Forget Brunch, Here's How To Throw An Unforgettable Breakfast

Though brunch has been a highlight of our weekends for as long as we can remember, we think it's receiving a little too much of our attention and affection. Extravagant brunch parties take as much work, planning, and preparation as dinner parties, and they can easily drag on from mid-morning to early evening. This means that the relaxed Sunday morning that you thought would revolve around sharing waffles with friends has now eaten up your entire weekend. This is why we're keen on swapping brunch parties for breakfast parties: If you're a morning person, we are certain that you're going to love this new trend.

Buy baked goods from your local bakery, or if you're a keen baker, make some the day or a couple of days before. The morning of your breakfast, just warm them in the oven, and pile them up in a basket so your guests can help themselves.

Set up a table covered with a range of cereals (make sure some are kid-friendly if you have some little ones coming), some fancy granola, plenty of yogurt, a bowl of fruit salad, and some honey, and let your guests help themselves to the first course of breakfast.

You don't want to be making anything to order at your breakfast party — not even a piece of toast. This doesn't mean that you can't serve toast or toasted bagels at all. To solve this problem, let your guests make their own toast by setting a toaster on the table, alongside plenty of butter and a range of condiments.

Skip any made-to-order items, and don't be tempted to even fry some eggs for your guests — you really don't want to spend your weekend morning standing over the stove. Setting out a buffet of food, which has all been made ahead and maybe just warmed up on the day, will be more than sufficient.

Avoid spending your morning making endless cups of coffee for your tired guests. Instead, fill the dining table or a side table with a range of juices, lots of water, a few pots of coffee, and several pots of tea (with milk and sugar too), and your friends can sort their own drinks out, without having to bother you.

You may think that since you're not going to be making poached eggs and crispy bacon to order, you may as well just not bother with savory dishes, but this isn't true at all. Bake a breakfast casserole or vegetable-filled frittata the day before your party and simply warm them up in the morning for an easy egg dish that requires no last-minute labor.

If your breakfast party is very early, don't force your guests to dress up for the occasion, especially if there are young kids attending. Make everyone feel more at home and relaxed by hosting in your pajamas and letting them know that they are welcome to do the same.

We know that cocktails are an essential feature at most brunch parties, but this is breakfast we're talking about, and it's the first thing you're going to be doing that day, so don't worry about providing any alcohol. Make an extra pot of coffee instead.

Save yourself from serving and assuming the hard-working role of host for the entire party by making your breakfast one where your guests can help themselves to everything from cereal, to juice, to coffee, to bagels.

Breakfast parties shouldn't take over the entire day: That's what brunch is for. Breakfast parties should always be hosted first thing (or close to it) in the morning, which means it's perfectly reasonable to set an end time for your guests to be out the house so all of you can go on with your day. Everyone will appreciate actually having the chance to make the most of their weekend.

You don't want to sleep through your alarm, be woken by your arriving friends, and then realize you're not ready to host this breakfast at all. Avoid this scary scenario by setting the table the night before so that half the work of hosting is already done when you wake up in the morning.

Breakfast parties aren't meant to be super formal or refined. At this time of day, people are simply happy to be with their friends, be fed, and sip on yet another cup of coffee. This means you can skip the flickering candles and fresh flowers, and fill the space with food and hot drinks instead: There's no need for breakfast parties to be super fancy.