Family reunion checklist
The hard part isn't the cooking, it's the coordinating — get the date and the logistics agreed early, and the meal itself is the easy afternoon.
16 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Date agreed, with a shortlist sent out rather than an open question
- Venue or host's house confirmed, and whether it can actually take the numbers
- Guest list finalised, including who's bringing anyone new
- Sleeping arrangements worked out and shared in advanceSettle who has the sofa bed before bags are in the hall, not after.
- Dietary needs and allergies collected a few weeks out, not on the day
- Cooking plan agreed — one household doing it all, or the meal split between families
- Table plan or seating thought aboutThe one relative nobody wants next to another relative is a solvable problem if it's thought about in advance.
- Activities planned for children, so the adults get an actual conversation
- Shopping list built around the final numbers, not the first guess
- Extra chairs, plates and cutlery sorted or borrowed for the numbers
- Photos planned for while everyone's still in one placeThe group photo always gets forgotten once people start drifting off after the meal.
- A rough running order for the day, so lunch doesn't slide into the evening unplanned
- Drinks sorted for the numbers, including a proper non-alcoholic option
- Someone briefed to keep an eye on the oldest and the youngest guests
- Leftovers plan agreedContainers ready to send food home stops a week of one household eating the entire reunion alone.
- Next reunion pencilled in before everyone leavesThe date agreed while people are still in the room happens; the one 'we'll sort out later' rarely does.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- How do we agree a date when everyone's diaries clash?
- Send a shortlist of two or three dates early rather than asking everyone for their availability and trying to find the overlap yourself — it's faster and it puts the decision back with the group.
- How do we handle who's sleeping where?
- Write it down and share it, rather than leaving it to be sorted out on arrival. Somebody always assumes the sofa bed is theirs, and it's easier to settle before bags are even in the hall.
- What's the best way to collect dietary needs?
- Ask everyone directly a few weeks out, not on the day. It's the difference between one dish adjusted in advance and a scramble in the kitchen while everyone else is already seated.