that both children and adults will enjoy. Once again, the location plays a big part in what activities can be planned. Ice breakers are a great way to kick off family reunions, especially if it has been awhile since everyone has gathered. Nametags may also come in handy if there is a large group of people.
Once the reunion has begun and everyone is having a great time, you want to make sure that you archive the event somehow. There several ways to do this. First, shirts, buttons and programs can be printed and given out as mementos. Second, take lots and lots of pictures. A professional photographer can be hired to take photos or a great low-budget option is to have disposable cameras bought and given out. This is great especially for little kids, because it gives them something to do as well and a lot of times they take great photographs. Last, if many people attending have digital cameras, photos can be shared easily via e-mail. So make sure to have a list of everybody's contact information so these photographs can be shared. Also, do not forget to ask for feedback so you can gather more family reunion ideas for next time.
If you follow these few steps for planning a family reunion, everything will run smoothly and everyone will be having a great time. The most important part to planning any reunion is to make sure that everyone is having a great time!
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