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Patricia
VIP September 2016

Brunch Wedding

Patricia, on October 21, 2015 at 8:58 AM Posted in Planning 0 18

My FH and I are doing a brunch wedding. The ceremony is on the beach at the venue. Its starting 10:30am and from there the cocktail hour is at 11-12 with mimosas of course! There will be a pancake/waffle and omelet station. We will have tons of breakfast food but along with that we will have normal food like chicken, pasta and beef. I am really looking forward to the non traditional wedding. Has anyone had a brunch wedding and do you have any tips for me with my timeline considering it is really early in the day?

18 Comments

Latest activity by Anelly, on December 7, 2019 at 4:18 PM
  • SummerS
    Master January 2016
    SummerS ·
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    No advice from me either, but it sounds wonderful! We are having a daytime wedding and I would have LOVED to do a brunch, but the brunch menu option at our venue (that has in-house catering) was surprisingly pathetic and really boring compared to the vast dinner options they offer. Have fun with it, I'm sure your guests will love it!

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  • ZeldaBride
    Master April 2017
    ZeldaBride ·
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    Remember that the ceremony start time and your guests arrival time need to be staggered. If you put 10:30 on your invitations, that's when guests will start to arrive. I was recently a BM in a morning wedding: at the rehersal, the MIL/Coordinator thought the ceremony would start at 11 because that was the time on the invitations. I told her (thanks to my knowledge from WW) that that was when guests would be arriving and was she prepared to delay the ceremony while people kept showing up. She was adamant that the only late people it would be delayed for were immediate family. Sure enough, 11am rolls around and the bride and i are watching guests arrive from the upstairs window. I'm not ashamed to say i felt a bit smug about being right. The ceremony didn't actually end up startng until 11:45. So be sure to list the time you expect guests to arrive (10am) on the invitation, not the ceremony start time.

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  • Celia Milton
    Celia Milton ·
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    I love it; we do brunch weddings every weekend; most of our venues do two weddings a day; the first starts with a 10:30 or 11:00 ceremony and go right into a light cocktail hour and then brunch-y food.

    I'd have coffee available as people arrive, (personally, I'd invite them for 10:00....)then the ceremony and the cocktail hour kept exactly to an hour.

    But this is Labor Day weekend, isn't it? if your wedding is in a vacation area, take into account traffic, accommodations, populated beaches, etc.

    Probably, you'll end about 4:00 or so. It'll be great. The only drawback is that your MUA will start REALLY REALLY early!

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  • Celia Milton
    Celia Milton ·
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    Zelda brings up a very good point that I feel like I say all the time too. Your guests, for the most part, are not expecting your wedding to start at the invite time (or they just don't care....). I tell all my couples to allow a half hour before they want to actually start, and then start AT THAT TIME, not a minute afterwards. I did one several weeks ago with a 10:30 invite, and 11:00 start and we didn't go down the aisle until almost 11:30. While I don't think a half hour is too much for people to visit, have coffee, juice, etc, but an hour is pushing it.

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  • Christina
    Master October 2017
    Christina ·
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    YUM ~ who doesn't love brunch! Smiley smile

    @Angel_D JUST posted a recap of her brunch wedding here: https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/holyyyy-sht-bam-pro-sneak-peak-non-pro/7eb94cb26bc5696a.html

    Definitely try connecting with/messaging her for more details and feedback! Smiley smile

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  • Patricia
    VIP September 2016
    Patricia ·
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    Thanks for the tip Zelda and Celia. I will be sure to put a earlier time on the invites because brunch timing is key. I don't want people walking in when I should be walking down the lisle. I'm happy to hear that brunch weddings are becoming common. I noticed at a wedding this weekend most people came a half hour late. Maybe it was because the start time was on the invite. I will make sure not to make that mistake. I also didn't even think about the traffic. the venue is right off rout 95 so I think there will be traffic. Thanks for the tips!

