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Summer Picnic Planning Made Simple

Family and friends mean everything, but aside from weddings and funerals, most have difficulty in getting together just to enjoy some time with extended family members.  So, if your family or friends are looking to host a reunion or family picnic this summer, we would like to share some tips for planning so that everyone can enjoy the day and catch up on the important things, like each other!

  1. Make sure your friends or family are interested in a picnic before you spend a lot of time and effort planning an event only to have no one attend.  Call some of your closest peeps and see if they are interested and then enlist their help to contact others.
  2. Once you are fully invested in the summer picnic, it’s important to pick the venue and date that will best work for everyone. Consider out of area guests that may need accommodations or special help, like a handicapped accessible venue, and plan accordingly.
  3. Make a planning list and create a timeline so that you can stay organized and nothing will be forgotten.  From invitations to food and fun, it’s important to assign tasks to friends or family who are helping you plan.  By keeping a list of who is in charge of what you will be able to better delegate and track as items are completed.
  4. Establish your budget so that you can plan ahead for what the costs will be and what each guest’s contribution should be.  Whether it is a small backyard picnic or a large-scale catered event at an offsite location, knowing your costs and ahead of time will help keep your budget on track.  Using a one-stop-shopping caterer for everything can help keep costs and time to coordinate in check.
  5. Decide on a theme.  There is an endless possibility of fun and exciting themes that can lend a hand with generating interest in attending and creating consistency around your event.  Tap into your imagination and make your theme memorable.
  6. Before you send an invitation, plan to send out a “save the date” to all your guests as soon as you decide on the date and location. This will help them plan around other summer events and vacations and will help with the overall success of your event.  A formal invitation with an RSVP should be sent out a few weeks before the actual date of your reunion to remind your family members and help you keep count of how many are attending.
  7. Plan your menu and activities with your guests in mind.  Make sure there are plenty of food options for everyone including children and family members with specific dietary requirements.  In addition, plan for some fun activities to keep the kids busy and even the adults can get in on the action, from sports like softball or horseshoes to board games or icebreaker games to make everyone feel comfortable and engaged.
  8. Most of all, capture memories of the day and ask family members to bring photos from the past so you can compare them to now.  This is a really fun way for everyone to get to get reacquainted with each other.

If you are planning a picnic for family or friends this summer, Jacques Exclusive Catering can help with all the details.  For full-service one-stop-shopping for everything from tent and party rentals to our award-winning catering, our family will welcome your family with great food and the beautiful venue of your choice.  Whether it’s a backyard gathering, an offsite venue or you are looking for a reception center venue for your family, Jacques Exclusive Catering offers a wide variety of options.  Contact us for details today.

By Frank Mamola

Frank brings over 25 years of special event and food/beverage experience to the team.

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Jacques Exclusive Catering
403 State Route 36
Hazlet, NJ 07730
732.495.2600View map
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500 Palmer Avenue
Middletown, NJ 07748
732.671.0700View map
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