Quick Answer

How much does a class reunion cost?

A typical class reunion costs $45–$125 per person for the main event. Total budgets run $5,000 (casual, 100 attendees) to $20,000+ (premium weekend, 100 attendees). Food and beverage is the biggest line item.

Per-person ticket price by reunion style

  • Casual (park, potluck, BYOB): $20–$40/person
  • Restaurant private room (dinner + 2 drinks): $55–$85/person
  • Hotel ballroom (plated dinner + open bar): $95–$150/person
  • Multi-day weekend (Fri mixer + Sat dinner + Sun brunch): $125–$225/person

Where the budget goes (100-person reunion, ~$9,400)

Class reunion cost breakdownHorizontal bar chart of typical class reunion spending: venue 35%, food 30%, decor 12%, photographer 10%, AV 8%, other 5%.Venue35%$3,300Food + beverage30%$2,800Decor + flowers12%$1,100Photographer10%$940AV / music8%$750Other (badges, software)5%$470

Built-in budget tracking

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Sample budget: 100-person 25th reunion

Line itemCostPer person
Venue rental (hotel ballroom, 4 hr)$1,500$15
Catering (plated dinner, 100 people)$4,500$45
Bar (cash bar w/ 1 ticket drink)$1,200$12
DJ / music$700$7
Photographer (2 hr)$500$5
Decor + flowers$400$4
Name badges + printing$120$1.20
Reunly software$39$0.39
Contingency (5%)$435$4.35
Total budget$9,394$93.94

Ticket price set at $100 to cover budget + small surplus for the next reunion.

Hidden costs committees forget

  • Venue minimum F&B: Hotels require a $5,000+ food spend. If attendance falls short, you still pay.
  • Service + gratuity: 20–25% on top of catering quotes. Always confirm if it's included.
  • Audio/visual rental: $200–$500 for a mic, projector, screen.
  • Tasting fees: Some caterers charge $50–$150 to taste menus.
  • Permits + insurance: Public parks often require both for groups over 50.
  • Cleanup fees: Park rentals frequently bill a $100–$300 cleanup fee separately.
  • Payment processing: Eventbrite, Venmo for Business, and Square all take 2.5–3.5% per ticket.

How to lower your per-person cost

  1. Cash bar instead of open bar. Saves $20–$40 per person.
  2. Stations or buffet instead of plated. Saves $10–$25 per person on catering.
  3. Friday or Sunday instead of Saturday. Venues often discount 20–30%.
  4. Restaurant private room instead of hotel ballroom. Frequently no rental fee with F&B minimum.
  5. Local sponsor. A classmate-owned business often donates $250–$1,000 for logo placement.
  6. Early bird tier. Charge $10–$15 less for early commitment — locks in cash flow.

Class Reunion Cost FAQ

How much does a class reunion typically cost per person?

A typical class reunion ticket runs $45–$125 per person for the main Saturday event (venue + dinner + drinks + name badge + decor). Casual events (park, BYOB) come in at $20–$40 per person. Premium weekends (hotel ballroom, open bar, three events) can reach $200+ per person.

What's the total budget for a class reunion?

For 100 attendees, total budgets run $5,000 (casual) to $20,000 (premium weekend). The largest line items are food/beverage (40–60% of budget), venue rental (15–25%), and bar (10–20%). Software, decor, and badges combined are usually under 10%.

What's the cheapest way to do a class reunion?

Park or backyard, potluck or pizza, BYOB, printed-at-home name badges — all in under $20/person. Many 10-year reunions go this route. The trade-off is a less polished feel, which usually matters more at milestone reunions (25, 50).

Do class reunion tickets usually break even?

Most committees price tickets to break even or generate a small surplus that rolls into the next reunion. The biggest budget risks are venue minimums (you commit to feeding 120, only 80 show) and over-ordering open-bar inventory. Reunly's RSVP tracker prevents both by giving you a real headcount before the food order is locked.

What does class reunion software cost?

Reunly is $39 flat per reunion. Most alternatives are $200–$1,500 per year (MyEvent, Cvent) or per-ticket (Eventbrite 3.7% + $1.79). On a 120-person reunion with $75 tickets, Eventbrite fees alone come to $549 — fourteen times Reunly's full price.

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