Family reunions bring everyone together in a special way. Making valuable, long-lasting memories with your family creates a sense of connection and beauty in life. While every family faces challenges, or must deal with living far from each other, when you finally are able to get together for a family reunion, it is a very special moment to celebrate and cherish!
In fact, it’s not often that everyone can make time in their schedule to get together. Finding the time for all the cousins, the siblings, aunts and uncles, and grandparents to get together in the same place at the same time can be rare, and very special. Family reunions are those unique moments that you end up treasuring for years to come.
One way to make the memories of a family reunion last longer is to preserve the memory through a shared family reunion t-shirt! We will guide you through everything you need to know to create the ideal Family Reunion T-Shirt that everyone in your family will be excited about!
Choose a fun theme for your Family Reunion T-shirt
The possibilities are endless and very exciting when it comes to planning the perfect Family Reunion T-shirt for your gathering! You came to the right place – at Reunacy we LOVE everything about getting families together. Let’s get started and break down the entire process for you.
We will start by brainstorming some ideas for the creative vision of your family reunion t-shirt.
Unique Shared Memories, Family Stories, and Inside Family Jokes
What type of response do you envision when your family wears the t-shirt? Do you want your family members to laugh and smile? Then you might want to pick an inside joke or a heartwarming, funny memory.
You could also pick a family reunion t-shirt theme based on a unique family story. We all have those treasured family stories, such as, when Grandma milked her favorite cow Bessie everyday before she had to walk to school in the snow. Or the stories of Grandpa riding his bike around town, or his first job as a newspaper delivery boy.
All these shared stories and memories we’ve grown up hearing are so important to preserve. Hearing from our parents and grandparents can be immortalized into your family t-shirt design, making the t-shirt very meaningful. And Grandma would LOVE seeing all of her grandkids wearing a t-shirt with a picture of her!
A Meaningful Location in your Family History
Let’s think about a few other possibilities for the creative design of the t-shirt. Is there an important location in your family’s history? For example, perhaps a special family cabin or family home that many members of the family grew up visiting? Or the pizza shop or family restaurant that your grandpa started, and passed down through the family? Maybe it’s a simple icon or design, like an oak tree, palm trees with a sunset, or a mountain skyline.
If your family is into farming or agriculture, you could choose a theme for the family reunion t-shirt that displays all the elements of the farm, from the landscape to the horses, pigs, tractors, and rows of vegetables.
Incorporate your Last Name
Most family reunion t-shirts will include the last name of the family somewhere on the shirt. Some families will include the last name as the top like of the shirt, like, “MacDonald Family Reunion.”
If your last name has a ring to it, or is a common word, you may want to consider using your last name to inspire the design. For example, if your last name is “Honey,” perhaps you’d like the t-shirt theme to be centered on a honeybee, or even a smiling bear eating honey in the forest! There’s always the classic beehive with happy honey bees buzzing around.
Timeless Family Phrases or Famous Quotes
Some of us have grandparents or uncles who can really spin a yarn, and some of those relatives have “catchphrases” if you listen closely enough. For example, great Uncle Carl loved to ride horses, and his famous phrase was:
“Always get back in the saddle – never give up!”
Uncle Carl DiCocco
DiCocco Family Forever
New Jersey 2024
One family favorite quote is a timeless line from the Disney movie called Lilo and Stitch:
“Ohana means family,
family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”
-Stitch
Other quotes commonly used for family reunion T-shirts are:
It’s a family thing!
Christensen Family Reunion
Salt Lake City, Utah
Got Roots?
Williams Family Reunion
Minnesota 2024
LOVE
is the main ingredient
Johnson Family Reunion
Georgia 2024
Blessed to be Together
Williams Family Reunion
California 2024
Incorporate Your Family’s Favorite Song or Favorite Lyrics
Do you have a favorite family song? You could incorporate the title of your family song onto the t-shirt design. Here are some ideas to incorporate songs and lyrics into the text design of your family reunion t-shirt:
“What a Wonderful World”
Williams Family Reunion
2024
Chicago, Illinois
Here’s another option from a very heartwarming song called “Lean On Me”:
Lean on me
When you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on…
For it won’t be long
Till I’m gonna need somebody to lean on!
Williams family Reunion, 2024
You’ll have everybody in the family singing with these music based family reunion t-shirts!