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  • Patricia
    VIP September 2016
    Patricia ·
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    Thanks Christina! I will defiantly take a look

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  • Julia T
    Master August 2015
    Julia T ·
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    I put 3pm on my invite and I started at 3:05pm. I did have a info card and ask for guest to arrive at 2:45pm to be seated. I also had this information on my website. I did a 1st look so all my VIPs was there by 1pm. If you was there you was there. If you was late I'm sorry you couldn't share that moment with us. I just don't think it's fair to the guest that are on time to have to sit and wait for 30min to an hour.

    So my advice start at the time that's on the invite or close to it. Just include information via your website or info cards that it's the actual start time not arrival time. How long is the reception?

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  • Patricia
    VIP September 2016
    Patricia ·
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    Thanks Julia. Good point. either your on time of your not. not my problem. My reception is 5 hours, so it will run until about 4pm if I'm correct. We changed the ceremony time to a earlier it me because you cant eat brunch too late so I get a little confused about the times,

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  • Celia Milton
    Celia Milton ·
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    The thing is Julia, especially in our area, like no one is on time. And they don't sit for a half hour; there is always coffee or juice or wine, and people get to mingle and say hello. It's almost like a mini cocktail hour, without the cocktails.

    From a planning and getting your money's worth perspective, it's really important to have a ceremony that starts on time. Your reception is going to end at a specific time, even more crucial when you're the early wedding at a venue that does more than one a day. Not only will your reception be cut short, but you may be liable for overtime for your music, photographer, and limos. In extreme cases, your officiant may have to leave.

    If inviting early creeps couples out, they can put 'at 11:00 AM sharp", and stick to it.

    Everyone knows how I feel about lateness, but in most cases, the people who really suffer are the couple.

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  • Kristina
    Master September 2016
    Kristina ·
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    I'm having a 1130-5 wedding and everyone is loving the idea. I was so worried people would hate it. Only one person is complaining it is too early and that is FSIL. It had me second guessing it for a minute. I'm doing with Celia stated regarding time because in our families they are always a half hour late.

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  • MzRosaLu
    Master July 2016
    MzRosaLu ·
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    We are having a Sunday brunch wedding. Our invitations will say 11 am ceremony. I would start absolutely no later than 11:30, but hopefully by 11:15. Of course we all know how these things go on the actual wedding day. Our reception will be from 12-4. Like Celia said, probably the most annoying thing as far as timeline is concerned is needing everyone in the BP to start getting ready at the crack of dawn. I'm an early bird but not sure that everyone else is.

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  • Aaron DeMarest
    Aaron DeMarest ·
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    Is there really any bad time to eat breakfast? I think not!

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  • JoRocka
    Master September 2016
    JoRocka ·
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    BRUNCH!! WINNINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

    I love it- I really wanted a brunch wedding but it wasn't in the cards. I think it's awesome.

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  • Corinne_
    Master September 2016
    Corinne_ ·
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    Yay, date twin and brunch wedding twin!

    Our ceremony will start a bit later, at twelve. We are having Huevos Rancheros and Quiche as main dishes and then other buffet items.

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  • Cindy Frabott
    Cindy Frabott ·
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    I did wedding flowers for a brunch wedding that was also a family friend. I thought the bride was nuts having a wedding that early but it really was wonderful! Fruit, cheese and breakfast pastries to start and then eggs, bacon, chicken tenders and a couple of other main dish items. It really was the best food we've had at a wedding.

    She had littles in the wedding too and it worked out because they were fresh early and even once they had full bellies they were much more well behaved than others I've seen.

    All in all it was a really good experience. Smiley smile

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  • Soon2bMrsSoyka
    Super April 2016
    Soon2bMrsSoyka ·
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    Brunch!! Love it! Great idea!

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  • A
    Just Said Yes December 2020
    Anelly ·
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    What do you think about having the cocktail hour before the wedding ceremony?

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