How to Prepare for a Family Reunion

To organize a family reunion you have to keep certain things in mind. To plan a family reunion it takes time, commitment, and planning. Make a list of the following items like the date, invitations, location, travel and lodging, facilities, food, mailing list, program and format, finances, local transportation, communications etc.

First step in family reunion is to decide whom are you inviting in the family. Decide whether you are inviting only close relatives or direct line relatives or even your cousins, second cousins etc.

Second step is to collect email addresses of those people who have them. Just contact at least one person from each branch of the family so that you can collect information for each person. Try to form a reunion committee. Choose five persons from your family so that they can take some responsibility. Tell them to take charge of location, social events, budget, record-keeping etc. why you take responsibility of everything when people are there to help you.

Try to choose a date that is comfortable to everyone. One thing you need to remember is if people come from a far off place then the reunion should last for a longer period. Remember that you won't be able to accommodate everyone. Try to choose a place which is easily accessible and affordable to people who want to attend. Budget will determine the food expenses, decorations, accommodations and other activities.

One more that can interest people to attend a reunion is create a theme. It makes things more fun when you are imaginative with food, games, activities etc. when the guests have arrived, you may think what to do with them. You should make arrangements for tents, chairs, programs, t-shirts; parking decorations etc. when the family members attend the reunion just hire a professional photographer who will take photos or videos.

Once most of your work is over, it's time to invite guests by mail, or phone. This should be done well in advance so that the guests get enough time to plan their reunion. If you are charging any admission fees, just mention that in your invitation and set a deadline by which at least a percentage of the ticket price is received. Create ways of raising money include selling family hats, t-shirts, books or reunion videos.

Once the location, guest list and other important work is completed, and then better send all the family members a schedule of reunion events so that they can arrive on time. You can send this message through email or reunion website in advance. The big day is almost going to arrive and you want that it does smoothly. Create easy to ready signs to point arriving guests to registration, parking and important locations such as bathrooms. Keep a guest book so that you will know who has come and collect their address for future reference. Designate a volunteer who will send out a post union newsletter with stories, photos and news items from the reunion. Family reunions are never forgotten by family members.


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About the Author:
Ron Victor is a Expert author for family reunions and women's retreats. He has written many articles like corporate retreats , church retreat, mountain retreat. For more information visit our site http://www.palimountain.com Contact me at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com .

Basic Guide for A Fun Family Reunion

A family reunion is a where family members can renew bonds and ties, meet new additions to the family, keep updated on each others' lives, and simply have fun. If you have been tasked to plan the next family reunion, one of your goals may be how to make the event as fun and enjoyable as possible for everyone. A family reunion is one big party, so you want to keep the boring-o-meter down throughout th event. But how exactly can you keep everyone entertained and high on the fun? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Theme It!

Get your guests all psyched up weeks or even months before the family reunion by coming up with a family reunion theme. You can have a family reunion with a Hawaiian theme. When you send out the invitations, let your guests know about the theme so they can come in their best Hawaiian get-ups. Just think about how excited your guests will be when they arrive at the venue and they are greeted with a lei placed around their necks by ushers and usherettes dressed in traditional Hawaiian costume and the place is decorated with a tropical theme -- a tiki hut or tiki bar, drinks

served in cups and glasses made from coconut husks, tropical fruits one the buffet table. There are plenty of themes out there that you can use for your own family reunion. Get online and check out the various family reunion web sites

for more ideas.

2. Get the Icebreakers Out Pronto!

As soon as your guests arrive at the family reunion venue, get the icebreakers out! There's bound to be guests who aren't familiar with the rest of the family. Prevent your guests from feeling uncomfortable by introducing a few icebreakers like "Human BINGO," "I Am a Turtle" and "Bring Me" before the family reunion officially starts. Consider this part of the event as sort of a warm up; you are getting the guests comfortable and relaxed.

