Fantastic Decorations for a Family Reunion Party

A family reunion is the perfect event to center around a fun party theme. It makes it much easier to decorate and plan activites. For example, a Western theme would be perfect for all ages with a square dance and decorated with haybales and bandanas! If you decide not to have a theme, here are some casual yet festive decorations that are sure to have your family members begging you to plan another reunion next year!

Outdoor Decorations:
• Greet your long lost relatives with an impressive balloon arch at the entrance of your party.
• Many times a reunion centers around the celebration of a birthday or a landmark anniversary. Make it truely a special occasion by hanging a Personal Photo Memories Mural in a prominant place. By having your own special photo on this you are making your reunion a very personal experience for all who attend!

Indoor Decorations:
• If you are decorating a large area, or want to make any area look more intimate and festive, drape and swag our gossamer across ceilings, walls, and the edges of table skirting. Twist two colors together for a stunning look.
• Never underestimate the power of decorating with Balloons, as they can transform any size room into a cozy space in minutes at a very low cost. You can choose to inflate balloons with helium, but you need not think that is the only option. In order to save money, inflate hundreds of balloons in colors to match your theme without using helium. Tie a 6-8 foot piece of curling ribbon to the end of each one. Using scotch tape, masking tape, or straight pins, hang balloons down from the ceiling so they hang at different lengths. Curl the loose end of the ribbon with scissors.

If you are hanging the balloons in a gymnasium, or large hall, cut the ribbon to a length appropriate for the height of the ceiling. A very cost effective means to transform a large space into a much more intimate one, is to hang the balloons down from different spaces all over the area you are decorating.

• Whether you are indoors or outside, there are so many ways places to hang lighted paper lanterns to create a wonderfully soft-lit atmosphere!

Table Decorations & Napkins:
• We offer a large selection of table covers, cups, plates and cutlery. These are available in just about any color, so you’re sure to find something perfect for your particular reunion setting.
• For an old-fashion picnic setting, try gingham tablecovers and coordinating ensemble. These alone set the stage for a great family picnic in the park!
• Order personalized napkins and have them imprinted with your party slogan and design of your choice. Select a metallic or foil imprint. The napkins will serve several purposes – great decorating in disguise and a delightful memento of the party that can be saved in scrapbooks for years to come!

Napkins can be laid out on a buffet table, or displayed at each place setting.
Place napkins in the center of each place setting at an angle, or unfold them and place them in Personalized Stadium Cups for a tall festive look.

Welcome family with a Personalized Family Tree Autograph Banner and have them sign the banner before they leave for a wonderful keepsake.

Check out our other Family Reunion TipZ and all of our Family Reunion Supplies.

Activities for the Whole Gang at a Family Reunion

Our Family Tree Standee (pictured right) makes a great decoration and activity. Have people put together the family tree with names written on tissue leaves to the best of their abilities. Award a prize to the person who knows your genealogy the best!

Create a Family Time Capsule
Include:
Pictures
Old videos of family events
A new video with predictions or plans for the future

Make lists of each persons:
hobbies
favorite movie
favorite sports player
favorite star
favorite songs

Create lists of:
historical events
news headlines
famous people in history

Other Games:
• Favorites of the Decade.  Have the family select their top 10 favorites in a variety of areas.  Top 10 sports persons, top 10 politicians, top 10 historical events, top 10 movies, top 10 TV shows, top 10 fads etc.  Share everyone’s selections and create a unified family list.
• Game Day.  Create a personalized family Charades Game.
• Video Memory.  Let all family members know ahead of time that they will be asked to share with the group what they are thankful for.  Encourage family members to write down their answer.  Before you eat, have everyone read aloud why he or she is thankful and videotape each person for posterity.
• Family Trivia Quiz.  Create your own family trivia game.  Starting early, create simple multiple-choice questions concerning each family member.  The questions can be simple or more difficult.  You might ask favorite foods, music, or colors.  Name of first pet, first grade teacher, childhood teddy bear, etc.  Let each family member see how well they know his or her family.  For fun, structure it from easy to hard like the TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”.
• Create a family scrapbook.  Have family members bring photos from the past few years and get started on a new book for the new year!
• For a craft for the children, there are several craft kits that make a perfect quiet activity that is sure to keep them busy for a while!

Gather the Family with Family Reunion Invitations

Holding a family reunion is a fun and exciting time! Whether it is the first annual event or the 75th year for a reunion, this day is a very special event. Start your planning by selecting a theme. Use your imagination! Once the theme is selected, the invitations, decorations, food, and other details are much easier to plan.

Themes can be something related to the family name or the theme can be more specific like a Western theme, Fifties theme, Casino Night or something similar. A picnic or a beach theme are very popular and work well for a large group of people as well.

Invitations:
Once you’ve decided a theme, you want to choose the invitations. There are tons wonderful imprinted invitations that would be perfect to send out for a fun and whimsical family reunion.

