Help me plan my wedding "brunch" menu

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I vote #1.....mainly because I am soooooo burnt out on cold cut platters.

Other than fruit, what I would add to #1 would be some small slider rolls for those who want a sandwich, they can make prime rib sliders.  The rest of the breakfast items can be sides.

[alabamagal]

I vote #1 - the prime rib did it.

My definition of brunch is when you have breakfast food at lunch time.

[HoneyBBQ]

May 6, 2015 17:23:36 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

May 6, 2015 16:10:13 GMT -5 cktc said:

People are either staying within 15 minutes of the location, or driving ~2 hours morning of. Pics at 9, wedding is at 10, reception at 11, same location. We'll probably meet up with guests who stick around for dinner at 6-ish. Night before we are catering Italian dinner at a friend's cabin.

I guess the next question would be what the guest list looks like. How many older folks? Children?

I can see a young adult crowd doing fine with waiting until 11 for breakfast. I think most older folks will have a more difficult time with it. Kids will generally have to have breakfast before and option 1 doesn't seem very kid friendly.

I don't think that the option 1 looks like a great reception menu. It looks like a sit down meal to me. Option 2 looks like it could be much more munchies while socializing friendly. So maybe consider what you want the time to look like.

I vote for #1 (with fruit and mimosas) and I think it's very kid friendly. What kid doesn't like waffles?

[billisonboard]

May 7, 2015 11:49:22 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

May 6, 2015 17:23:36 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

I guess the next question would be what the guest list looks like. How many older folks? Children?

I can see a young adult crowd doing fine with waiting until 11 for breakfast. I think most older folks will have a more difficult time with it. Kids will generally have to have breakfast before and option 1 doesn't seem very kid friendly.

I don't think that the option 1 looks like a great reception menu. It looks like a sit down meal to me. Option 2 looks like it could be much more munchies while socializing friendly. So maybe consider what you want the time to look like.

I vote for #1 (with fruit and mimosas) and I think it's very kid friendly. What kid doesn't like waffles?

What kid likes being fifteenth waiting in line at the waffle machine at 11 in the morning.

[ArchietheDragon]

May 7, 2015 11:58:54 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

May 7, 2015 11:49:22 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

I vote for #1 (with fruit and mimosas) and I think it's very kid friendly. What kid doesn't like waffles?

What kid likes being fifteenth waiting in line at the waffle machine at 11 in the morning.

The adults will all be in the mimosa line. 

[HoneyBBQ]

LOL @ Archie. 

[yogiii]

I wouldn't take kids into consideration.  If the parents are really worried about it, then can pack a snack.

[cktc]

May 7, 2015 11:58:54 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

May 7, 2015 11:49:22 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

I vote for #1 (with fruit and mimosas) and I think it's very kid friendly. What kid doesn't like waffles?

What kid likes being fifteenth waiting in line at the waffle machine at 11 in the morning.

What kid likes sitting through a wedding ceremony? Their parents are bringing them, they get to see their cousins, maybe dance and make some new friends, and they leave with candy. The reception should be the least of their wows.

[billisonboard]

May 6, 2015 15:56:09 GMT -5 cktc said:

Two buffet options that price out about the same:

1) Breakfast plus carving station: Assorted muffins, bacon, biscuits and gravy, breakfast potatoes, waffle, and omelette stations, +prime rib carving station

2) Lunch plus breakfast stations: Platters of thin sliced roast beef, turkey, ham, salami, sliced cheddar, Swiss & Jack cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and assorted breads Served with potato salad, pasta salad and tossed green salad, +waffle and omelette stations

...

Brunch reception is from 11-1. 

I was looking at this from a logistical perspective, not looking at food items specifically. There is a two hour block of time. I am assuming that the ending time is contractually set. What events traditionally take place at a reception? Cake, toasts, dances? And you have a food line. I have no idea how many total guests are being planned for but I am looking at menu one as being dominated by two items cooked to order. How much time will it take for ingredients to be selected, assembled, and placed on the grill for each omelette? How much time will it take to cook each waffle? What percentage of the total two hours will be needed to move people through the stations? I see menu two as much quicker to get people through and ready for the rest of the fun. I would prefer to eat from menu one.

[lexxy703]

I see your decision has already been made but I love #1 especially now that you have added bloody marys

[Chocolate Lover]

I also got here too late for a vote, but thankfully you made the right choice  Last time I arrived at a meal for a family reunion type event at a fancy local place, I was expecting a bit more than sandwich fixings which weren't any tastier than what I could have bought at Walmart.   

