Planning for a Family Reunion on the Beach

You’ve been chosen to arrange a family reunion at the beach and need to know how to pull it off. Not a problem. It’s all about organizing, attention details, and planning ahead. Reunions are fun and festive and a great time to catch up with those relatives you’ve lost touch with and see how cousins have grown up. The key is to plan something that will appeal to the group as a whole for fun and fellowship.

Here are some great tips for planning a family reunion, party, or vacation on the beach.

Location, location, location
So you know everyone wants to have the reunion at the beach. How do you choose the right one? Take a look at where your family and relatives are scattered about. What beaches are close to the majority of people? Where is some place that a lot of people have wanted to visit? What beaches aren’t overrun with crowds or partiers that would be best for your event? You can even choose a beach close to you for convenience in the planning process.

Banquet Space
Once you choose the specific location, you need to find an ideal space to host your reunion. You can look at banquet space in a hotel, VFW halls, churches, etc., but since you’re at the beach, why not build the theme into the party space? Visit local restaurants that might be on the beach or overlooking the water. Price out options where your family can watch utilize the beach setting for volleyball or cooking out during the day and watching the sunset or stars at night. Be sure you write out all of your requirements (bar, menu, music, handicapped accessibility, bathrooms, etc.) so you can interview venues to find the best possible one for your reunion. Have a backup indoor location in the event of rain or inclement weather.

Accommodations
Contact a beach hotel in your location of choice and speak to the sales department. Negotiate a room block and reduced rate for your group. Don’t over-promise filling rooms. It’s always better to error on the lower end to fill the block of space. Get quotes from several hotels and, if needed, play them off each other if you’re trying to get into a particular space. Find out what amenities are offered for extra benefit like free parking, breakfast included, a pool, free wi-fi.

Invitations
Pick an invitation with a beach theme to relay what’s in store for your family. Send out a “save the date” card so everyone knows it’s coming up. Then, follow-up with the formal invitation two months before the event. Keep a spreadsheet of who is or isn’t coming to help with your headcount and activities you’re planning.

Food, Decorations, Entertainment
Depending on the venue you go with, you’ll want to decide on food that will satisfy the majority of appetites in your family. Be sensitive to those with food allergies or issues such as lactose intolerance, diabetes, vegan, or vegetarian. Talk to the banquet manager to see what decorations they will provide. Most restaurants will include linens of some sort and candles. Bring your own items to spruce up the space with the beach theme – a surfboard, flippers and snorkel, sea shells, nets, sand, sea creatures, etc. Play up the decorations and have fun with it. Also, look into hiring some sort of entertainment for the evening festivities. Consider a DJ or a live band. Again, work with your beach theme to make the party sparkle. Get everyone dancing, doing the limbo, or joining in one of those crazy line dances.

Finally, arrive at the beach ahead of everyone else to make sure everything is in place and ready to go. Remember, no family is perfect and there will be people who complain about this, that, or the other. Your job as the planner is to keep things moving, shine a smile brightly, and make sure people have fun. Stay at the beach an extra day or two to pamper yourself for a job well done. So whether you are just getting together with family, having a baby shower or special event, or just want to get away for awhile, just remember these tips for your next beach trip.





Criss White is a professional writer that writes about food and other party planning topics like food for baby shower parties and other baby shower ideas. Criss enjoys hosting parties and cooking when not writing.

Tricks to Get Children to Sit Still During Family Photos

One of the best ways to capture the memories of your family is to have a family photography session. People often like to have these photographs taken while their kids are young as a remembrance that the whole family can look back on after the children grow up. Photos are such a great way to capture the beauty of the moment and to remember the past.

There are also some who think that they have to let their kids pose for pictures so they can frame them, however, making a baby or kid sit for a picture can be quite a challenge for everyone. Word of warning though, picture taking sessions with kids can be stressful if you cannot get your children to sit still for the pictures. If you are planning on taking many pictures and having a lengthy photo shoot, keeping your kids from becoming restless can be even more challenging. Here are a few tips and tricks for keeping children and babies still while taking photographs.

The focal point has to be established so the child will have something to concentrate on. That is the one spot or object that the child will look to so they look good on the picture. However, making them hold that point is the challenge. Fortunately, it only takes seconds or less to click that shutter.

It is easier for older kids as they have a longer attention span. However, there are also some kids that may need to be bribed to hold still. One trick to get kids on their best behavior during these important photo shoots is to give them something to look forward to after the photography is complete, like an ice cream outing or some other fun activity that the kid will enjoy. Remember, the photographer can shoot the picture but a great picture has to be taken and there is no chance in doing that if the child does not sit still.

Babies are easier sometimes for they can just look to their mother and at their favorite toy. Then someone could also hold them still from underneath while the photographer snaps the picture of the baby. Make sure to schedule the photo shoot for a time of day when the baby is likely to be awake and well rested.

The mother could also dance in front of the child or make funny faces to bring the children into good spirits. Sometimes just setting a positive mood will help you get the results that you want. Others simply wave the baby bottle or the ice cream cone. If for a second or two the child reaches out and smiles for the treat, then go ahead and take the picture then.

Of course experienced family photographers have more tricks up their sleeves to make the photography session more entertaining for children and to get the results that you want. Before you know it, you will have photos that you can proudly display at the office, in your home, or even in baby picture frame favors for a party. The point is to take a great picture which is good enough to frame and show off to everyone.