#114 Brunch Weddings

The Big Wedding Planning Podcast

So many of you have emailed and asked us questions regarding brunch weddings. Timelines, logistics, menu, layout, micro-events...pros, cons, lessons learned. We’re sharing it all with you in this episode, including some incredibly detailed insight from a recent ‘brunch bride’ listener. Her post-wedding-day notes are a great retrospective about all things brunch. Let’s get ourselves a bloody mary and dive in!

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Big Takeaways

Let’s talk about the easy part first: Food and Drinks. Early lunch, or full brunch. Everyone loves a boozy brunch! Carving station, omelettes, frittatas, quiche, breakfast foods, fresh fruits and veg and cheese, sweet treats like pastries and donuts, smoked salmon, small bites, chicken and waffles, limited bar - people still drink beer and wine. Spiked hot drinks, bloodies, mimosas - all sorts! Champagne and coffee are a must. An espresso bar? Yes Please.

Timeline example: (Be ready for an early morning!)

o 6am-8am, makeup and hair (makeup for 4 people, hair for 1)

o 8am-9am, get dressed + getting ready photos with photographer

o 9am-10am, First Look, Wedding Party, and ½ of family photos

o 11am-11:30am, Ceremony

o 11:30am-12:30pm, Cocktail Reception (ceremony room flipped)

o 12:30pm-4:00pm, Reception

Challenges of a brunch wedding:

Skewing things early, and making sure everyone’s expectations are in line with the earlier day you have planned - your wedding party, VIPs and guests.

Keeping things flowing during the reception - do people dance? Will people stay until the end or cut out early?

Apparel

Hair and Makeup

Light!

Small wedding parties and live musicians are perfect for brunch. We see those two things in almost every brunch wedding we’ve planned or been to as a guest or ‘friendor.’

Our Brunch Bride’s hindsight:

· How we saved money on food and the venue.

· It’s well suited for a Sunday. If an evening wedding was a priority for us, I would have chosen a Friday or Saturday. But Sunday meant that people in NorCal did not have to take off work, which they appreciated.

· Creativity! I enjoy evening weddings where there’s a fancy dinner, starry skies, and a lot of dancing. But brunch forced us to reimagine many aspects of our wedding, especially décor and music.

· A perk of a Sunday wedding: we got our first picks for vendors. We had a 10-month timeframe and although people were already booked on the Saturday, 10/6, they were free on Sunday, 10/7 to help us.

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