The first step will be planning a menu. If you enjoy cooking and have the time, you might whip up some brunch fare – from pancakes and bacon to pasta and salad. Eggs Benedict is another simple, yet fancy looking crowd pleaser. A DIY waffle station (with the batter ready for guests to cook in the waffle maker) or an omelette station run by you or your husband would delight guests. You can get more ideas and recipes at About.com Food & Drink.
If you are not the cooking type, you can simply buy bagels and cream cheese, prepared sandwiches, and some other finger foods to keep the crowd full. Depending on how much you’d like to spend, you could also have the bridal party brunch catered or take everyone to a restaurant on you.
Mimosas or champagne to toast the bridal party and formally thank everyone is a nice touch. You and your husband or wife can say a few words either to the group or by addressing everyone individually for all they’ve done for you throughout the planning and your wedding day. You should only do the latter if the group is small and you don’t have anything too personal to say. Another option would be writing personal thank you cards, which you could make or buy, and leaving them at each person’s seat.
After the food and drink are taken care of, you’ll want to set the ambiance. For starters, you might want to set the mood by playing your wedding video in the background. People will appreciate it more if they don’t have to sit and watch every minute of it. Even though you may love to take in your wedding video everyday, others might not. If it’s on while people are breaking bread and mingling, they can choose to watch or tune it out. It’s a nice thing to do because some of your bridal party will enjoy seeing themselves and reliving the memories.
Decorating with anything from flowers to streamers is hardly necessary, but it could make the atmosphere more festive. You might be limited by what you can do if you’re going to a restaurant. But at home you are limited only by your imagination. Making good use of the gifts you received for bridal showers and the wedding – from the serving dish to that cake stand – is a great way to show your appreciation.
Give thought to how’ll you’ll set the table. A nice tablecloth and a pretty centerpiece – perhaps a bouquet of flowers featuring some of the varieties you had at your wedding – should do the trick. If you’re crafty, you might consider making place cards with photos of each of the guests from the wedding or printed menus for each place setting. You can be as fancy and sophisticated or as laid back and casual as you’d like. Paper plates with a fun design could even work if you want to keep the clean up to a minimum.
Inviting the little ones – flower girls, ring bearers, and junior bridesmaids and ushers – is entirely up to you, but it is a nice gesture. If you decide to include kids, you should invite their parents and siblings as well, so you don’t have to perform the duty of babysitter and no one feels left out. Have some coloring books and crayons and a toy or two on hand, so the kids will have something to do. If there are enough children, you could set a separate table just for them with all paper plates and plastic utensils. Mini pizzas or hot dogs will please their simple palettes. You could even make a bouquet of lollipops or tower of cupcakes for their centerpiece.
The idea is to show everyone a good time. Play to the crowd. If your bridal party likes to dance, roll up the carpet, clear the furniture, and turn on the iPod. If they play cards or board games, then consider doing that. Just talking and eating is always another option. The important thing is to keep things simple, so you can enjoy your guests and spend time with them, too.
