A Complete Guide To Throwing The Ultimate Wedding Brunch

Everybody's favorite weekend events are brunch and weddings. So, if you're a morning person who is getting hitched this year, why not combine your two favorite activities and host your wedding as a brunch party? A wedding brunch can be a much more casual, calm affair than an evening wedding: No one wants — or is expecting — rare steak, crystal chandeliers, or a black-tie dress code at 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning. This all means that there is a lot less pressure on you to host that over-the-top wedding, and instead you can relax, enjoy the lack of overwhelming expectations, and really enjoy your totally crowd-pleasing, wonderfully tasty, laid-back wedding.

Just because you're hosting your wedding party as a brunch doesn't mean you should skip the cake. If you think a rich, traditional cake is too much, you could have an icing-free, fruit-topped naked cake, or even move further away from the classic option, and have a breakfast-perfect tower of waffles or doughnuts for you and your new spouse to slice (or maybe just bite) into.

For the best alternatives to a traditional wedding cake, click here.

Hosting a wedding brunch means you can really make your party a lot more casual than you may otherwise. If you're not keen on a formal, fancy wedding, allow your guests to come in more laid-back attire and leave their black-tie outfits at home.

Set out a bar of glass jars filled with all your favorite cereals and jugs of cold milk, so guests can embrace their inner child (and the children can have their favorite foodie fun), and eat their way through bowls of their most-loved, nostalgic, childhood breakfast.

For tips on creating a brunch party cereal bar, click here.

Set up a coffee and tea station so people can help themselves to as much caffeine as is necessary. If you're a coffee-obsessive, have someone making fancy coffee to order. If not, it's totally acceptable to keep things simple with filter coffee and hot water for your guests to brew their own cup of tea. If you're hosting a summer wedding, make things even simpler by just offering iced tea or coffee.

For the perfect iced coffee recipe, click here.

As your brunch party will be in the middle of the day, you need to avoid guests turning to each other and saying "Now what?" when the party draws to a close and you set off on your honeymoon. Make sure you provide them with a few suggestions of what to do in the surrounding area so they can continue the fun while you jet off on your romantic adventure.

If you're not a dancer, hosting a brunch wedding provides the perfect excuse to not have a dancefloor. However, if boogying is your favorite activity, it's perfectly acceptable to get some tunes spinning and those feet moving at a brunch wedding.

Fresh smoothies and juices are a brunch party necessity — make sure you don't forget about them at your wedding reception. Have a few juice and smoothie options available, and set them out on a bar so guests can help themselves, rather than having to order them from servers.

For the Pineapple and Mint Juice recipe, click here.

Your guests are unlikely to be ready to dive headfirst into super-strong cocktails as soon as they arrive at your brunch reception. Celebrate your wedding with lighter, fruitier cocktails such as bellinis, Bloody Marys, and mimosas, rather than martinis and margaritas.

For the Fresh Tomato Bloody Mary recipe, click here.

Eggs are obviously a brunch essential. One easy ways to transform them from being a simple staple into a decadent, wedding-worthy dish is to set up an omelette or frittata station, where they will be cooked fresh throughout the morning, with the guests choices of toppings and additions thrown in as requested.

For the Perfect Omelette recipe, click here.

No brunch party would be complete without some sweet, rich carbohydrates. Serve French toast, pancakes, or waffles, and make sure they can be made to order (no one wants a soggy waffle or a cold pancake). Remember to set out all the toppings and extras imaginable, so your guests can really get creative with their sweet brunch dishes.

For the 12 ultimate waffle recipes, click here.

You'll need to keep your guests entertained at your brunch party, as it's unlikely that they'll be spending all their time focused on drinking and dancing. Set out some simple, fun games, and, if you're a weekend word games addict, set out the weekend crossword at everybody's place setting for them to puzzle on with their fellow guests.

One key advantage of hosting a brunch reception is that the timings can be flexible, but you should never make your guests arrive at the venue before 9 a.m. We recommend that you serve your meal between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to optimize the brunch setting, the range of breakfast and lunch foods, and the calm, weekend morning atmosphere.

A brunch reception will inevitably be more casual than a sit-down dinner, but you can still make it fancier than a buffet of pastries and fresh fruit. Offer fruity and fresh hors d'oeuvres to accompany sparkling cocktails and cups of tea and coffee when the guests arrive; this small touch will make the initial mingling infinitely more enjoyable and extravagant. Fresh fruit on cocktail sticks, chocolate coated strawberries, mini PB&J sandwiches, or squares of granola bars will all get your party off to the perfect start.

For the Chocolate Dipped Strawberries recipe, click here.

The perfect location for a wedding brunch is going to be vastly different from the ideal evening reception space. If it's spring or summer, you want somewhere that fills with morning light; and if you're having a fall or winter wedding, opt for a cozy location with roaring fires and soft, comfortable furnishings.

As it's brunch, you don't have to solely eat savory food. You can mix up your favorite breakfast and lunch dishes, and serve a range dishes so that there's something to please everyone: Everything from doughnuts to salads to croissants to fried eggs make wonderful brunch foods.

For our most favorite brunch recipes, click here.