In "Human BINGO," each bingo card contains certain traits and characteristics of someone in the family. It can be an eye color, something accomplished or a physical characteristic (e.g., mole on the face, hair dyed red, long hair, etc.). Give each family member a bingo card and every one looks for family members that correspond to the traits and characteristic in their card and have them sign the card. The first person to complete his or her bingo card wins. This particular icebreaker is a wonderful way of helping new family members acquainted with other members of the family.

In "I Am A Turtle," the young family members draw a thing that represents them. It can be an animal or an object. The older family members then try to explain how the animal or object drawn relates to the young member. This particular icebreaker is a wonderful way to connect the younger and older generations.

In "Bring Me," the young family members do what the game host tells them to find for and bring to him. So when the game host say, "Bring me a red handkerchief," the first one who brings it to him gets a price. The only rule here is that participants are not allowed to get the items from their immediate family members (parents and siblings). The items must come from their other relatives. This particular icebreaker is wonderful way to initiate mingling among family members.

3. Bring Out the Games!

Most family reunions last more than a day, with some requiring overnight stays. You may have activities like nature hiking, day trips to the city or dance night all planned out, but you still need to keep everyone entertained in between walks, meals and dances. Young and old can engage in some friendly family reunion games such as "Generation Sack Race," "Family Tug of War" and "Musical Chairs."

In "Generation Sack Race," pair younger family members with the older ones. For instance, pair 12-year old Billy with his Uncle Ronnie. Together, they stand inside a sack and race hopping to the finish line.

In "Family Tug of War," have two families pull on opposite ends of a thick rope. Make it challenging and exciting by having them tug with a puddle of mud or water between them. The family who pulls the other family into the mud wins.

In "Musical Chairs," have the older family members sit on chairs arranged in a circle while younger family members go around the chairs while the music plays. The chairs should be one less than the number of younger family members in the game. When the music stop, the young ones scramble to sit on an older member's lap. A younger member gets eliminated. When the music resumes, one chair and one older family member have been removed. The game ends when one of the two remaining younger family members sits on the lap of the remaining older family member.

There are plenty of other games you can use for your family reunion. In fact, you can put your own twist on some of the games so that they become relevant to the event. For more game ideas, visit some family reunion ideas.

4. Entertainment to the Max!

Keep everyone's energy level up by bringing in some entertainment. Hire a live band or hold a dance party if you are holding the family reunion in a hotel, pavilion or function hall. You can also enlist the participation of family members themselves. Cheer up the children by doing a puppet show, holding an afternoon of arts and crafts just for them, or doing a storytelling session. If there are singers and dancers in the family, have them do their own numbers. You can make your family reunion fun, exciting and memorable from the time guests arrive to the time you all bid your goodbyes. You have plenty of resources available at your disposal; don't hesitate to check them out, especially family reunion websites.

Good luck!

About The Author:

Marie Christianson is a senior business analyst at http://www.FamilyDetails.com. Visit the http://FamilyDetails.com

Family Reunion Resource Center for guides, activities, games, invitations and checklists for planning a family reunion.

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Tips for Making Family Reunion Invitation

Family reunions will be more anticipated by every member if the invitation is made appealing. Making the perfect family reunion invitation should be the preliminary concern of the organizer of any family reunion. So that you will be able to create only best and most perfect family reunion invitation to match the event, here are the things that you should keep in mind:

Determine family reunion's theme. Before organizing a family reunion, you have to decide when the event will take place. What is the significance about that event? Whatever be the case, try to pattern your invitation to match that theme. You can put relevant family pictures on the invitation and show your creativity.Decide what type of materials you are going to use. If you have decided on the theme and the layout, you should be ready on the exact paper you are going to use and how you are going to print out the design. There are a lot of choices available for you. You can either go for a simple paper or a specialty one. There are invitation kits available from craft stores, try to scan them and see which one best matches your idea.

Layout your designs. Conceptualize how the design should look like when it is finally printed on a sheet of paper. You can try adding personal photos in it as well as general pictures. Check out the programs that you can use. The software can really help you so much on layout and the graphical presentation of your family reunion invitation.Select the right font. There are different fonts available for you to choose. Some looks formal while some has a comical look. Whatever may be your theme is, make it a point to match your invitation's font in it.. Fonts are equally important as your design so get the most suitable one.