Even just with a meaningful family song title, everyone will smile as soon as they see the t-shirt, already sparking warm memories of love and connection at the family reunion.
Crest, Image, or Symbol
Once you have chosen the text for your family reunion t-shirt, perhaps you want to choose an image to go along with it. This is very common for family reunion t-shirts, and is another opportunity to make the creative design special to your family! We’ll show you some design ideas later in the post on how to use the text and imagery together.
Some common images that symbolize the strength of family bonds – perhaps a lion, a golden eagle, or a strong oak tree. These images are used very commonly in family reunion t-shirts, especially the image of an oak tree.
If you want to get more creative, you could pick out a famous geographical feature or symbol from a country where your family ancestors are from. If your family has roots in Ireland or England, you may want to research your family’s coat of arms. With family roots in Italy, you could choose imagery of an Italian landscape, a family winery from your family’s history.
If your family is from Utah, maybe you’ll pick the famous Arches National Park as your theme and design. If your family has roots in West Virginia or Appalachia, you might want to pick a design of the Applacian mountains.
You could also keep your family reunion t-shirt simple and positive. For example, imagery or designs of sunflowers evoke a bright mood, and are beautiful to look at!
Pick a Recent Family Photo for Your T-Shirt
You could also pick a recent family photo to print on the family reunion t-shirt, or even pick the photo from your last family reunion. You might have a picture of everyone at a recent family dinner, or a family barbecue. Maybe you’ll pick a photo of all the young cousins playing together on a playground, or the family dog!
The design and theme for your family reunion t-shirt really all depends on your family, where you are from, your shared roots, your family memories, and what you value! At the end of the day, if you’re excited about the design of your family reunion t-shirt, others will be excited too. Passion is the key when picking a design.
If you are the main family reunion planner and organizer, you probably already have a lot on your plate! You may want to pick a person in your family to be in charge of the family t-shirt creative design and distribution. If you don’t have that possibility or opportunity, this post will provide all you need to know to create the family t-shirt in a quick and simple way.
Choose your family reunion t-shirt theme colors and style
Color can have such an impact on emotions and memories, so it is important to consider a color that fits the vibe of your family! Some families are bright, gregarious and constantly laughing and making jokes. You might want to pick a bright color like yellow, orange, or a lavender, or a warm pink or red.
If you’re going for a more sleek style, darker colors might be better. Colors like dark purple, dark blue, gray, or black. For example, black t-shirts with white print would be very polished and snazzy.
Polo shirts also give a more refined vibe, and could be perfect if you come from a family of golfers. Some families are big fans of baseball, and might want to think about choosing baseball jerseys with your family colors. If your family lives in a place with colder weather throughout the year, like Alaska, you may want to consider choosing a long sleeve shirt or even a sweatshirt.
When it comes to the style of the t-shirt, you may want to offer a regular t-shirt for the men, and a v-neck t-shirt for the women. Many women who don’t like to wear t-shirts might prefer to have the option of wearing a v-neck as well.
If you’re looking for something that is easy for everyone, and affordable, a regular old cotton t-shirt will do the trick!
Choose the design for your family reunion t-shirt
Once you have brainstormed a little bit about your vision for the family reunion t-shirt, you will need a way to implement it. There are two ways to do this. You can go to a t-shirt distributor, usually online, who already has a slate of templates for you to choose from. The distributor will share the templates with you, you will pick the one you like. Then the distributor will insert your desired text and image into the template before printing. The benefit of this model is that you will be able to design and order the t-shirts from the same place.
Another option is to hire a graphic designer to customize your family t-shirt design. You can find graphic designers on Etsy and Fiver. Once you share your vision with the designer, they will come back to you with their first draft. Before you start working with a designer, you will need to negotiate the opportunity to give notes and go back and forth on a few drafts of the design. Once the designer is finished, they will provide the design file for you, and you will share the design file with your t-shirt printer of choice.
You’ll want to think about what kind of materials you like for your t-shirt, as well as the style of the t-shirt, before you go to your t-shirt printer.
Best materials for your family reunion t-shirt
If the t-shirt material you pick is very comfortable, your family members are likely to wear the t-shirt over and over again, evoking memories of the family reunion. It’s important to pick a high-quality fabric. Materials that are breathable, soft, and durable are ideal for t-shirts.
