Looking to hold a post-wedding brunch? Whether you don’t even know what a post-wedding brunch is, or if you need some tips on throwing one, this post will help you out a ton!
What is a Post-Wedding Brunch?
If you stumbled across this blog post because you’re wedding planning, there’s a chance that you’re wondering what a post-wedding brunch even is. A post-wedding brunch (sometimes called a farewell brunch) is a way for couples to extend their wedding day celebration and spend some extra time with their guests before they head home.
Post-wedding brunches tend to be more popular for weddings where the majority of the guests are out-of-town or with destination weddings. However, anyone can hold a post-wedding brunch! If you’re looking to spend more time with guests, then you absolutely can throw one, even if all of your guests live nearby.
Who Should Be Invited?
If you have the budget to invite all of your guests, then go for it! However, this isn’t necessary. When it comes down to it, you can really invite anyone that you want to. It’s your wedding, so you have the ultimate say! However, if you aren’t inviting everyone that was invited to the wedding, we highly advise against putting anything about it on your wedding website. This will avoid any hurt feelings or anyone showing up that you didn’t necessarily want there.
If you’re looking for the post-wedding brunch to be more intimate, then a good rule of thumb is to invite parents, grandparents, and the wedding party (from both sides). If you gave someone a plus-one to the wedding, then you should give them one for the brunch, too.
If you are adding any friends or extended family to the mix, it can get tricky. Once you start adding some people, you will tend to invite everyone to avoid hurt feelings. Keep this in mind when you’re trying to decide who to invite!
5 Steps for Planning a Post-Wedding Brunch
1. Put someone in charge
The newlyweds are typically the host of a post-wedding brunch. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to plan the entire thing yourselves! You could enlist your parents to help, ask the maid of honor or best man to help, or… hire a planner! See if you can add on a post-wedding brunch to your package with your wedding planner or coordinator. This way, you won’t have to worry about all of the small details!
You already have the wedding to worry about. While hosting a bunch of events is fun, it can get exhausting trying to plan everything yourself, especially when it comes to your wedding weekend. There is absolutely nothing wrong with enlisting some help!
Hiring a wedding planner to help with the brunch will give you assistance with pretty much everything, from venue communication to the morning-of setup.
If you can’t afford to hire a planner, no worries! Try to host the brunch at a venue where there is an in-house event manager.
2. Choose a location
Post-wedding brunches can be held at a variety of locations! They could be at a restaurant, at the hotel where your guests are staying, at a family member’s house, or even at your wedding venue. The possibilities are endless!
The most important thing to consider when choosing a location is your guests. You want it to be a location that is convenient for the majority of them. If most guests are already staying at the same hotel, then that would most likely be the best choice to host the brunch, if not somewhere that is within walking distance. A good rule of thumb is to choose a location that accommodates at least 75% of your guest list!
3. Choose a time
Brunch typically takes place in the late morning or early afternoon. A good thing to keep in mind is that your guests will need time to pack or check out of their hotel before coming to brunch!
One thing that we recommend is having a drop-in window for your brunch. That way, guests can stop by when it’s most convenient for them during the couple hours that you choose. An example of this could be 10 AM to 12 PM.
4. Create the guest list
We went over a lot of tips above on who you should invite, but the next step would be to create your guest list. Who do you want to invite? Is there anyone that you don’t want there?
If you’re inviting your entire wedding guest list, that makes things easy when it comes to inviting them. You can put something about it on your wedding website and even put it right on your wedding invitations!
If you are only inviting part of your wedding guest list, we do not recommend putting anything about it on the wedding website or directly on your invitations. The best thing to do is to create an insert that will only go in the envelopes of the guests who are invited or sending them an entirely separate invitation for the brunch. Or, you could simply send everyone an e-vite for the brunch!
5. Plan the menu
Finally, it’s time to plan the menu! This would be a great time to plan any decor and potential favors, too.
The menu could really be anything that your heart desires. This is a great time to showcase your personalities as a couple! You could choose regional favorites (Crab Eggs Benedict, anyone?!). Or, you could keep things simple and stick to pastries, donuts, and bagels. The choice is yours! Keep in mind whether or not guests will be coming and going quickly, or if everyone will be staying for more of a sit-down meal.
If you’re looking to have someone assist you with all things wedding planning (including a farewell brunch), we’ve got you covered. Click here to reach out to us — we’d love to help you with all of your wedding needs!
Featured Image Photo by Rachel Park on Unsplash