How to Plan a Family Reunion without Stress
The last time my parents, brothers and I were together was when my youngest brother got married. It was before we all had children, so 7 plus years ago, and our spouses didn’t all get to attend. Before that the last time my mom‘s family had a real family reunion, I was in college. I remember driving across several states with my younger brother in a rented convertible to spend the weekend in cabins with all of my aunts, uncles and grandmother. We had a wonderful time and I have fond memories from it.
This weekend is the first time since the wedding 7 years ago, that I’ve gotten to see both my parents, aunts, grandmother and siblings all together. It’ll be the first time for my daughter to meet her uncles face-to-face and my children to meet many of their great aunts and uncles not to mention their great grandmother. Family reunions hold a special place in my heart as my family is close knit.
Because this is a celebration to me. I want to plan a family reunion to be fun and festive feeling as possible but without stressing. I always try and have a theme to each party I organize. This time I let someone else do all the hard work for me! BIG DOT of Happiness has an adorable line of party decorations that are perfect for any celebration. I love their family reunion celebration set. I was able to put together a simple fun and festive event without having to run all over town stopping at 10 different stores and the grocery store.
Here are my tips on how to plan a family reunion with stress!
Pick a location:
We chose to spend our day at a local park with a beautiful swimmable creek. This provided ample parking for everyone, entertainment for both the kids and the adults, and of course a backdrop that was amazing. These are all key elements to finding the best location for your event. IF you are planning an event during a time of year that the weather is questionable, make sure that you are checking the weather ahead of time and have a back up plan just in case you need to shift locations close to your event.
Entertainment for all ages:
Depending on the ages of the attendants you may need a variety of activities to keep everyone entertained. We knew with our outdoor location most of the activity would be swimming for all ages. Other great ideas for outdoor entertainment venues could be horse shoes, cornhole or washer games.
If you are planning your event indoors you may want table top games, cards or crafts depending on ages. Did I mention the awesome family reunion bingo game that is available on the Big Dot of Happiness website? It is perfect for all ages and includes both the cards, markers and callers card. Everything you need to play.
Decorations:
Like I mentioned earlier I love to throw a party and decorating is a key element to all parties. We used the Big Dot of Happiness Family Reunion package, and it came with EVERYTHING we needed. Adorable banners, table confetti, photo booth props, even stickers for cute party favors!
Food:
This can be as simple as ordering pizza and sitting on beach towels or dressing it up a bit and having an array of foods. The kids in our crowd area easy so little sandwiches it was and this is great for adults too. I went with a snack board using my favorite round wooden board and filling it with breads, meats, cheeses, nuts and olives. It was a fit and the best thing about snack boards is that that can be small or huge! You can pick the most random selection of foods and its fun to put it all together.
Family reunions should be loads of fun, laughs and memorable but not stressful. I hope this outline is helpful and you have the best time planning and playing with your family!
