I'm on the planning committee for our 20 Year Class Reunion. We are looking for things that we can create ourselves to help save some money. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
The theme for our Friday night event is a Family Tailgate/Picnic at our high school's Senior Day game. On Saturday night, we'll be having a dinner/dance night. We'll be focusing on an 80's theme here since the 80's was the highlight of our high school days.
Thanks in advance.
Marla
We always do a book to give out with addresses and put a nice cover on the front made out of card stock. Our school happened to be the Newton Cardinals so we put cardinals on the front and the Class of 1959 or whatever year you are working on. We also send out a letter several months before the reunion and ask if they cannot come to the reunion to please send us a letter outlining what they have done for the last 20 years. Someone then types it up and includes it in the booklet. We ask for email addresses so those that get a book can contact each other if they wish. We also ask for the name of a person in our hometown that would know where they would be, could be friends or family. This book is done on someones home computer. We also have taken videos and then if anyone would like to have a video, we would duplicate a copy for them.
Someone in my husband's class copied the annual and each picture was then cut out and put onto name tags.
We rented a room at the motel and had it cleaned out and had a hospitality room and had snacks and drinks purchased for our class mates. This is especially nice for the ones out of town.
We do have regular meetings for our planning committee. Since you are only out 20 years, this may not apply to you, but we found that folks wanted to visit, not dance so we sent our DJ home early and this year we decided to not have a DJ.
After the dinner on Sat night we had a meeting and asked what our classmates wanted for the reunion or if they had any ideas and they usually come up with items they would like to see.
I might add that we do charge a small amount for the dinner (usually catered) and if we have any funds leftover we would send the books to the ones that could not come and we put personal notes on them that said we missed them and to please try to make the next one.
I might add too that our community is big on class reunions. We decorate the business windows downtown with things from our high school days.
Hope this helps!(03/09/2005)
By Teddy
I was on the committee for our 20 year this past Fall. We also found that not many people danced. Will bring in some other music next time in place of DJ that cost $500.00.
Centerpieces were simple vases from Michael's and flowers from COSTCO ($12 for 2 dozen--separated into bouquets and tied with ribbon. Simple, but elegant),
Offered to have business cards printed in back of class booklet for $20 donation. Booklets included in price of ticket but could be bought by those who could not attend. Make sure to figure in postage and envelopes before quoting the cost.
Registered the reunion with Classmates.com. Initial mass mailing included my email address in 'code' so that people could email me directly and not have to belong to Classmates.com and pay. IE: janedoe at yahoo dot com.
Made gift baskets that were raffled-off to classmates. No cost. Just made list of all classmates attending, put names in basket and pulled name for each gift. Had $$ left over from previous reunion and bought bottles of wine, good liquor, made a few baskets of items. Classmates loved this idea. Maybe save $ on DJ and do this instead?
Good luck. Make it fun for yourselves, too. (03/10/2005)
By Elizabeth
Thank you for the suggestions. We're talking about doing the "Momento Booklet" ourselves. I'm not sure how far along this project is at the moment. I'm like you, most people are going to be more interested in chatting rather than dancing so the whole DJ thing might not be needed.
I'll present these suggestions to the rest of the committee at our next meeting, which is scheduled for next week Tues.
Thanks Again, Marla
(03/10/2005)
By Marla Ball
Elizabeth, I love your encoding email address tip for classmates.com postings. For the tailgating event on Friday night, I'll be donating custom made candles from Enchanting Scents Designs, a candle company I'm an Independent Consultant with. I'm also working on some 1/2 oz bath and body samples for our "gift bags" from Enchanted Potions, the bath and body company I'm an Independent Consultant with. We're all utilizing resources we have at our finger tips to help lessen the expenses. Again, you point out some things we haven't even talked about. I'll present these ideas to the committee at our meeting on Tuesday.