Do not forget the necessary information. Do not be overwhelmed by the design and the layout process that you forgot about the important details like the date, time, and venue entirely. Always try to put these things first. Your invitation will be useless if one or all of the pertinent data are missing. Also remember to provide family members a way to contact you as the organizer. Always double check everything before printing it out. Do a trial run. Do not print massive copies at once. Print just one copy and check how good or how bad it comes out. If there are anything missing or look not right, edit them first. Do this step repeatedly until you are sure that the invitation you composed is perfect.

You are now ready to print. Before you become overeager about it, check your printer and see if everything about it is fine. Check your ink levels first. Is it enough for all the copies that you are going to make? If you are sure everything is in order, you can definitely start printing. Mail your invitations. Ensure that you have the right address and the right recipient's name. Do not make mistake of sending out the invitation to a different person other than for which it is truly intended. Always, double check before sending.Family reunions will certainly be more fun when it is coupled with the right preparation and the perfect invitation. Do not underestimate the powers of an invitation as it will surely determine the number of the persons who will be going and not.

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About the Author:
Ron Victor is a Expert author for family reunions
and women's retreats. He has written many articles like family retreat , corporate retreats, mountain retreat. For more information visit our site http://www.palimountain.com. Contact me at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com .

Beavers Bend State Park is the Ideal Family Reunion Location

How to Plan a Family Reunion Everyone Will Enjoy

Planning an annual family reunion is a great way to keep all your siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, and nephews connected. A yearly gathering of all the extended family members is a wonderful way to keep everyone in the loop about upcoming or recent weddings and births, new pets, career news, and other life events. Family reunions offer a much more personal experience than a yearly Christmas card, so even if you aren’t in the habit of planning a family reunion each year, there’s no time like the present to get started!

Sometimes family members live so far apart from one another that getting together and having fun happens only once or twice a year. This is especially true with extended families – all the cousins and great aunts and uncles whom you see rarely unless you host or attend a family reunion. Not to mention, the older we get, it seems we get busier as well. This combination of distance and busy lifestyles makes it vital to start planning a family reunion at least several months before the date you wish to host it.

Family Reunion Location, Location, Location
Choosing a location for your family reunion can be a wonderful experience of narrowing down many unique and interesting locations to the one perfect fit for your group. Or, it can be a stressful event of trying to figure out how you can be fair to the relatives in New Jersey and also fair to family out in California, Louisiana, and Virginia all at the same time.

Sometimes when planning a family reunion, it becomes necessary to make decisions that could impact whether certain guests will be able to attend. Location of the event and the cost of getting there will often determine whether family members will be willing to travel for the event. In cases where family members live all over the country, just try to select a location that will please the largest number of people… or, send out an e-mail survey with the locations you are considering and try to get a verbal response of what people would prefer. Then go with majority rules.

An ideal location for your family reunion could just as easily be a park or a lakeside community, as a beach town or a mountain retreat. Consider all your possibilities for the location, as well as the ages and interests of your family members who would be most likely to attend. In the end, don’t beat yourself up about the small stuff. The most important thing is that you are making an effort to create this fun and enjoyable event.

Family Reunion Events and Activities
As with any large group of people, it’s important to put some structure into place for special events. It might be nice to offer some planned activities – sports like volleyball or horseshoes, as well as adventurous possibilities like hiking, fishing, or even horseback riding. You don’t have to plan all these activities, but you could request brochures from companies that provide them and then share with your guests in case anyone is up for an adventure.

Remember, it is also important to leave plenty of free time for your family to relax and enjoy themselves. Some personality types work very well when they’re on the go constantly, but others need a scheduled naptime or just a general break to recover and recharge their batteries.

