Planning a High School Reunion

Amazing how fast time flies. It seems like yesterday when you graduated from high school, but suddenly it’s been 10 years, or 20, or more and it is time for your high school reunion. Here are some tips to make planning a reunion easier.

Perhaps the first thing to determine is who is going to be invited to the reunion. Ideally this should include every person who graduated from the high school that year and a guest. You will probably want to also include all of the teachers and faculty members. You may also include the families of your invitees if you are arranging a family friendly event.

It can be difficult to keep track of everyone over the years. Luckily the internet and social media have made it simpler than ever. Start setting up your guest list early to make sure that contact information is still valid. Send your invitations with plenty of time to re-send them in case any are returned. If you are having difficulty finding contact information for anyone, try contacting family members and search online. It isn’t a bad idea to set up a Facebook event for your reunion early on to help get the information out and see if you can get volunteers to assist you with planning and the actual event. Get as much help as you can as organizing and setting up is a big job.

With any event, you need to consider the budget you are working with. Is there money set aside for the reunion or are you starting from scratch? Are you going to charge for admission and how much? If you need to charge to cover the price of the venue, food, and entertainment, sell tickets in advance. That way you have an accurate guest list which will help you plan the party and you have money to pay vendors. Keep in mind that the price of tickets may dissuade some guests from attending the event. You might consider offering discounted tickets or scholarships for tickets to encourage those who would find the ticket price a burden. However, in doing so, you are asking the other attendees to take up the tab.

One way get as many people as possible involved in the reunion is to split the event. Have a daytime picnic potluck at the park. Picnic shelter rentals are very affordable, so this can be a family friendly event that you offer for free to the attendees. If there is not a budget to cover the picnic area reservation, ask for donations from the guest list or have a raffle to cover the cost. If the budget allows, consider getting a bounce house. If the picnic area does not have shelters or shade, you can also rent a tent.

In the evening, have dinner or hors’ devours and dance. This will be the ticketed event and as such will probably have a smaller guest list. Determine the cost per guest and get invitations out early so you have a realistic idea of how many people to expect.

When picking the venue for your event, consider the atmosphere you want. One inexpensive solution, if possible, is to use the high school gym. Sure the dances in the gym may have been considered tacky when you were in high school, but since this is a reunion, what better places to bring back memories then the actual high school. Of course having your event at the school might mean more work as you will have to set everything up before the event and take it down afterwards, bring in caterers, and you might have to provide tables and chairs as well.

If the gym is not an option or you would prefer not to have the event there, consider where you would like to hold the event. Is there a particular ballroom that appeals to you? Perhaps the setting of one of your high school dances or just a really cool space? Check prices and availability. Make sure whatever venue you choose will be able to accommodate all the guests you expect and any activities you plan on having at the party.

Once you have a venue in mind, pick a date for the event when the venue is available. The date you choose also needs to work for caterers, entertainment, and VIP guests. Generally weekends are best for most guests, but weekends are also likely to be the most expensive.

Choose the menu for the event. Some spaces have their own exclusive caterers while others allow you to bring in whoever you like. Pick food, whether you just want snacks, desserts, or a full meal. What drinks will be included? Will there be alcohol, and if so, will it be included with the ticket or a separate tab? The more that is included with the ticket, the more expensive the event will be.

Pick the entertainment. Are you going to have DJs or a band to dance to? Are any alumni in a band that you would like to have perform? Any time you can find alumni to provide services for an event, you have an added connection to the school, plus you may be able to work out a discount; however, if they are working during the event, these individuals will not be buying tickets nor will they be able to socialize and enjoy the party as much.

Slide shows are popular at events. Get photos of students and faculty from while they were at school along with more recent images. You can do an old fashioned slide show with 35 mm slides, but with today’s digital technology, it is probably easier to use a program like Powerpoint to put together a presentation. Ask for photos to include in the show on the event’s Facebook page if you have one. You can include graduates who are not at the party as well as those that are there in the slide show; the more people you include, the better. A nice gesture is to include memorial images of any graduates that have died since high school.

Send out invitations. Be sure they include information about ticket prices as well as what is included with the tickets (entertainment, food, ect). Have an RSVP by date on the invitation that gives you enough time to make follow up calls and make arrangements with the caterers. Attempt to contact any invitees who do not RSVP to be sure they received the invitation and encourage them to attend.

Decorate the venue as early as is allowed. Highlight memorabilia from your high school as much as possible. Check the Dollar Store for inexpensive decorations. If you are having an outdoor or casual event, the Dollar Store is a great place to get place settings and table cloths.

Putting together a reunion is a lot of work, but the final result should be a fun event that everyone will enjoy. Just make sure you have volunteers to help with clean up so you don’t end up having to pick everything up after the party ends. Congratulations on completing another mile stone in your life!