Thanks, Marla
03/10/2005)
By Marla Ball
Find old pics from the 80's, copy them on a sheet of paper, laminate them, and turn them into place mats at your dinner. (07/13/2005)
By India
For the 80's theme, you could make your own tie-die t-shirts, bandanas or hats. You could string "love beads" or make peace sign necklaces to give everyone. (07/15/2006)
By Kim
A fellow classmate and myself are planning our 20 yr reunion as well. We are trying to locate our mascot costume, cheerleader uniforms, jerseys, prom dress, cap and gown, etc from our high school days. Maybe you could try some of these for decorating the walls. It should take up quite a bit of space. Also we are using old newspaper clipping of football games and old photos as well. Hope this has helped a little. (12/20/2006)
By Tammy
I am in charge of our 30th class reunion activities . I would like to give out prizes for different items; like has the most legs living under their roof ( including pets and humans). I can't think of anymore. My reunion is next week. Need help. (06/22/2007)
By Carolyn
I don't know what it's like where you live but my small-town Kentucky class attends reunions done Potluck or picnic style a whole lot better than a Formal Dinner.At our 30th we gave out certificates to class officers--one who drove the most miles--most (physically)changed--least changed--largest family--etc. You'd be surprised how much 30 years can change a person!The only problem with the booklet is that some people don't really choose to reveal their background information.Get out a yearbook and copy photos. I made a huge collage on a backdrop and everyone enjoyed the old photos from our high school years.Good luck with your reunion! (06/23/2007)
By Sharon, KY
I just stumbled across this site and want to thank everyone for great ideas! Our 20th Reunion is coming up in August and I'm in charge of decorating and name tags. I love the idea of copying photos from the yearbook and using them on nametags. I'm focusing on an 80's theme and purchased movie and music posters on ebay to hang on the walls (Breakfast Club, Top Gun, U2, etc).
thanks again! (07/24/2007)
By Erin
We are using helloworld technology which allows us to send out video email and do a live broadcast. The live broadcast feature has been very well received. For example we are having a live broadcast this week with about a 100 people on the broadcast to discuss what we want to do. This technology will allow me to have polling questions which once people answer I can share the results immediately. Also we are signing the high school up for this service so anybody who signs up from the class reunion all profits will benefit high school. (10/11/2007)
We are getting ready to have our 20 Year Reunion and I've used www.constantcontact.com which is a website that you can subscribe to (less than $20) and send out emails to your classmates. It has templates and actually tracks the emails so you can see how many of the emails bounced back, were actually opened, if they clicked on a link and it tells you which email did so. You can also set up Paypal so that people can pay electronically. Obviously, you have to set up your Paypal account first and then the website will let you create the link with Paypal button. The templates are in color and you can add clip art such as your highschool logo. It's very professional and you'll probably get a lot more responses than if you just sent a regular email. (01/16/2008)
For our 30th reunion we made it simple. Our Saturday night dinner was casual. No one wanted to go out and buy a dress for the night nor did they want to wear nylons and high heels. Also you have to consider that due to Life Happening some classmates don't have the money to put out for a fancy dress or dinner. We made and copied CDs with music from our time, and included a copy in our books that we made and gave out.
We are doing another reunion this year and I found Classreport dot Org and it's awesome! No cost to individuals and people show only what they want others to see. As the administrator for my class I can see all the information and use it for "official use" only. Most of all I have made friendships with people I went to school with 35-40 years ago and never really knew. Have Fun! Remember that today is a gift. Tomorrow is not guaranteed! (01/19/2008)
By Lorie
DJ's are expensive and so is renting a dance floor. Most people won't dance. Use an available sound system and plug your computer, IPOD, or other MP3 and you have the music you want.
No one remembers the money you spend on decorations, just the people that are there.
Don't base your impressions of reunions on your 10th because you really haven't had time to grow as a person yet.
The 20th reunion is much better because you have grown and are comfortable with who you are. You find out that those snotty cheerleaders and jocks were not really snotty but incredibly shy confused teenagers. The ones that were wallflowers in HS have now blossomed into fascinating people.
Never hold grudges on what someone might have said to you or did something to you in school. It was the frame of mind of the adolescent who said the words and you too took the meaning of what was said with a child's mind.
The 30th reunion was the best, followed by a 50th class birthday party 2 years later and many gatherings afterwards. We are now "comfortable" in our skins (fat or skinny) and comfortable with whom we are as persons. We are now not judgmental but more kind, accepting, and empathetic of not only others but of ourselves.
Being over 50, we know that the extra pounds, grey hairs, or the lack of hair are not who we are. When we walk into the next class reunion people will not be looking at us but into our eyes and hearts, seeing the young person that was full of life and hope and also an older person that may have experienced too much heartache and disappointment.