This is the very first time I've said a word to anyone about it because I didn't have to pay to attend and it wasn't my party, but I had to dress better than the menu deserved. 

[muttleynfelix]

May 6, 2015 17:23:36 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

May 6, 2015 16:10:13 GMT -5 cktc said:

People are either staying within 15 minutes of the location, or driving ~2 hours morning of. Pics at 9, wedding is at 10, reception at 11, same location. We'll probably meet up with guests who stick around for dinner at 6-ish. Night before we are catering Italian dinner at a friend's cabin.

I guess the next question would be what the guest list looks like. How many older folks? Children?

I can see a young adult crowd doing fine with waiting until 11 for breakfast. I think most older folks will have a more difficult time with it. Kids will generally have to have breakfast before and option 1 doesn't seem very kid friendly.

I don't think that the option 1 looks like a great reception menu. It looks like a sit down meal to me. Option 2 looks like it could be much more munchies while socializing friendly. So maybe consider what you want the time to look like.

Option 1 is very kid friendly. You feed the kids before you go to wedding. Then they munch on breakfast. We typically give the kids a snack before we go out for brunch on the weekends. No big deal. We also give our kids gold fish while we go grocery shopping. So we aren't exactly model parents.

[cktc]

May 7, 2015 12:55:36 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

May 6, 2015 15:56:09 GMT -5 cktc said:

Two buffet options that price out about the same:

1) Breakfast plus carving station: Assorted muffins, bacon, biscuits and gravy, breakfast potatoes, waffle, and omelette stations, +prime rib carving station

2) Lunch plus breakfast stations: Platters of thin sliced roast beef, turkey, ham, salami, sliced cheddar, Swiss & Jack cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and assorted breads Served with potato salad, pasta salad and tossed green salad, +waffle and omelette stations

...

Brunch reception is from 11-1. 

I was looking at this from a logistical perspective, not looking at food items specifically. There is a two hour block of time. I am assuming that the ending time is contractually set. What events traditionally take place at a reception? Cake, toasts, dances? And you have a food line. I have no idea how many total guests are being planned for but I am looking at menu one as being dominated by two items cooked to order. How much time will it take for ingredients to be selected, assembled, and placed on the grill for each omelette? How much time will it take to cook each waffle? What percentage of the total two hours will be needed to move people through the stations? I see menu two as much quicker to get people through and ready for the rest of the fun. I would prefer to eat from menu one.

The rest of the fun? I was thinking food is the fun. Can I get away with not dancing?

I have to double check on the time with the venue, I believe we have it reserved until 3pm, but people tend to start trickling out as soon as they have been fed so I don't expect them to stay much longer than 1. We aren't terribly into the "events" portion of the day. Toasts go with food, cake is a cupcake tower. I'm NOT subjecting the single people to a flower and garter toss. We hired a dueling piano player so the day won't be completely without entertainment.

We have just under 60 people coming, a quarter of that is kids. From my brunch experience, most people don't go for an omelette and waffles, or they start with the buffet, and check out the stations later, so that breaks things up. Also they use more than one waffle-iron/skillet so multiple people are being served at once. 

It might be a disaster, but with 10 days to go, I kind of have to make peace with what we've planned. Eep!

Thank you all for all of your advice!

[lexxy703]

May 7, 2015 15:35:24 GMT -5 cktc said:

May 7, 2015 12:55:36 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

I was looking at this from a logistical perspective, not looking at food items specifically. There is a two hour block of time. I am assuming that the ending time is contractually set. What events traditionally take place at a reception? Cake, toasts, dances? And you have a food line. I have no idea how many total guests are being planned for but I am looking at menu one as being dominated by two items cooked to order. How much time will it take for ingredients to be selected, assembled, and placed on the grill for each omelette? How much time will it take to cook each waffle? What percentage of the total two hours will be needed to move people through the stations? I see menu two as much quicker to get people through and ready for the rest of the fun. I would prefer to eat from menu one.

The rest of the fun? I was thinking food is the fun. Can I get away with not dancing?

I have to double check on the time with the venue, I believe we have it reserved until 3pm, but people tend to start trickling out as soon as they have been fed so I don't expect them to stay much longer than 1. We aren't terribly into the "events" portion of the day. Toasts go with food, cake is a cupcake tower. I'm NOT subjecting the single people to a flower and garter toss. We hired a dueling piano player so the day won't be completely without entertainment.

