A Guide to Planning a Family Reunion

Family reunions offer a host of benefits, from tightening bonds to meeting new additions to the tree, for a multigenerational treat. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance offers these tips for planning a family reunion.

More than 200,000 family reunions take place in the U.S. each year, according to research by GroupTravel.org, a website that helps people book group rates for hotels, airfare and more. Families who attend reunions enjoy a renewed connection with loved ones they already know and a chance to meet more-distant relatives. A reunion can also inspire guests to learn about their family history.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to have fun, get to know each other and create the kind of memories that they’re going to talk about for years,” says Suzanne Vargus Holloman, codirector of the Family Reunion Institute.

Most families hold reunions in the summer, over the course of about three days. That tends to offer them enough time to reconnect while also keeping the costs associated with hosting the reunion manageable. Especially for a multiday event, a family reunion requires careful planning, well in advance, with intentional organization, realistic budgeting and clear communication.

Use our guide for planning a family reunion that’s memorable, meaningful and fun.

First steps in planning a family reunion

Planning a family reunion is a multistep project, and it’s often too much for one person to tackle unassisted. To ease the load, pull together a core team of organizers among your family members, and reach out to them well ahead of the date you are thinking of holding the event. Ideally, you’ll begin 18 to 24 months in advance – especially if it’s your family’s first time hosting a reunion – to avoid rushing and allow you time to deal with inevitable bumps in the road, says Vargus Holloman.

Before you settle on roles for each member of the planning committee or make any assumptions about how the reunion should go, you might first survey your extended family to get their thoughts on preferred dates, locations, activities and budget comfort levels. Try using an online tool such as SurveyMonkey.com or Doodle.com.

Consider including younger family members in early planning conversations, too. For example, you could set up a Zoom call for teens and young adults to gather ideas and build early engagement, says Vargus Holloman.

As your vision takes shape, assemble a planning committee to support it, designating a chair who oversees all the planning as well as heads of several subcommittees. How you choose to divide up the work will depend on how many hands you have on deck as well as the scope of your reunion. These are some of the subcommittees you may want to include.

• Activities and events: Builds the schedule of events, ensuring options for all ages in attendance.
• Communications: Manages an email list and perhaps a reunion website or a group on Facebook for communication within the extended family.
• Budget and finance: Creates the budget and tracks expenses. Additionally, the budget committee can manage payments and negotiations with venues and vendors. Or assign those tasks to a separate venue-coordination committee.
• Family history: Researches the family’s lineage, ensuring that the guest list includes everyone on the chosen branches of your family tree. They might also work with the activities subcommittee to develop programming inspired by your family’s history.

If you don’t have enough family volunteers to assemble a full team, you might consider hiring a professional event planner to help fill the gaps. Or, if you are putting together a large reunion, with upward of 200 guests, a professional may be best equipped to handle the job. An event planner often charges a set price for a specific set of services, ranging from about $1,000 for limited or basic help to $10,000 or more for comprehensive planning.

For a more affordable alternative, consider enlisting a day-of event coordinator, who can help free up family organizers to participate in and enjoy the reunion. Some higher-end venues may include a coordinator in their services. Typically, a day-of coordinator charges from about $800 to $3,000.

Funding the fun

Establishing a clear budget is key to the success of your family reunion. Start by asking yourself three questions: How many guests will you invite? How many days will it last? What cost level is comfortable for most attendees?

Then consider other factors that will affect your costs, including the type of venue you’ll use. Parks and community centers are among the most affordable options. Food and beverages will also likely account for a large portion of your budget. Mixing in a few potluck-style gatherings among any catered or restaurant meals can trim your expenses. You might also consider relying on volunteer talent for entertainment, photography or decorations.

Dividing and tracking the expenses

You’ll also need to sort out who’s footing the bills. Is one person paying for the whole event, or will a few family members contribute? To further spread out the costs, you could ask all guests to pay a flat fee to attend. Or take a pay-as-you-go approach for activities. You might, for example, offer options such as ziplining, bowling, a boat ride, a restaurant brunch and a catered dinner, asking each household to pay a fee for each activity they choose to participate in. You could use this approach for swag or souvenirs, too, emailing guests in advance to take orders for T-shirts, tote bags or other items.

If you’re collecting money from relatives, invite them to help create the budget. Make your spending plans transparent from the outset so they know where their money is going and there are no surprises. A good way to do that is to set up a shared spreadsheet, such as with Google Sheets (sheets.google.com). “Tracking expenses carefully is a must,” says Alvin Carlos, a certified financial planner based in Washington, D.C.

In your shared spreadsheet, list all expected costs – from food to lodging to T-shirts to decorations – and then fill in actual spending as it happens, says Carlos. “That way, everyone can see where the money’s going, and no one feels left in the dark,” he says.

As you estimate the costs, leave some cushion in your budget. It’s wise to add 10% or more for unexpected expenses. “Most people underestimate how much things cost,” says Carlos. It may be worth establishing a dedicated emergency fund.

Choosing the date and place

When you set the date for your family reunion, consider that school breaks and major holidays tend to coincide with peak travel periods and drive up travel costs. Holding the reunion during an off-peak period, such as the fall shoulder season (mid-September to early November) or in late January through early March can keep travel expenses down. This may limit who can attend, particularly families with school-age children. But it’s worth asking your relatives what might work for them before you settle on a date; you may be surprised by their flexibility. After you’ve polled your family members, pick a date that works with as many guests’ schedules as possible.

As you narrow down a location, try to match it to your family’s size, budget and interests. For a more casual event, ideas include a public park, community center, beach or lodge at a state park.

Many campgrounds also offer reasonable pricing, as well as accommodations and a selection of family-friendly activities. For instance, Sandy Pines Campground in Kennebunkport, Maine, has a variety of lodging types, including traditional tent sites, “glamp” tents, RV sites and cottages, with prices ranging from about $75 to $250 per night. Amenities include lawn games, a “Kids’ Kamp” with a playground and children’s games, bike and boat rentals, and a heated saltwater pool.

If you prefer a more formal setting, you can opt for a resort, a hotel with a banquet room, or a retreat center. These venues may be more convenient and offer attractive amenities, although they come with a higher price tag.

Emma Patch is a senior writer at Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.

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