Mrs. Kiwi, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation in 06: 27, Bookkeeper
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LA
Engagement Date: March 31, 2006
Wedding Date: November 3, 2007
Venue: Radisson Hotel
About Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
How common is the “morning-after” brunch? It seems a little weird for us to host a brunch the day after our wedding, since the wedding itself IS a brunch!
According to different people, the brunch is not mandatory, but a nice thing to do. In fact, paraphrasing from the knot, it is generally paid for by the bride’s family, although in this day and age it’s often paid for by the couple!
Well, as we’re poor, there won’t be any buffet. At least not funded by us! 
If so, is it going to be hosted by you or family?
34 Responses to “Brunch”
We are having a dinner reception, so most people will be spending the night. Our hotel actually offers a complimentary breakfast to our guests so for lunch we are going to offer a day after lunch at a friend’s Chinese buffett restaurant as an optional choice should people decide to stick around that long.
My fiance really wants to do this. I don’t think we have the budget, so I just don’t know yet. I’d rather have a picnic or something simple, but most of our out-of-town guest may leave early. One more thing to think about & plan!
We are hosting a brunch/lunch the next day because half of our guests are traveling to our wedding. We are getting married in Rhode Island and since Federal Hill in Providence is known for great Italian food… and our favorite pizza place there is Caserta’s (which we tell EVERYONE about).. we’re having it there. Pizza party for everybody!!
i’m hosting brunch the next morning. :O
We are dong this, I guess, but pretty informally: we are hitting the hot continental breakfast in the hotel, and letting our guests know that we’ll be there.
I think it’s a nice idea especially since many guests are paying so much money to come see you for one night. Although when my brother did it (his was the first I’d ever seen) I was thinking “didn’t we make a big deal about sending you off last night?” But it was nice because it was way less formal and really just immediate family.
As for us, we have to leave at 9 the next morning to drive five hours to the port where our honeymoon cruise leaves from, so there will be no day-after celebreation. Maybe I’ll talk to the hotels and see if they can throw in a bagel or something 
We chose to have a morning-after brunch after we had to change our wedding from Saturday to Friday due to complications with our reception site. So, my mom’s best friend (who knew about the whole ordeal) offered to host a morning-after brunch for our family and bridal party. I’m looking forward to being able to spend some quiet time with the people most important to us before we leave for our mini-moon (being planned as a surprise for us by my MOH, did I mention I have the most amazing people in my life?).
We’re having a brunch, but it will be fairly small–about 1/3 of our guest list, and is almost identical to our rehearsal dinner list: immediate family, really close friends, and extended family who have traveled for the wedding.
My parents have a large house, so we’re just hosting it there and it should cause minimal financial burdon.
Hmm…I think I’ll just make a post
My mother in law will be hosting a breakfast/brunch through the morning at the hotel.
We’re having a very informal one, just because everyone is coming up for the weekend (only 2 or 3 of our guests live within an hour of the site). Since some people will probably leaving relatively early and others will be sleeping in a bit, we’re just going to have a ton of bagels and muffins out on a table at the house (huge summer place where we’re getting married) and coffee and tea, and then eggs if anyone wants to make them for themselves, that kind of thing. So we still get the additional bonding time at minimal expense and energy expenditure.
this is a current issue for us, with a BM saying it’s pretty mandatory and me not agreeing. As an alternative (since breakfast is included) we will hang out in the lobby-ish area with snack road bags, and then hand them out over breakfast.
My parents are hosting a day-after lunch on Saturday for all of the family and friends. It’ll be a pretty casual affair at their house for people to spend more time together (since we don’t see our extended families and many friends very often). I’m planning on showing up a little late, though, since it is the morning after my wedding!
We’re planning on this — both my fiance and I *love* going out for breakfast, and I’ve always wanted to have a post-wedding brunch with close family and out-of-town guests. We’re still in the early planning stages of our wedding, so nothing official yet.
My husband and I just met with a few of our closest out of town friends at a restaurant the next morning for a no-host thing, which one of the bridesmaids ended up paying for as a gift to us. There wasn’t any official planning in all that though.
I will be hosting a day-after brunch for our parents and siblings only. It is something that I feel very strongly about, I really want to have some time just to celebrate with our immediate families, and the brunch is perfect. It’s also a nice way for us to say goodbye and wrap up the wedding festivities before we go on our honeymoon.
We told the out of town guests when and where we would be going to brunch the next day and that they were welcome to join us. We did not “host” the brunch, meaning we didn’t pay for everyone.
So many people had traveled from out of town that we wanted one more opportunity to see them if possible.
I love the brunch idea, but know that it’s not the in budget, really… I went to a cousin’s wedding last summer and it was over the top- omlette station, hot breakfast food, fresh fruit, yougurt… you name it, it was there! They also had leftover desserts from the dessert tables at the reception… everything was VERY good… but obviously, very expensive! We decided to look for a hotel with complimentary continental breakfast, so that our guests won’t need to worry about finding a place to get breakfast. My mom is also thinking about having something informal at her house later in the morning, I think- just simple foods laid out on the table.
my mom and her best friend are hosting a brunch/lunch for us the next day. we are paying for the wedding ourselves, as neither of our family could afford to… so it made my mom really happy that she could do this for us. it is going to be casual, complete with margaritas for the adults and swimming for the kids! i can’t wait
We are having a destination wedding and are doing a welcome lunch the friday before the wedding.
For the day after brunch, we are going to do it unhosted. We are just going to find a place to eat that is large enough for people to join us if they would like. I would love to pay for it but alas, its not in our budget.
