Family gatherings can be overwhelming, even for those who love spending time together. For this reason, it is important to keep stress to a minimum with proper planning and open communication.
Read on for tips on how to keep the gathering stress-free.
7 Steps for a Stress-Free Reunion
1) Create a guest list
Family reunions can feel larger than life, depending on the size of one’s family. Start with focusing on the expanded family guest list; then eliminate invitees as determined by your budget or committee.
It may be a good idea to keep your family reunion small in certain situations. Depending on the circumstances, consider limiting the guest list to your immediate family members, their children, and spouses.
As early as possible, send out an email letting your family know that you intend to plan a reunion and share some potential dates.
Before planning a large family reunion, it is important to make sure that your family members are interested and available. Then, ask for people to respond to the idea, letting you know if they are interested, and invite them to make suggestions.
If you plan to go all-out with the reunion and invite the extended family, exploring the entire family tree is important, as nothing would be worse than leaving someone out.
With names in mind, reach out to one person in every branch of the family to get the contact information for each guest.
2) Organize a reunion committee
Even if you do most of the planning by yourself, you do not have to do everything alone. Putting together a reunion committee will help make sure the planning goes smoothly and that the responsibilities are shared evenly.
The reunion committee should focus on tackling major aspects of the planning, such as choosing social activities, invites, budget, and social function venue.
It’s important to choose responsible members for committees like those who have a stake in the success of the event. Have each member responsible for one or two elements of the reunion.
Before they begin any planning, make sure that they are aware of your budget, style, theme, and any other aspects important to the uniqueness of your event.
3) Consider a banquet hall
If you are in charge of planning a family reunion, you might feel overwhelmed by all of the preparation involved.
However, when you book a room at our Vaughan banquet hall, you will be able to take advantage of our many useful services to simplify the process.
Our event coordinators are available to assist you every step of the way. With industry knowledge and professional experience, they will bring your vision to life. Following your direction, the staff at Chateau Le Jardin will help you organize a fun, successful reunion with an event space that is perfect for your family.
They even take the stress out of catering with their in-house catering services, allowing you to focus on other important aspects of your event.
4) Work out the budget
Committee family members can eliminate much of their reunion-related stress by having a budget in place before any planning begins. A typical reunion budget would include expenses like decorations, invites, fun activity items, and souvenirs like T-shirts or grab bags.
Regardless, we recommend working within your budget to keep any drama at bay.
For those worried about the costs, here are some suggestions. You can ask every attendee to pay an entry donation. Some family members can help pay by selling T-shirts or some other memorabilia.
Begin speaking with your family members to determine what they are comfortable contributing. It is important to keep track of all expenses, so that family members know where and how the money is being spent.
5) Stay in contact
Failures in communication can unravel a family reunion very quickly. Establish a way for every member to stay in contact with one another. Consider using a mass texting service to keep everyone abreast of your plans.
Stay in contact by sending out regular details often. Try to keep all communication in one place to avoid confusion. If you prefer “old school,” there is nothing wrong with a group email list.
6) Address any sensitive issues
Even the best of families are laden with old grudges and unresolved issues. No family is perfect, but a family reunion can go a long way in mending those fences.
That being said, whenever possible, these issues should be addressed before the planning begins. If family issues persist, a simple solution is to keep those family members seated separately.
7) Capture the moment
Once everyone has arrived, make sure that someone is assigned to take photos and/or videos of the event.
These photos and videos can be included in family scrapbooks and be great heirlooms for future generations.
Family reunions can be fun-filled events. Although you cannot prepare for everything, we hope this guide will help you plan a fulfilling and fun family gathering. For more information on our Vaughan banquet hall, and catering and reunion entertainment ideas, contact the party planning professionals at Chateau le Jardin today.