We have just under 60 people coming, a quarter of that is kids. From my brunch experience, most people don't go for an omelette and waffles, or they start with the buffet, and check out the stations later, so that breaks things up. Also they use more than one waffle-iron/skillet so multiple people are being served at once. 

It might be a disaster, but with 10 days to go, I kind of have to make peace with what we've planned. Eep!

Thank you all for all of your advice!

Don't go for the omelette station? That would be my first stop after the bloody mary of course!

[weltschmerz]

May 7, 2015 15:53:32 GMT -5 lexxy703 said:

May 7, 2015 15:35:24 GMT -5 cktc said:

The rest of the fun? I was thinking food is the fun. Can I get away with not dancing?

I have to double check on the time with the venue, I believe we have it reserved until 3pm, but people tend to start trickling out as soon as they have been fed so I don't expect them to stay much longer than 1. We aren't terribly into the "events" portion of the day. Toasts go with food, cake is a cupcake tower. I'm NOT subjecting the single people to a flower and garter toss. We hired a dueling piano player so the day won't be completely without entertainment.

We have just under 60 people coming, a quarter of that is kids. From my brunch experience, most people don't go for an omelette and waffles, or they start with the buffet, and check out the stations later, so that breaks things up. Also they use more than one waffle-iron/skillet so multiple people are being served at once. 

It might be a disaster, but with 10 days to go, I kind of have to make peace with what we've planned. Eep!

Thank you all for all of your advice!

Don't go for the omelette station? That would be my first stop after the bloody mary of course!

Me, too. I love omelettes.

[cktc]

Right, and while y'all are getting your omelette on, me and the kids will be lined up for waffles 

[HoneyBBQ]

May 7, 2015 15:29:24 GMT -5 muttleynfelix said:

May 6, 2015 17:23:36 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

I guess the next question would be what the guest list looks like. How many older folks? Children?

I can see a young adult crowd doing fine with waiting until 11 for breakfast. I think most older folks will have a more difficult time with it. Kids will generally have to have breakfast before and option 1 doesn't seem very kid friendly.

I don't think that the option 1 looks like a great reception menu. It looks like a sit down meal to me. Option 2 looks like it could be much more munchies while socializing friendly. So maybe consider what you want the time to look like.

Option 1 is very kid friendly. You feed the kids before you go to wedding. Then they munch on breakfast. We typically give the kids a snack before we go out for brunch on the weekends. No big deal. We also give our kids gold fish while we go grocery shopping. So we aren't exactly model parents.

My kid is like a hobbit and wants elevensies and what not. She eats AOTT. 

[weltschmerz]

May 7, 2015 16:01:31 GMT -5 cktc said:

Right, and while y'all are getting your omelette on, me and the kids will be lined up for waffles 

That's OK. Not too crazy about waffles.

[jelloshots4all]

Brunch #1! But we eat breakfast for dinner often as well. CONGRATS!!

[Tennesseer]

May 7, 2015 15:35:24 GMT -5 cktc said:

May 7, 2015 12:55:36 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

I was looking at this from a logistical perspective, not looking at food items specifically. There is a two hour block of time. I am assuming that the ending time is contractually set. What events traditionally take place at a reception? Cake, toasts, dances? And you have a food line. I have no idea how many total guests are being planned for but I am looking at menu one as being dominated by two items cooked to order. How much time will it take for ingredients to be selected, assembled, and placed on the grill for each omelette? How much time will it take to cook each waffle? What percentage of the total two hours will be needed to move people through the stations? I see menu two as much quicker to get people through and ready for the rest of the fun. I would prefer to eat from menu one.

The rest of the fun? I was thinking food is the fun. Can I get away with not dancing?

I have to double check on the time with the venue, I believe we have it reserved until 3pm, but people tend to start trickling out as soon as they have been fed so I don't expect them to stay much longer than 1. We aren't terribly into the "events" portion of the day. Toasts go with food, cake is a cupcake tower. I'm NOT subjecting the single people to a flower and garter toss. We hired a dueling piano player so the day won't be completely without entertainment.

We have just under 60 people coming, a quarter of that is kids. From my brunch experience, most people don't go for an omelette and waffles, or they start with the buffet, and check out the stations later, so that breaks things up. Also they use more than one waffle-iron/skillet so multiple people are being served at once. 

It might be a disaster, but with 10 days to go, I kind of have to make peace with what we've planned. Eep!

Thank you all for all of your advice!

Go with option #1. And if it is a disaster, so what. You and yours will have a good laugh about it 20 years from now.

Good luck and best wishes.