How to Do a Brunch or Luncheon Style Wedding Reception

You have a lot of options when it comes to your wedding reception. Some options are going to be more expensive and others are going to be less expensive. If you are working with a tight wedding reception budget but still want an elegant wedding reception then consider planning a brunch or luncheon style wedding reception.

Step #1 - Find a Great Venue for Your Wedding Reception

The first step in planning this type of wedding reception is to find the perfect venue. The venue can be a restaurant, a scenic garden or it can be your family home. The goal here is to find a venue that is beautiful and that will make your guests feel welcome.

Step #2 - Select a Theme

Selecting a theme for a brunch or luncheon wedding reception is slightly more challenging than a dinner wedding reception. The challenge rests in the fact that these types of wedding receptions are more casual. However, this doesn't mean that you have to settle for a boring theme. There are a lot of themes that will work, for example, you can have an English tea party theme, a Victorian garden party theme or you can have a fantasy theme.

Step #3 - Create Your Menu

One of the most attractive features of a brunch or luncheon wedding reception is that the food and drinks are usually less expensive than those served at evening receptions. This means that you can be more creative with your menus. There are a lot of food options that you can offer to your guests including pancakes, waffles, omelets, fresh fruit and fried breakfast meats. You can also take a more ethnic approach to your menu by serving a traditional breakfast based on your ethnic background. For example, you can serve a traditional English breakfast with black pudding, baked beans, fry bread and sausage.

Step #4 - Select Your Decorations

Decorating for a brunch/luncheon wedding reception is going to be fun. To start with you will have natural light to work with so you won't have to worry as much about extra lighting. Table decorations can be elegant, fanciful or traditional, however, you will want to stick to lighter shades and colors. Balloons, streamers and table clothes are all welcomed additions, however, don't overwhelm your brunch/luncheon with too many decorations.

Step #5 - Entertainment Planning

Entertainment for a brunch or luncheon will need to be light and non-intrusive. You can have music playing in the background, but dancing is most likely not a great option for this type of wedding reception. Instead, plan multimedia presentations about the bride and groom to entertain your guests as they eat. After people have finished their brunch you can plan more active activities like an egg hunt for the kids, if your wedding is near Easter, or scavenger hunts for other times of the year. A nice carriage or boat ride after brunch is another great option for entertainment.