• A Celestial Magic Stars Invitation and a Dancing Universe Invitation would be a perfect choice for either a formal affair or a more relaxed casual atmosphere. Try our Fun in the Sun Invitation for a summery look.

• An inexpensive Beach Ball invite is always fun especially for a summer reunion. Write the party details in permanent ink and deflate for mailing. Your family will surely know that this party will be a ball!

Party Favors for a Family Reunion Event

Send your guests home with something that will make them remember this special celebration for years to come. Here are a few party favors to consider!

• Check out the huge selection of personalized glassware. We carry flutes, goblets, mugs, and snifters in a multitude of sizes, shapes, style and color options. Guests can drink water, soft drinks, etc. from a special glass, then take the glass home and fondly recall the party every time they see the glass.

• We also carry parfaits, dessert dishes, and candy dishes. All will add a lovely touch to your tables. Tie a small piece of curling ribbon, gossamer streamer, or even a party horn to each stem (attached with metallic garland) for a festive look. The glassware can also hold a gathered cloth or paper napkin to create a tall dramatic look at each place setting, or on a buffet table. Glassware filled with candy, mints, or chocolate treats or with metallic shred to match your theme colors also creates a terrific table accent.

• Give guests frames imprinted with special party details. We stock a huge variety of personalized frames, in a wide array of sizes, colors and styles. If your budget is limited, try an imprinted acrylic frame. When the party is over, the frame can be filled with a photograph. Either use a Polaroid™ camera to send a picture home with each of your guests, or mail souvenir photos at a later date with thank you notes for gifts. Make sure that you have plenty of film on hand, so that you can take lots of pictures of the couple with each family/couple/ or individual in attendance.

• One of the most economical and fun favors we offer is a bottle of personalized bubbles. The label on our bubbles can be imprinted with your theme or special design graphic, in your color of choice. The bubbles look great on tables as a stand-alone favor, or you can tie a piece of Curling Ribbon in an accent color to the neck of the bubbles. For more formal occasions, the bubbles are just as much fun and a great table accent when wrapped elegantly! Cut circles out of gossamer, netting or tulle (9″ in diameter). Place the bubbles in the center of the circle, wrap and tie with a 12″ length of thin satin ribbon or curling ribbon.

• Favor boxes also provide an economical table accent. They can be filled with candy, mints, nuts or toy trinkets for each guest. If you are filling the boxes with candy, select candy in a color that complements the colors you will be using for your other decorations. To save money on the volume of “treats” you will need to fill each box, start by filling each box with some metallic shred or a little gossamer “puddle” in a coordinating color.

Favorite Food Ideas for Family Reunions

Because a family reunion is usually a casual event, we suggest serving assorted party foods via a buffet line. If you decide to go with a theme for your party, you will want to serve food that compliments your theme. For example, BBQ chicken for a Western theme, tacos for a Mexican fiesta, or teriyaki chicken for a luau.

Here are some suggestions for types of food to serve with any theme:
• Appetizers can include such items as stuffed mushrooms, crab dip with crackers, salsa and chips, Pigs in a Blanket, spinach dip in a bread bowl, and cheese and crackers.
• Chicken skewers, mini pizzas, pasta salad, baked potatoes with toppings, and a Mexican bar are great ideas for the main dishes.

Plus, here are some of our favorite recipes:

Peanut Blossom Cookies
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup Flour
1 teaspoon Soda
½ teaspoon Salt
½ cup Butter
½ cup Peanut Butter
½ cup Sugar
½ cup packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Egg

Sift together flour, soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter. Gradually add in sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix well.

Shape dough into balls and place each ball into miniature muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and immediately place a miniature Reeces Cup in the center of each ball. Let cool before removing from tin.

Texas Pepper Steak
Ingredients:
1 Shoulder Roast (about 3 lbs)
2 tsp Meat Tenderizer
2 tsp Instant Onion
2 tsp Thyme
1 cup Marjoram
1 Bay leaf (crushed)
1 cup Wine Vinegar
½ cup Olive Oil
3 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Cracked Pepper

Sprinkle meat with tenderizer. Mix onion, thyme, marjoram, bay leaf, vinegar, oil and lemon juice. Marinate roast for tow hours or more, turning every half-hour. Remove meat from marinade and pound in pepper.

Cook on grill at low setting until desired doneness is achieved. Be sure to brush on marinade each time meat is turned.

Southern Styled Baked Corn
Ingredients:
1 16oz. can Whole Kernel Corn
1 16oz. can Cream Style Corn
2 Eggs, beaten
1 8oz. pkg corn bread mix
1 cup Sour Cream
½ cup melted butter, cooled
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese

Mix undrained whole kernel corn, cream corn, eggs, cornbread mix and sour cream in bowl; stir in butter. Add salt and pepper. Spoon into a 10 x 10 baking dish. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 15 minutes longer.
Serves 8-10

Tell us your favorite family foods!