Also consider the type of weather your family reunion will encounter. If your family reunion is in the heat of the summer, you will definitely want to pick a material that is more breathable! Cotton and linen are the most breathable fabrics for hot weather. You can also pick a cotton blend, which will blend the cotton with other materials like polyester, linen, or rayon.
Cotton T-Shirts
If price is your main objective, cotton or cotton blends are a great option if you’re looking for t-shirt fabrics that are more affordable. Cotton t-shirts are typically soft, lightweight and easy to obtain. However, if you are planning a number of outside activities in hot weather at your family reunion, cotton t-shirts may become wet and heavy with a lot of moisture and sweat. There are a few other options for you to consider.
Polyester and Nylon
Both polyester and nylon are two fabrics that are popular for work out and athletic wear. If your family will be meeting in a hot area, or playing lots of sports or outside games together at the reunion, you may want to pick either polyester or nylon.
Tri-Blend
Another very common option you will see for t-shirt material is called Tri-Blend. Like the name suggests, a tri-blend fabric will combine 3 materials: cotton, polyester and rayon. Tri-blend t-shirts are very popular in the fashion world because of how breathable, flexible and durable the material is. Tri-blend materials are also known to be softer than the average t-shirt. This blend is slightly more expensive, but still affordable.
Bamboo
Another option for t-shirt material is bamboo. This option may be a little pricier. Bamboo fabric is acquired from bamboo pulp. Bamboo material is antibacterial and moisture-wicking, meaning that the moisture stays in the t-shirt rather than drenching your skin.
Finding your t-shirt printer or distributor
You’ve made it! You’ve picked the text, the design, the material, and colors – and now it’s time to print your family reunion t-shirts! Here are a few options for online shirt printers
Printify
With Printify, the platform provides a catalog with a number of options for designs and t-shirt styles. Some designs are plain, while some designs are more exciting like tie-dye. You will have multiple options for the family reunion shirts, like organic materials, multiple options for sleeve lengths, and even t-shirt dresses!
Printful
Another great place to turn for your family reunion t-shirts is Printful. The platform is very easy to navigate, with a section that shows all their bestselling shirts. We love that there’s even an option for baby one pieces! All the little newborns in your family can match the family tshirts too!
UberPrints
UberPrints is also a great option – giving you the ability to choose from designs and add custom text. If your family chooses to order in bulk, it looks like they offer free shipping for orders over $100. Multiple t-shirt materials are offered here, from triblend, cotton, to jersey t-shirts.
It’s time to order the T-shirts!
We recommend having each family member order the t-shirt in advance. You don’t want to be stuck ordering all the t-shirts and collecting funds at the check-in table at your family reunion. It is better to send the order link out to your family members 4-6 weeks ahead of time, and remind your family members to order the shirts by a certain day. This way, all the t-shirts can be paid for by each family member and delivered to their homes.
The last thing you want to deal with on family reunion day is distributing and collecting funds for 150 family reunion t-shirts!
Go make some family memories with your family reunion t-shirts!
Now you’ve gotten to the fun part!
Imagine showing up to your family reunion and everyone is wearing the same shirt – immediately, there is a sense of familiarity and a bond between family members. Even if you haven’t seen a cousin or uncle for a few years, you already have something to talk about (how much you love the shirt!) and how the shirt design is so unique to your family. This is the perfect time to take pictures with your family reunion t-shirts and post on social media.
Reunacy brings families together, and makes your family reunion planning easy and simple!
At Reunacy, we care deeply about families creating meaningful memories together that last a lifetime. We hope our guide to family reunion t-shirts helps you create your perfect family reunion t-shirt!
We’d also love to invite you to take a look at our Reunacy platform. Reunacy creates an easy and streamlined way for you to plan your family reunion. With Reunacy, you can create a private group for your family reunion or get together, and invite each family member to create a profile within the group with their unique photo and contact information. As each family member uploads this information, this creates the Family Directory. It’s a way for you to stay organized as you plan all the details of the family reunion, and also allows each family member to peruse the directory to see who is going to be at the reunion!
Many family reunion planners also print out the Reunacy Family Directory on the day of the family reunion. This printed directory becomes a guide for each family member. If there’s a cousin you haven’t seen in a while, you can look at their name and photo to refresh your memory before it turns into an awkward conversation!
Family reunion planners often turn to Reunacy as a way for family members to connect and communicate before, during, and after the reunion. Our mission at Reunacy is to empower your family bonds to grow even stronger, to last a lifetime, and connect all the generations for years to come.