As I discussed in my last post, there are different types of family reunions you could have-from a small gathering of only a few relatives, to a large event of anyone who shares your last name. The size of your gathering may be dependent on factors, such as the reason for the reunion, your budget, and how many people your venue can accommodate.
Start by grabbing a pen and notepad and jotting down a list of everyone you want to invite. Don’t forget to include your relative’s spouses and children. Note which relatives you have addresses or phone numbers for. Ask these relatives for contact information for the remaining relatives. If there are still relatives you have no contact information for after asking around, try performing an online search to see if you can track them down.
If you will be holding a large reunion, inviting anyone with your last name or who descend from a particular ancestor, it may be a good idea to start a website where people who plan to attend can sign up online. Be sure to give an RSVP date well in advance so you can plan your food & other considerations accordingly.
Invitations
There are a few ways to invite your relatives to your family reunion: paper invitations, word-of-mouth, and the Internet.
Paper invitations can be purchased at most stores that sell cards and gifts. You could also order them online or through a printer. There are a lot of options available-from simple to custom-to meet your needs and budget.
Word-of-mouth is best used for small gatherings. Simply grab a phone and begin dialing your relative’s numbers. You could also ask some relatives to invite others (such as asking your aunt to invite her daughter).
The Internet can be used to invite guests through the creation of a personal family reunion website, or through invitation services, such as evite.com.