Spending time with family enriches life. Despite their differences, people tied by blood or marriage have the strongest bonds that can be cultivated further with reunions.
Big or small, every family has its own traditions. This is the very reason why family reunions aren’t the same for everyone. Some may want big parties, while others prefer intimate celebrations in the best restaurants in Doha. Whatever the case, organizing such an event can be a bit daunting.
If you’re planning a family reunion in Doha, you can try these six tips and tricks to make the preparation easier and the family gathering much more memorable:
- Get input from the family.
Planning a family reunion should be a collective effort from the very beginning. That means you’ll need to get input from the rest of the family regarding the basic details of the event.
Start with a date and location. Professional planners recommend commencing the planning stage around 12 months ahead to ensure ample time for the preparation.
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At this point, you should send out questionnaires or conduct virtual polls with the family members to determine where, when, and what they want the reunion to be. If you can, gather a committee to choose three dates and locations included in the polls for ranking.
Pro Tip: Avoid dates that involve a relative’s wedding, graduation, or birthday parties.
Although it’s impossible to meet everyone’s needs, the survey will help you determine what will work for most of your family members. Plus, it can give you an approximate headcount on who can attend the gathering, making it easier to allocate budget, select venues, etc.
- Establish a budget.
The next step is to establish a reunion budget.
If you have established a working committee, the person who handles the finances should have a record of how much the previous reunion cost. If this is the first reunion, you should research the average cost of venues, transportation, and catering based on the date and location decided in the survey.
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Don’t forget to keep track of all expenditures.
If you have a limited budget for the family reunion, seek travel packages and off-season discounts for the venue, entertainment, and catering. You should also consider sticking to electronic invitations, do-it-yourself decorations, and potluck food to reduce the reunion costs.
- Select a venue.
Several things can make choosing a venue easier, but the most important one is to consider how much you are willing to pay and how far the family is willing to travel for the event.
Choose a place that offers the best value for money, like campgrounds with lodging, amenities, and food all in one.
Below are a few venue examples you should consider for your family reunion in Doha:
Destination reunion
If you’re planning this type of reunion, you need to begin planning way ahead to ensure that there’s enough time and money to make the vacation get-together work.
Select a place that offers something for all generations of your brood. This could be a national park, mountain retreat, or beach town.
You can also choose a location that offers alternative lodging selections, like bed-and-breakfasts, townhouse transient rentals, and even tents.
The key is to let your family know as early as possible to give them enough time to process their travel arrangements.
Restaurant
This type of venue is best for small families that prefer intimate get-togethers better than big activities.
When picking a restaurant for a family dinner or lunch reunion, you should consider proximity and parking. Also, remember to account for any special food needs in the family, like allergies, diet, religious beliefs, and so on.
Backyard
You can also have a reunion in a backyard – be it your own or a relative’s. The good thing about backyard events is that they don’t need to be reserved ahead of time.
Still, you need to remember that you may need to rent additional features that professional venues can provide, such as seating, stage, and backyard tents.
- Send out the invites.
Most family reunions include extended family. However, you should still consider your own family dynamics when deciding who to invite for the gathering.
Ideally, those who participated during your survey and said they could come for a reunion should be on your invites list. Before holding off an invitation from some of your relatives, remember the primary purpose of reunions: to reconnect loved ones.
After confirming the guest list, it’s time to send the invites. You can send traditional paper invitations, but, as mentioned earlier, you can save a lot if you invite your family over social media, email, or other electronic channels.
- Plan the menu ahead.
You need to think about the foods and beverages for your reunion, regardless if you’re holding the event in a restaurant or not. If you’re not sure what to serve during the event, you can take into consideration the following factors:
Venue
Learn what the venue has to offer on the matter of catering by asking the following questions:
- Does it have an onsite kitchen?
- Will there be electricity for food warmers?
- Does the venue offer catering and/or allow food from outside?
Aside from this, the venue can also serve as your inspiration for the menu theme. For instance, if you’re camping out for your family reunion, you can include camping-themed food like s’mores, franks, kebabs and other food cooked over a campfire.
Your Family Heritage
Since the gathering is all about family, you can also use your ancestry as inspiration for your reunion menu.
This means you should include foods that are included in your family’s local culture or country of origin. Even better if you have a couple of original recipes passed down from earlier generations to commemorate your clan.
Season or Time of the Year
Professional event planners also recommend tailoring your reunion menu to the season or time of the year. For example, if you’re spending it in the summer, consider in-season produce and summer-related items like ice cream.
- Don’t forget the entertainment.
When planning family reunion activities, you should also remember to choose entertainment that will suit everyone. That means there should be something for all generations of the family.
Like the food, you can also use your venue as inspiration for this. For example, if your destination reunion is set to be held at a resort, you can plan a pool party for the family. Of course, this type of entertainment is applicable even in other venues with a pool, especially if you’re headed somewhere warm like Doha, Qatar.
You can also take into account the family’s inclination for certain things by putting on a talent show, especially if the total number of guests is large enough. Don’t forget to add the sign-up instructions when you send your invites, and take advantage of this chance to show off the talented singers, dancers, and even magicians of the family.
Have a Memorable Celebration
Family reunions remain one of the most celebrated gatherings in Doha, Qatar, because time with loved ones is precious.
Make your next get-together with the brood unforgettable with these tips and tricks.
