Budget planning

Family Reunion Budget Template

The difference between a reunion that runs smoothly and one that ends with someone covering a $600 shortfall is a budget that gets written down before anyone starts spending. Here are real numbers based on real reunions.

The full picture

Budget overview for 50 people, one-day reunion.

These ranges are based on a Saturday reunion at a reserved park pavilion or community center, with a catered or semi-catered meal, custom t-shirts, and basic activities. Adjust up or down based on your family's priorities.

Category	Low estimate	High estimate	Notes
Venue rental	$500	$2,000	Park pavilion on the low end, community center on the high end
Food and drinks	$750	$1,250	Catered BBQ at $15-25/person, plus drinks and ice
T-shirts	$400	$750	50 shirts at $8-15 each depending on design complexity
Activities and games	$200	$500	Supplies for field day, trivia prizes, kids' zone
Photography	$0	$300	Free if someone volunteers, $300 for a 2-hour photographer
Decorations	$50	$150	Banners, tablecloths, centerpieces, signage
Event insurance	$75	$150	Required by some venues, covers liability for one day
Sound and music	$0	$200	Bluetooth speaker (free) vs. rented PA system or DJ
Printing	$25	$75	Name tags, schedule cards, memorial table prints
Miscellaneous	$200	$200	Trash bags, tape, extension cords, ice runs, forgotten items
Total	$2,200	$5,575	$44-112 per person

Most families land somewhere in the $3,200 to $4,500 range for 50 people. That's roughly $65 to $90 per person. If you're charging per household instead, a family of four would pay $180 to $250.

Category breakdown

Where the money actually goes.

Venue: $500 to $2,000

This is usually your biggest single expense. A public park pavilion might only cost $100 to $300 to reserve, but you'll need to bring everything: tables, chairs, shade canopies, a generator for power. A community center at $500 to $1,500 comes with those things built in, plus air conditioning. Think about what your family actually needs. If you have elderly members, climate control matters. If you have small kids, enclosed spaces matter.

Food and drinks: $750 to $1,250

Catered BBQ runs $15 to $25 per person depending on your area. That includes meat, two sides, bread, and utensils. Add another $2 to $3 per person for drinks (water, soda, juice). If your family does a potluck for sides and desserts, you can drop the catering cost to just the main protein and save 30 to 40 percent.

Budget tip: order for 90% of your headcount, not 100%. There are always people who eat light, kids who barely touch their plates, and last-minute cancellations. Ordering for 45 when 50 RSVPed saves $75 to $125.

T-shirts: $400 to $750

Custom reunion shirts run $8 to $12 for a basic one-color print on a standard tee. Full-color or premium fabric pushes it to $12 to $15. Order 10% extra in popular sizes (L, XL, 2XL) because someone always forgets to submit their size. Collect sizes during the RSVP process, not the week before. If shirts are eating too much of your budget, make them optional at cost: "Shirts are $12 each, order by June 1."

Activities and games: $200 to $500

Tug-of-war rope: $20. Sack race bags: $15. Water balloons: $10. Trivia prizes: $50. Face painting kit: $25. Cornhole set: $40 (and you keep it for next year). A bounce house rental: $150 to $250. You don't need to spend a lot here. The best reunion activities are the ones that get people laughing together, and those are usually the cheapest.

Splitting costs

Four ways to split the costs fairly.

Equal per-person split

Total budget divided by total attendees. Simplest to explain. A family of 6 pays 6x. A solo attendee pays 1x. Works best when your per-person price is under $75.

Per-household flat rate

Every household pays the same amount regardless of size. $150 per household, whether it's one person or five. Feels more fair to larger families. Less fair to singles and couples.

Tiered pricing

Adults: full price. Kids 6-12: half price. Under 6: free. This is the most common model. For a $70/person reunion: adults $70, kids $35, little ones free. A family of 2 adults, 2 kids, and a toddler pays $210 instead of $350.

Early bird discount

Pay by a certain date, get 15% off. Full price after that. This rewards the people who commit early and gives you working capital for deposits. $70 drops to $60 if paid by March 1.

Multi-day reunions

Budget adjustments for a weekend reunion.

A multi-day reunion (Friday evening through Sunday morning) typically costs 2.5 to 3 times a one-day event. The biggest additions are lodging and extra meals. Here's what changes.

Lodging: $2,000 to $6,000

A large vacation rental that sleeps 20 to 30 runs $800 to $2,000 per night. Two nights: $1,600 to $4,000. Alternatively, negotiate a group rate at a nearby hotel ($89 to $129/night) and let each family book their own room. Campground cabins are the budget-friendly option at $50 to $100 per cabin per night.

Additional meals: $600 to $1,200

Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast. Budget $10 to $15 per person per meal for group cooking or simple catering. Assign meals to branches: the Atlanta side handles Friday dinner, the Chicago side does Saturday breakfast. It splits the cost and the work.

Extended activities: $300 to $800

With more time, you can add things like a movie night (projector rental: $75), a Saturday morning 5K walk, or a fishing trip. These don't have to be expensive, but budget for supplies and any rental fees. A bonfire with s'mores materials for 50 people costs about $40.

Total for a weekend reunion with 50 people: roughly $6,500 to $12,000, or $130 to $240 per person. It sounds like a lot, but compare it to what each family would spend on a vacation anyway. A weekend together, meals included, for $130 per person is a bargain.

