Planning Your Morning-After Breakfast on a Budget

It’s become a new wedding Must to plan a breakfast or brunch for the morning after the wedding, treating guests to another delectable meal and a wonderful start to their travel-home day. In many cases, the family of the bride hosts this get-together, with the groom’s family hosting the rehearsal dinner – and in today’s free and personalized wedding trends, we’re also seeing both families plan this morning-after breakfast together.

While some families welcome the out-of-town wedding guests and the bridal party to their home for a morning-after breakfast, a self-hosted breakfast is not always the most budget-friendly plan. With a larger guest list, you will likely have a list of things to rent, plus the cost of food and drinks, and any décor you wish to arrange. When you choose for your morning-after breakfast to take place at a restaurant or at the guests’ hotel, you simply plan and show up to enjoy the celebration while the venue’s staff provides all necessary items and does all the work. And the cost of a well-planned breakfast or brunch at a dining establishment may not be much more than if you hosted (and worked!) at home.

Here are some ways to plan your morning-after breakfast on a budget:

• Booking a special group rate at the hotel where guests will be staying can net you a discount on your party.

• Choose a restaurant brunch that is competitively-priced, at a restaurant where you have dined previously, to get a feel for the cuisine and the level of service.

• Check the social media page of the restaurant where you’d like to host your morning-after brunch, since that is where you may find discounts and special offers to help you plan on a budget.

• Work with the restaurant caterer to create a special, custom brunch menu for your party, allowing you to choose from menu items to create a wonderful selection that still keeps you in your budget range.

• Choose a restaurant or hotel with a brunch that offers a free glass of champagne per guest.

• If you will host your morning-after brunch at home, use coupon codes to get the supplies you’ll need from a quality rental company, and know the date and time when supplies need to be returned so that you don’t pay double or a late fee when you return them after deadline.

• If you will host your morning-after brunch at home, serve easy-prep foods including breakfast classics, skipping pricy seafoods and other upscale foods. Wedding guests have enjoyed plenty of fine cuisine at your wedding venue the day or night prior and don’t need more indulgent foods.

• A budget-friendly drink bar for your home-hosted brunch is a Bloody Mary bar, with a variety of hot sauces for guests to choose from. Champagne is not needed for this event, either, unless you have extra bottles from prior wedding weekend events that you can open and serve.

• Favors are not necessary at the morning-after brunch.

• Professional photography is not needed at the morning-after brunch.

• A new outfit is not needed for the morning-after brunch. It’s often best to make this event casual.

• Print invitations are not needed for the morning-after brunch. Free Evite invitations are easy and etiquette-friendly.

• New décor is not needed for the morning-after brunch. You may have floral pieces left over from the weekend’s events, and other items you already own, to set out as pretty accent pieces.