Family ties are important as are family traditions, but this day and age families are spread out geographically and are so pressed for time that it has been ages since most people have talked with their family members let alone seen them. Generations are passing on and with them goes the familial knowledge and traditions and they are not getting passed down to the new generations.
Who will always be there for you? Your Family! So why not get them together to reconnect, strengthen the family bond, and finally learn the secret to Great Aunt Myrtle’s cheesecake recipe.
Create lasting memories with shared experiences that strengthen the family bond and plan a family reunion today!
In this post we will help you create the Ultimate Family Reunion with a minimal amount of time and effort!
Family Reunions are important
It’s important to share experiences, stories and traditions with the people from whom you came. Families help you maintain a sense of identity and connect you with your roots and heritage. The supportive environment of a reunion can strengthen relationships, promote understanding, and contribute to the well-being of the family unit. And it’s a great way to find out why you are the way you are and see family traits in action! Plus you might finally find out that family secret you have been dying to know! So let’s get down to it!
How to Plan A Family Reunion in 7 steps:
1. REACH OUT TO CORE FAMILY MEMBERS
We suggest reaching out to a core group of family members who would be willing to help with the reunion and to give ideas and collaborate. This will be your family reunion planning committee and with this core group you will pick a budget, destination for your reunion, and a couple different dates that would work for you. The family reunion planning committee will also help run the reunion as well.
2. PICK A DESTINATION
Picking a destination is key to getting the most people to join your family reunion. Family members will get a vacation and reconnect with family members at the same time. We suggest a destination that is centrally located, cost effective for the variety of pocket books in the family, and has activities to keep people entertained. You don’t want to be stuck at Aunt Myrtle’s house with 50 family members staring at each other with nothing to do.
When picking a destination take into consideration the distance for the majority of family members to travel, how they will get there, and the cost per night to stay. Remember you are catering to a large group of people with different financial backgrounds.
Your destination should:
- Have your dates available
- Have a gathering place to enjoy meals and activities together
- Be able to accommodate the number of people you will invite
- Have a variety of sleeping options
- Have activities for adults and kids to stay entertained – the more variety the less you have to do
3. INVITE THE FAMILY
Once you have the destination and a few different date options its time to reach out to the rest of the family.
We suggest creating a group on Facebook as it is free and most people have a Facebook account or might be willing to create one to join the family reunion group. There are also apps like Reunacy that help organize your reunion but they do charge. Creating a group is important. Emails get lost, nobody wants to be part of a group text message, and phone calls to every single family member, well just no, no, no, no. And the benefit of a group is it doesn’t have to end after the reunion! You can stay connected year-round and share your life experiences throughout the year and when you’re ready to see each other in person again simply start planning the next reunion.
Once the group is created don’t forget to Invite your family reunion planning committee to be admins in the group. This way you have help responding to questions and reading comments.
One of the first posts in the group should be suggesting the three different dates that work with you and your venue/destination. Let everyone vote on the date that works for them and go with the date that has the most votes. Remember you are not going to be able to accommodate everyones schedule it’s just impossible. You want to go with the dates that work for the most people. Once you have narrowed down your dates get back with your venue and block those dates off.
4. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Make sure you setup some meals and socializing time along with activities for your family to participate in but you don’t have to overdo it. You family members will likely have already researched the area and have destinations they want to visit and you don’t want to overwhelm them with a schedule packed with back-to-back activities. Depending on how long your reunion is planned, a couple meals together along with some activities should be fine. Send out the dates and times of events ahead of time. You want to provide your family with plenty of time to plan their time at the destination and not overlook family reunion events.
One fun thing to do is to color coordinate immediate family’s for the gatherings. You would assign each immediate family group a color that they wear to each scheduled gathering. And they don’t have to just wear plan old matching shirts. Their coordinate colors could be hair accessories, hats, bandanas, shorts, etc. Its a fun way to see how everyone is related and who they belong to.
Fun activities we have seen for adults and kids alike:
- Corn-hole tournament
- Horseshoe tournament
- Volleyball games
- Build and paint a bird house
- Water gun fight
- Fishing
- Kayak races
- Canoe races
- Floating in a lake and getting some sun
- Hiking
- Trail riding
- Bicycling
- Card tournament
- Scavenger Hunt
- Talent Show
- Yard games
- Auction – some families have auctions to raise money for the next family reunion
5. MEALS
Meals are a great way to gather the group, relax, and share some stories and we have seen this done a couple of different ways.
- Pot Luck style – assign different items to each family
- Each immediate family group is in charge of supplying a meal for the group.
- Taco Bar
- Sloppy Joes
- Burgers and dogs
- Pasta Bar
- Contact local eateries and have your meals catered.
With each of these a price is set per person and each family member pays to eat. You can collect the funds ahead of time or at the time of the event but this way no-one is on the hook financially for providing meals to your very large group.
6. INCORPORATE FAMILY HISTORY
A reunion is all about family so take the time to incorporate your family history throughout the event. This is a great time to teach younger generations the family history and where they came from. Don’t forget to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, engagements, promotions while your together or memorialize family members who are no longer with you.
Don’t be afraid to start new traditions either. Leave your mark on your family with a new tradition. Maybe you will start a website for the family with all the pictures and information you gathered during the reunion. This may sound daunting but there are a number of sites and apps out there to help you! Or maybe you create a family keepsake for each family member to take home with them. It doesn’t have to be extravagant; create a family logo and get everyone matching t-shirts or maybe a photo book. You just want something for your family to remember the reunion and all the memories they made.
6. DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITY
Once you have the dates, venue/destination, schedule of events, and meals planned it’s time to delegate responsibilities. This might just be your family reunion planning committee or other family members too. Assign each person a task:
- Financial management
- Photography
- Greeters/registration crew
- Decorations
- Meal Planner
- Activity Planner
- Clean-up and goodbyes – this is a good time to survey what went well or what didn’t go well with the family reunion and see when everyone would like to meet again.
7. CONFIRM THE DETAILS
A few weeks before the event meet with your family reunion planning committee and confirm all the details to ensure a seamless and stress free family reunion. Make sure there is parking and seating to accommodate your entire family reunion, your setup and clean up crew is ready, your meals and activities are planned, and you are prepared for any emergencies that may arise.
TIPS AND REMINDERS FOR PLANNING THE ULTIMATE FAMILY REUNION
- Set a family reunion planning committee and a budget
- Make sure your destination has some financial variety and plenty of activities
- Don’t over plan group activities
- Incorporate your family history
- And the biggie! Don’t forget to enjoy the reunion yourself!
READY TO PLAN YOUR FAMILY REUNION
We might be a little bias but we think Hidden Lake Campground and Resort is a great place to have a family reunion and we have the track record to prove it. We have been a family reunion destination since opening in 2020! We have hosted numerous successful family reunions at our resort and have picked up a few tricks to make them run smoothly.
Hidden Lake Campground and Resort is a great destination for a family reunion. We are located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota where there are a ton of activities to keep your family entertained and happy. We offer a variety of sleeping options with RV sites and cabins to accommodate everyone. We also have lots of onsite activities and plenty of outdoor space to gather and socialize. We are the perfect destination to create lasting memories in an outdoor setting. The resorts spacious grounds and range of activities provide a perfect backdrop for family bonding. Guests can enjoy quality time together, engage in outdoor adventures, and experience the beauty of the Black Hills. The resorts amenities and accommodations also contribute to a convenient and enjoyable family reunion experience.
We would love to hear your tips and tricks for hosting a family reunion and even what didn’t work. Comment below and share your experience.
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