Its not mandatory but it’s alway nice to spend more time with everyone before they leave.
just to add - we’re doing it mainly because we can afford to. but if we couldn’t - honestly we probably wouldn’t heh.
I think it’s a wonderful idea. However, we wont be doing it mostly because we leave the next morning for our honeymoon, but also because while my family and I have been to MANY weddings (my grandparents especially have been to upwards of 100!), no one in my family had ever heard about or been to a morning after brunch/breakfast until I came across it during my planning. Maybe it’s just not in our culture/traditions? I think it’s a great gesture, though, and if our schedule and budget permitted, I would love to have one.
and also, i don’t think there is anything wrong with not having one.
i think it is a nice gesture and should be appreciated as such. most weddings i have been to have not had one, or if there was one, it was just close friends/family.
i don’t think it should be an expected thing on the part of the guests. the wedding itself is the party and that was already your way of thanking everyone for being there.
sorry for being so disjointed.
I voted yes, but we aren’t having a brunch. Our wedding is an AM wedding. We will have a brunch at the actual wedding reception. Then, for OOT guests and family we are having a picnic later on in the day. Around 3 or 4pm. This will be instead of a morning after brunch. We’re going to keep it simple wit food from Sams Club and Costco. Nothing fancy. Just a time for everyone to get together and hang out. My parents will be covering the cost.
We aren’t “hosting” the brunch but are making guests at the hotels (right next to each other) that we will be in the breakfast room. Unfortunately our budget doesn’t allow for us to host a breakfast for everyone:(
We are,but largely because we are now having the wedding in a my FH’s home town,which is fairly hard to get to. My SIL is hosting though,so it won’t cost ud anything.
Honestly,if we were having the wedding in our city,we wouldn’t bother,as not that many guests would be traveling.
my parents are hosting one. our wedding is in the evening though. hopefully it won’t cost more than a couple thousand.
We’re having a brunch the morning after our wedding. It is actually obscenely expensive (we’re doing it at the Loews Philadelphia, where Bam got married)… but it’s what everyone in my family does. My fiance and I are actually paying for it to honor my parents, as the day after our wedding will be their 35th anniversary, and to thank them for paying for the majority of our wedding.
We’re doing one. Mr. Pearl’s birthday is that day (day after the wedding) and my sister/MOH’s birthday is the day after that. Plus, NONE of my family lives in Southern California, so it’s just a way to spend more time with them. I am also planning on doing some surprise birthday stuff for my then-DH and sister. I’m still trying to figure out if it will be at the hotel or at another nearby restaurant.
However, I’ve never been to a wedding where they had a day-after brunch, so definitely don’t feel obligated to do one.
This was the first thing the MFIL asserted when we asked if we could have the wedding in their back yard: she wanted to host a brunch the next morning. At least 75% of the guests are flying in just for the wedding, so it’ll be a nice send-off.
When it comes to budgeting, my side of the family doesn’t have the means to plunk down a pile of cash for a wedding, but FI’s parents would really like to be throwing money at this event. As tempting as that is, I know it would make my dad uncomfortable, so we’re paying for the wedding and reception ourselves. The night before and the morning after, however, the future in-laws are getting their chance to spend: they’ve blown the “rehearsal dinner” so far out of proportion that it’s now being called a “welcome party,” and they’re having a catered brunch on Sunday.
While I don’t mind “marrying up,” I don’t want my dad to have that idea shoved in his face all weekend. Otherwise, heck, they can pay for the whole thing if they want.
My parents are hosting a Come and Go type brunch for the morning after. I have actually never been to a wedding where there WASN’T a day after brunch! Man, things where I live are so much different than what I read here! Anyhow, some of the brunches I have been to are also a gift opening where everyone gathers around and watches the Bride & Groom open their wedding gifts. As you can imagine, this is awkward and usually takes a looooong time! So, we are not doing the gift opening but we are having a casual send off type brunch buffet.
We had a small brunch day after the wedding consisting of a few of OOT family members (brother from across the country and an aunt who made the trip from the eastern part of the state)– casual at a local restaurant on the water. My parents hosted but again, not fancy only about 10 of us total. It was nice, we got to reflect and then went back to my parents to open gifts.
We’re doing a sooooper casual brunch. Even if you had to pay for it all by yourselves, we bet you could afford this:
The reception tent will still be set up from the night before, and the tables/chairs will still be there (although bare). So we’re going to Dunkin’ Donuts and ordering piles of donuts and some box’o'joe! Total cost should be VERY reasonable and our guests can hang out with us in a more casual setting, grab coffee for the road, etc. There’s no rule that your sendoff brunch has to be a big fancy affair; in fact, we are guessing (based on our prior experience as wedding guests) that a grab-n-go format will be at least as positive for the guests.
I can’t wait! We decided to have one after we went to a wedding brunch and realized it was a great way for everyone to decompress.
It will be at my parents house, but very laid back so it will be affordable. We’ll set out juice, coffee, and fruit. I’ll be personally making homemade waffles to order.
Our day-after brunch was just such an amazing opportunity to relax and hang out with people who were asking us about how our wedding night went (NO, just kidding, they don’t do that!)
If you want to have a brunch (everyone is there just that one weekend — such a precious short window of time) don’t rule it out based on budget. Brunch food is SO cheap (think bagels and fixins — low-maintenance, help-yourself stuff). Also, the turnout was much smaller than we expected (pseudo-locals didn’t make the trip).
Calling it an “Open House Brunch” removed expectations for formality and any pressures on guests to rearrange their travel plans.
The only thing was that my folks felt they had to go to church really early that Sunday…. : )
