HELP wanted! PLan to make the best high school reunion ever!?

Question

Will have a reunion this june. The theme would be a cocktail dinner party. Any ideas on decorations, programs or anything that would help make this reunion the best ever? The venue for this event will be at the roofdeck of a building. Thing to consider: we are on a limited budget. Advance thank you for those creative ideas!

Answer 1

The single most important thing you can do to insure a good time is talk to the DJ before hand. The people who never left town and see each other every week at PTA, soccer practice, poker night etc. are going to want to dance. The ones who did leave town and flew 1,500 miles to attend are going to want to talk, and they are not going to want to shout over the music.

The ideal solution, if you can afford it, is to hire two rooms. Unless you are from Beverly Hills High, you won't be able to do that. Having the music "on" for 30 minutes, then off for 30 would be a reasonable compromise. Promise the DJ the same amount of money as if he played all night. Impress upon him the desire of half the audience to talk. Reunions are not the same as dances or concerts. People (some people) want quiet time, to talk. Keep hammering that home to the DJ. If necessary, tattoo it on his forehead backwards and give him a mirror. Appoint a "Quiet time" monitor.

I hear "It was a nice reunion, but the DJ ruined it" a dozen times a year from friends and family.

Answer 2

Programs:

You could put together a slideshow of events and people in the specific year

*Music

>put on music that was popular back then

Decorations:

*Color

>You could decorate to your highschools colors and your mascot

*Put small flower boquets in the center of each table

Answer 3

Can decorate with white lights & potted plants/trees (a local nursery will probably loan them or let you rent them @ a discount). Nice & simple, looks chic. Get a projector & laptop & show a slideshow of then & now pictures of people, the school, the town, on the side of the wall.

Answer 4

Copy old photos from high school, newspaper clippings, ads from magazines from your graduation year, etc. and use them in centerpieces for your tables.  (You can find old mags cheap on Ebay, in antique stores, at thrift stores, post ads on Craig's list, etc.) These will be great conversation starters.  

Top ten lists are good, too.  For example - Movies, songs, TV shows, from your graduation year.