Post Wedding Brunch: Everything You Need to Know

While you’re wedding planning, it’s exciting to put all the pieces of your wedding puzzle together. You get to choose how the event will go and what it will look like, but it’s easy to forget that many brides plan a post-wedding brunch for the next day. Wedding brunches are meant to be a time where you can hang out with family and friends in a more intimate setting than a reception dance floor. It’s also a great time to relive your wedding day and talk with everyone about how much fun it was. If you’re thinking about planning a brunch for the day after your wedding, don’t worry about a thing. Figure out if a brunch is right for you with these simple and easy tips.

It’s Totally Optional

There are certain parts of weddings that brides may feel obligated to plan for, even if it’s not their style. Specific traditions or styles can be held by different families, and the post-wedding brunch is the same way.No bride is truly obligated to do anything for their wedding, and guests won’t expect you to have a brunch. If you’d rather fly off to your honeymoon or rest at home with your new spouse, that’s fine too. Only plan for a brunch if it’s something you’d love to do. It can be a great time if your heart wants to be there.

No Invitations Necessary

Another surprising thing that many brides learn about their post-wedding brunch is that there are no invitations necessary. You’ll need to send out wedding invitations to let everyone know the time and place, but the brunch will be much smaller than your wedding. You can include brunch information when you send out the last minute reminder cards or even mention it at your rehearsal dinner. Guests will know their travel schedule much better closer to the date.

Not All Guests Must Attend

The most important reason that invitations aren’t sent out for the post-wedding brunch is that not everyone will go. The intention is for only your closest family members and friends to be there, even if it ends up being you, your spouse and both sets of parents. Sending out invitations is unnecessary for a small group when you can discuss it after they arrive for your wedding or send a group text.

Start at Brunch Time

If you’re not a frequent brunch eater, you may not know when to host the brunch. Starting it too early would make it breakfast and starting it too late would make it lunch. Brunch is typically held between 10-12 o’clock, so the meal ends between 1-2 o’clock. That gives everyone some cushion time to digest their meal and enjoy the day before dinner.If you want to have your brunch at a local restaurant, make sure to make reservations as far in advance as you can. Brunch is especially popular on the weekends, which is usually when weddings are also held.

Buffets Are Time Friendly

Worried about guests needing to head out pretty quickly the day after your wedding? Don’t bother with having your brunch at a restaurant. Host a brunch buffet at your home instead! Everyone can bring a dish, pastry or other brunch food from a store if they don’t live nearby. Make sure to have mimosa supplies on hand and you’ll be good to go. Buffets make it super easy for people to grab and go, and you can even get some to-go containers pretty cheap online for those who need to run. Pro brunch tip — if you bake a day or two before your wedding and make casseroles, you can freeze them to reheat for the brunch and save some time. Muffins and pastries will keep well over those two or three days as well if kept in the fridge.

Think About Your Guests

The best thing you can do to make your post-wedding brunch a success is to think about your guests’ needs first. What allergies do they have? Will there be kids in attendance? Will they be short on time? The answers to these questions will help you come up with the best wedding brunch ever. Even if it ends up just being you and a few girlfriends at your favorite brunch spot, it’ll still be a great time. There are no expectations when it comes to wedding brunches, so put one together with the intent to sit back and relax after all your wedding planning.