Where to save

Smart ways to cut costs without cutting quality.

Potluck the sides and desserts

Cater just the main protein and let family members bring sides. Cuts food costs by 30-40% and gives people a way to contribute beyond money.

DIY the decorations

Dollar store tablecloths, printed photos from past reunions as centerpieces, handmade banner. $50 can go a long way with a little creativity and two hours of prep.

Skip the DJ, use a playlist

A curated playlist on a decent Bluetooth speaker costs nothing. Make it a family project: everyone submits three songs. Instant nostalgia soundtrack.

Ask a family member to photograph

You probably have a cousin with a nice camera who'd love to be the official photographer. Give them a free reunion fee and a thank-you at the program.

Book the venue early

Park pavilions and community centers often offer lower rates for early bookings. Some give discounts for non-profit or community use. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Reuse supplies year to year

Invest in a cornhole set, tug-of-war rope, and serving supplies once. Store them and use them every year. The cost amortizes to nearly zero by year three.

Making it accessible

Build a scholarship fund into the price.

Add $3 to $5 per person to the base price and set it aside in a scholarship pool. That's $150 to $250 for a 50-person reunion. Enough to fully cover one or two families who need it. Let people know the fund exists without making it a big announcement. A quiet note at the bottom of the invitation: "If cost is a barrier, reach out to [name]. We have a family fund."

You can also offer a "sponsor a family" option for members who want to contribute extra. Some families are happy to pay $200 instead of $140 if they know the difference is helping someone else attend. No names disclosed. Just family taking care of family.

Beyond per-person fees

Creative ways to supplement the budget.

Not every dollar has to come from per-person fees. Many families use these strategies to lower individual costs or fund extras that wouldn't fit in the base budget.

Family cookbook presale

Collect recipes from across the family. Print a reunion cookbook for $8-12 each and sell for $20. A run of 40 copies nets $320-480 for the fund.

50/50 raffle at the reunion

Sell raffle tickets at $5 each during the event. Half goes to the winner, half goes to the fund. A 50-person crowd usually raises $100-200.

Sponsorship from successful members

Some family members are in a position to contribute more. A 'Gold Sponsor' tier at $250-500 covers their family plus contributes to the general fund.

Reunion merchandise

Beyond t-shirts: hats, tote bags, koozies. Price them at cost plus $5-10 markup. Even if only 30% of attendees buy extras, it adds up.

Memory wall donations

Families who want to honor a deceased member on the memorial wall contribute $25-50. Meaningful for the family and it funds the printing and display.

Year-round fund

Start a PayPal or Venmo pool 12 months out. Even $10/month from 10 families is $1,200 by reunion time. Small contributions add up without sticker shock.

Common mistakes

Budget mistakes that sneak up on you.

Ordering food for 100% of RSVPs

Order for 85-90%. No-shows happen every year, and kids don't eat full portions.

Forgetting tax and tips on catering

Add 25% to the quoted food price: 8% tax, 15-18% tip. A $1,000 catering quote becomes $1,250.

No miscellaneous line item

Budget $150-200 for things you don't expect: extra ice, paper towels, a replacement canopy, gas for the generator.

Spending the buffer early

The buffer exists for surprises, not upgrades. Don't dip into it for a better DJ when the Bluetooth speaker works fine.

Not tracking expenses in real time

Update the budget spreadsheet every time money goes out. If you wait until the end, you'll miss things and the numbers won't add up.

By reunion size

Quick budget ranges by group size.

Not every reunion is 50 people. Here's how the budget scales depending on your headcount.

Small (15-25 people)

$800 - $1,800

$50 - $75/person

Usually a park pavilion, potluck-heavy, minimal printed materials. Lower per-person costs because venue and fixed costs are shared among fewer people at a cheaper venue.

Medium (30-60 people)

$2,500 - $5,500

$60 - $95/person

The sweet spot. Community center or reserved pavilion. Catered main course. Custom shirts. Organized activities. This is the most common reunion size.

Large (75-150 people)

$6,000 - $15,000

$80 - $120/person

Requires a proper event venue. Full catering with servers. PA system. Photographer. Higher per-person cost but more impressive production value.

After the reunion

Close the books and share the results.

Within two weeks of the reunion, send a simple financial summary to the family. It doesn't need to be fancy. A message in the group chat or an email with these numbers.

Sample post-reunion summary

Total collected: $3,850 (from 42 households)

Total spent: $3,420

- Venue: $800

- Catering: $1,350

- T-shirts: $520

- Activities: $280

- Photography: $200

- Decorations and supplies: $170

- Insurance: $100

Surplus: $430 (rolling into next year's fund)

This five-minute exercise builds enormous trust. Families are more willing to pay next year when they saw exactly where this year's money went. For more on managing reunion finances, see our guide on how to collect money for a family reunion.

How Grove helps

Grove tracks the budget so you don't need a spreadsheet.

Grove's built-in budget tool lets you set categories, track spending in real time, and share a live budget summary with your family. Payments collected through Grove automatically update the "collected" column. Expenses you log update the "spent" column. The math is always current, and the committee can see it without asking.

How Grove works See pricing

Keep reading

Your reunion budget, organized from day one.

Free to start. Budget tools, payment tracking, and family transparency built in.

Start your reunion budget