up front that the reunion will entail a cost that to some may be significant and encouraging them to start right now socking away money for the reunion. I need to settle soon on a venue so I can better estimate what the cost for the reunion on a per person basis is going to be and give everybody a better idea of how much each [period] they are going to need to save.

Knowing the dynamics of large groups and herding cats, I know there is going to be someone(s) that are going to use expenses as an excuse for why they were unable to come or participate. I am not going to be horribly sympathetic. They'll just miss out. I think there is enough of a core that even if a small family here or there drops, we'll still have a pretty nice event. I may also suggest some family circles help each other out if finances becomes a concern or offer some suggestions for how they can get the funds together, but we have about 1.5 years to get it together, and I will be selecting with budget flexibility in mind, so it should be doable.