Class Reunion Planning FAQ

Everything a new reunion planner asks, in order

If you have just volunteered to plan your class reunion, you have a hundred questions and no obvious place to start. This FAQ collects the ones we hear most, in roughly the order you will face them, so you can get oriented fast. None of it is complicated once someone lays it out plainly: reunions run on lead time, a realistic budget, early outreach, and keeping your information in one place instead of five. Skim the questions below and you will have the shape of the whole project in a few minutes.

10–12 mo

standard planning lead time

$40–125

typical ticket range per person

challenge is finding people

Common questions expand to reveal answers, one row at a time.

The most common questions, answered

How long does planning take?

Budget 10 to 12 months for a standard reunion and 12 to 18 for a milestone like a 40th or 50th, where finding a widely scattered class eats the most time. You can pull off a smaller reunion in six months if you must, but the compressed timeline makes outreach and venue availability much harder.

How much does it cost, and what do tickets run?

Your ticket price comes from your budget, not the other way around. Total your fixed costs (venue, catering minimum, DJ, name tags, insurance), divide by a conservative paid-attendance estimate, and add a small buffer. Most reunion tickets land between 40 and 125 dollars per person depending on venue and meal.

How do we find everyone?

This is the hardest and slowest task, so start it first. Stand up a class Facebook group, search LinkedIn, use people-search tools for the ones who have gone quiet, and recruit a dozen classmates to each find their own old friend circles. Parallel outreach beats one committee working a single list.

What tools do we actually need?

At minimum: a way to collect RSVPs and payment together, a shared task list for the committee, and something to handle check-in and name tags on the day. You can stitch these from a spreadsheet, a payment app, and email, or use one purpose-built tool that keeps the headcount, money, and details in a single place.

“Reunion planning is not hard. It is just a lot of small things that reward starting early.”

Quick answers to the rest

A few more questions that come up on nearly every committee, answered fast:

Who plans it? A committee of three to five, with a chair and a treasurer, so no one person carries it all
What date? A spring or fall Saturday, avoiding holiday weekends and the school's homecoming
Do we need insurance? Often yes, many venues require a one-day event liability policy, ask early
How do we handle no-shows? Collect payment at RSVP, so a no-show has already paid and your budget holds

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead should I plan a class reunion?

Start 10 to 12 months out, or 12 to 18 months for milestone reunions, so you have time for outreach, venue booking, and RSVPs.

How much should reunion tickets cost?

Divide your total budget by expected paid attendance and add a small buffer. Most tickets land between 40 and 125 dollars per person.

What's the hardest part of planning a reunion?

Finding classmates is usually the biggest challenge, so start outreach early using a Facebook group, people-search tools, and personal networks.

Skip the guesswork, plan it in one place

Class Reunly answers the hardest reunion questions for you, RSVPs, payments, headcount, and check-in in a single tool your whole committee can share.

Start your free reunion page →