Sea Island Life Magazine Fall/Winter 2013 | Page 20

coordinate activities,” she says.
With so many different appetites, the task
of reaching a consensus for catered events
risks becoming an event in itself—all the
more reason to plan ahead. Hersey recommends narrowing down the selection to two
or three menus that will suit any palate. If the
reunion centers around a birthday celebration or anniversary, the celebrants should be
given the honor of selecting the cuisine.
Before coordinating any activities, it’s
most important to consider what the family hopes to take away from the experience,
Hersey adds. Whether families seek a laidback stay with plenty of opportunities to
reminisce and reconnect, or days packed
with adventure and exploration, all reunion
itineraries should be personalized to maximize time spent together.
McLawhorn says the sea Island staff
worked hard to understand how his family
wanted to spend their time and provided
customized suggestions to suit all ages—he
as just one of the many highlights.
“Count on a family meal together each
ing trip or a family shooting tournament,”
Hersey says. “The tournaments are a great

unique family competition. ... The instructors
make sure that every person in the family
experiences success.”
“We often do things separately, then end up
all running into each other later at the pool
or for family beach time—which is the best,”
McLawhorn adds. “Though our children
might say the best parts [are] the family outings for ice cream.”
The best advice Hersey can offer, however,
is to forget overplanning. “Overscheduling is
a sure way to exhaust yourself and your family,” she explains. “Build in free time, and
everyone will have a great time.”
One or two planned activities per day is
more than enough to allow individuals time
to explore personal interests, such as tennis, golf, kayaking or just soaking up sun on
the beach.
Personalization is key to a modern and
meaningful family reunion. The best destination gatherings are packed with surprises,
designed to make memories and include a
personal touch at every turn that represents
each family’s history, preferences and own
unique style of getting the most out of life’s
journey, together.

SCOTT HOPKINS PHOTOGRAPHY

up on the latest family news, creating new
memories and, as its greatest value, staying
vibrant and strong as a family year after year.
sea Island Executive Meetings Manager
Holly Hersey, who helps plan numerous
reunions every year, notes that many families build their gatherings around a birthday,
anniversary or other landmark family event.
Gretchen Johnston Carpenter has taken
her daughters and their families to sea Island
for two destination reunions, including one
that took place on her birthday. Both reunion
trips were coordinated by her son-in-law,
Jamie McLawhorn, who says that choosing
a venue with exceptional service makes all
the difference.
“sea Island makes things easy for everyone, and our family is always comfortable
there,” McLawhorn says. “With family holidays, someone is always hosting. At sea Island,
it feels like we are at a family home, but
[sea Island is] hosting.”
Hersey explains that booking well in
advance for a destination gathering can
help secure preferred dates and room types,
ensuring that there’s plenty of time to work
with staff to set up reservations and other
group activities. “some families assign one
person to coordinate dinners and another to

Gretchen Johnston Carpenter celebrated her 70th birthday with a family reunion at Sea Island.
The festivities included Gretchen’s daughters and their families. Here, Gretchen enjoys time with
her seven grandchildren, ages 3 to 15, on The Cloister grounds overlooking Black Banks River.

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