We have finally "grown up". Ok, I'll stop now :) (01/19/2008)
By Lorie
We have asked for everyone to send pics, whether by email or the pics themselves to be scanned. I'm compiling them in order from kindergarten to senior year and putting them to music in a slide show. We're going to show it during dinner but we are also copying them and giving them out as favors- very cheap but meaningful! (01/22/2008)
By Kristen
A great site to help organize is e-vite.com, free service. If you can get everyone's e-mail. You can even collect payment via paypal, very easy!! We are maing balloon centerpieces with our school colors, we are making a book for the bar area, for people to mix their own drinks, and we are making up names for the drinks, after our classmates, things from our hometown, memories of high school. We are also making name tags using senior photos. These are also some of the ideas for "awards" Some of these are "Traveled the farthest", "First and Last to Register", "Most Body Piercings/Tattoos", "Person with the oddest experience", "Humanitarian Awards" (include all those involved in community service personally and professionally), "Still Class Clown After All These Years", "The Most Children", "Who Traveled the Furthest to the Reunion", etc. For those with a good sense of humor, you can do a poll in advance and find out who has been married the most times and create an award category for this (be sure and get permission from potential recipient of this award in advance so there are no embarrassing surprises). (04/09/2008)
By Jill
We are having ours this summer. Friday nite is at local bar and grill a meet and Greet to get re acquainted, break the ice. Saturday night at country club dinner and dance. Showing video slide of h.s photos that we've asked people to submit of any events from h.s they attended (sports, dances, rallies, or just silly pics of friends at school etc, idea is to look back) we are honoring all classmates we know of that have passed away by showing their senior picture in video at end. We are having '80s karokee, selecting songs from 80s. Sunday we'll meet for coffee at local cafe for farewell. (06/30/2008)
I'm on the planning committee for our 20 year reunion, and also was for the 15 year. We've had a lot of success with our events, for pretty cheap! At the 15 year we got school t-shirts for door prizes, then made candy bar wrappers on our computer for Hershey bars. We put "golden tickets" Willy Wonka style on certain ones, and put them at each place setting, then everyone opened the candy bars right when we sat down for the meal. It created a lot of excitement right from the beginning. Since our high school has a parent's booster club, we contacted them and they sent 2 people to our reunion site with the "Devils Den" merchandise. It was a big hit, especially with the out of town guests.
As for the upcoming 20 year, we ordered private label beer as a souvenir for all guests (you can also get root beer), and then we are making a "Then and Now" DVD. You can download a free software called Photostory that lets you put in photos and music, then burn DVDs. It even comes with some stock music.
We just try to think of cool trinket type things in our school colors to put at the reunion. We are even making those inexpensive fleece blankets for prizes, and one will be embroidered with "Class of 1988".
Hope this helps! :) (07/07/2008)
Hi, Our class will be celebrating a reunion in December 2008 after 25 years. Most of us are still in touch with each other courtesy yahoo groups. I was looking for ideas to celebrate this occasion and thanks to you guys was able to get plenty of ideas. Thanks once again. Hope we have a blast!
Cheers (07/22/2008)
By Prashant
We are having our 20th class reunion next month, and we weren't getting much reaction from our classmates with snail mail mail outs, so I finally created a website using www.classcreator.com. Man, was this so successful and awesome. People in our class were freaking out. It's completely free and you can be the administrator. All you need is your senior yearbook to scan in the senior photos and type in the names. My classmates have thanked me over and over. You can actually register your own domain name--through class creator--if you want, but I just went with the name they gave me and it's free for us (forever). It's helped us generate so much more interest in only a month's time.
If I had not done this, I'm not sure our 20th reunion would be the success it's now going to be. And I usually don't plug things. But the site is just too easy (and I'm not a web developer and not a techie or anything)....just a normal 38-year old stay at home mother! -M (08/21/2008)
By Adria
I signed up my class on www.classcreator.com. The site is free, and everyone that is an administrator on the site chats in the forums to help give ideas to others and other issues that they may experience.
It is a great tool. The administrators build up their site unique to their school and class, and you can include music, pictures, games, countdown calendars to the big event etc. Definitely worth checking out...who knows, you may find yourself addicted to the site, like I am. I am in build the website mode. It's great.
Good luck! (01/09/2009)
By Vicki
www.GradsReunite.com is also a great FREE website to help organize your class reunion. Once you join you can set up a profile page, add pictures, music, countdown clock, etc. We set-up a class group page and have been keeping in contact and catching up with everyone. It's been fun! They also have professional reunion planners available to answer questions. (01/17/2009)
By Alaina T.
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