An Update On Our 10-Year Reunion

Thank you for your patience while the website was being updated. After receiving feedback, I revisited some venues that weren't originally practical due to their various requirements.  Here's what is new and some background on how the plans came together.

Venue: You may remember this Somerville favorite down the road from Immaculata. Our new venue is Alfonso's Trattoria, with tickets now $45.00 per person. This includes pizza, pasta, salad, dessert, and drinks such as soft drinks, coffee, and tea. No alcoholic beverages are included; they will be available for purchase on individual tabs.

Souvenir Available: With the holiday season approaching, I designed a Class of 2016 IHS ornament as a reunion souvenir. These will be custom ordered from an outside supplier and brought to the event. I've separated the $15 cost from admission so classmates can choose whether they'd like to add one to their purchase. Ornaments must be preordered and will not be available for purchase at the reunion.

Planning began with a survey to gauge interest, budgets, and preferences, with most responses favoring $50-$100 per person. Several persons suggested the Black Friday date and that is what was chosen.  I then researched/contacted over 50 venues and discovered that many required a minimum of 30-50 guests for a private room or spending commitments of $3,000 or more; many with alcohol minimums, no food and non-refundable room deposits/fees. Our expected group size was often too large for just "showing up" or reserving tables but too small for certain party rooms.

For example, a $3,000 spending minimum divided among 30 guests would be $100 per person, not including tax or gratuity. With more attendees, that cost could decrease, but with fewer, it could increase significantly, potentially leaving us responsible for covering the difference. Even activity-based options, such as bowling and Topgolf, often exceeded $100 per person once everything was included.

I originally selected Old Man Rafferty's for its overall value. The package included food, dessert, unlimited house beer and wine, and nonalcoholic beverages, with no minimum attendance or spending requirements.

Of all the venues I researched, this was one of the only reasonably priced packages that included alcoholic beverages, which I thought was a great added perk for our reunion! However, feedback after ticket sales opened showed that a lower overall cost was more appealing to some classmates, so I explored more affordable alternatives and have changed the venue to Alfonso's.

I have put a non-refundable deposit on and reserved the Galleria room at Alfonso's, which accommodates up to 26 guests. If attendance exceeds that number, we can explore upgrading to the larger room, subject to availability, which requires paying for a minimum of 30 guests. If fewer than 30 attend, we would be responsible for covering the difference in cost, hence the reason that the Galleria Room is the only viable initial reservation. Alfonso's does not allow putting a deposit on more than one room.

We have moved past soft RSVPs and now need confirmed attendance through ticket purchases to determine which space best suits our class.

Please purchase your tickets by October 28 so we can finalize the headcount and room arrangements.

Thank you for your feedback, flexibility, and support throughout this process. I hope to celebrate 10 years with you!