Here are some simple activities that you could include at your family reunion:
• Board games
• Cards
• Icebreakers and getting to know you games
• Karaoke
• Name that tune
• Recipe swap
• Sports
• Water balloons (weather and temperature permitting)

Don’t forget to look for a location that provides ample space for your guests to spread out and chat, catch up on old times, or even just sit down for a picnic lunch. Picnic tables are excellent options for seating larger groups. You can even bring blankets for the younger relatives to relax on the ground, but just remember that Grandma and Grandpa may not be too keen on doing that themselves.

Food as Far as the Eye Can See
One of my favorite things about a family reunion is the really yummy and diverse food you get to enjoy. Our family reunions had everything from Maryland crabs and corn on the cob to sandwiches, ham, pork, brownies, and of course, Aunt Rose’s coveted homemade butter cookies. Each year we looked forward to these treats and more, which made the family reunion a long awaited and anticipated event.

The menu possibilities are virtually limitless, and you can save money by asking everyone to bring a covered dish or dessert. This works best if many of your family members are concentrated near the location of the event. If you are all or mostly traveling, it may be a good idea to shop around for reasonable caterers or restaurants offering food to go.

Final Tips on Planning and Hosting a Family Reunion
If you believe in Murphy’s Law, then this is the section of the article just for you. Here are some tips on how to avoid disasters at family reunions.

• Make sure you have a backup plan in case it rains. This includes not only location, but also alternate activities, events, and seating arrangements.

• Keep the peace, if possible. Try to remember that, even though they are family, all people don’t always get along with everyone. If squabbles break out and insults are flying between family members, do what you can to smooth things over, but don’t let it ruin your day.

• Find out your budget before you get too deep in planning. Sometimes family members chip into the overall cost of the family reunion. If you know you can count on $50 to $100 from each individual family, it makes your job so much easier.

• Suggest hotels and rental car agencies for your out of town relatives. Going the extra mile to make their planning and scheduling experience easier may really impact the final outcome as far as whether they will attend the event or not. Hey, it can’t hurt to try!

Family reunions can be a lot of work to put together, but usually in the end, the outcome is worth every moment. Spending time with your relatives at least once a year is really important to developing stronger bonds and closer relationships. If you aren’t fully confident in taking on the task of planning a family reunion by yourself, talk to a close sibling or cousin and take the team approach. Once planned, your family reunion will be well worth the time and energy you spend creating and organizing it. Enjoy!

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About the Author:
© 2008 Dances With Words, LLC / Kathryn M. D’Imperio

About the author: Kathryn M. D’Imperio is a freelance writer who specializes in beauty, relationships, weddings, travel, personal finance, fitness, health, restaurants, and more. For more, see: Life Tips. Love Tips. Beauty Tips. , visit her at DanceswithWords.com , or contact her at kate@danceswithwords.com .

How to Plan the Perfect Family Reunion – 5 Simple Steps

1. Pick a central location. A location where most family members are within driving distance will help insure better attendance. Some family members may be afraid of flying or unable to fit the cost of an airline ticket into their budget. Since we have family in Texas, Louisiana, Missouri and Colorado we like to gather at Beavers Bend State Park and Broken Bow Lake in southeastern Oklahoma.

2. Pick a location that has a variety of accommodations at different price levels. Beavers Bend State Park has camp grounds, cabins, bed and breakfasts and hotels. Some family members may enjoy roughing it, while others prefer more luxury.

3. Pick a location that has a lot of activities that appeal to a variety of family members. Beavers Bend State Park has fishing, hiking, boating, horseback riding, bird watching, antique shops and museums.

4. Once you pick your location decide on a meeting place where everyone will gather for picnics or dinners. Have games and activities planned for everyone for during those times. When we go to Beavers Bend State Park we set up an area near Broken Bow Lake to meet. We set up horse-shoes, volleyball, capture the flag, dominoes and poker. It all makes for great photos with beautiful Broken Bow Lake in the background.

5. Be sure to send invitations out early and include information such as directions, accommodations and activities available in the area. A combination of paper invitations and electronic work well so all family members get notified. Send reminders when the time gets closer to ensure everyone is on-board.