Breakfast food for reception: Go or no go?

alyssaweakland

My fiance and I met while playing tennis with a group late at night and we ending up hitting it off and he asked me to go get something to eat. Considering it was too late to go anywhere else we went to ihop. I thought it would be cute to have a breakfast/brunch. There would be an omelette station, carved ham, french toast, pancakes, waffles and all the other breakfast foods. And the alcohol would be mimosas and things such as that.

Is it tacky and cheap to have breakfast at a night reception? Or is it nice to have that personal touch for all of our guests to experience it with us? 

Thanks!

itzMS

Why not just have a morning ceremony and a brunch reception? I've been to brunch receptions and they are fantastic!

If you must have your reception in the evening, maybe you could do some cute breakfast foods as a late night snack. I really think you should serve an actual dinner if your reception is at dinnertime.

SachaBee

Hmmm, I would not mind this. I like both of itzMS's ideas. You could also do a mix of brunch-y and more traditional stations (I mean, steak and eggs is a thing, right?). I personally love omelettes and in France they are considered an enthusiastically anytime food, so I would be a happy camper at your wedding. But you also want to make sure to have some variety--pancakes and waffles aren't that different IMO and French toast is ...basically toast, so it might be nice to do a few different options with one or two breakfast-y stations.

ETA: I would not cut out breakfast entirely because I think including it as part of the story of how you met is cute and awesome.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

While I enjoy occassionally having breakfast-for-dinner at home, at a wedding reception, I would think it was weird. I'd either do a morning ceremony and brunch reception, or just do a fancy play on some brunch items during your reception - maybe have a passed hors d'oeuvre of a chicken tender and a mini waffle, or bite sized quiche, or maple bacon cupcakes. But keep the meal traditional.

jessicabessica

I think it would be great to incorporate breakfast foods, but not to have exclusively breakfast/brunch.  People generally expect a more substantial meal at a dinner reception; breakfast/brunch is often very carb and sugar heavy, IMO.  If you end up doing an evening reception, what about having a savory crepe station with veggies, cheese, and protein?  

JaxInBlue

Agree with PPs that a touch of breakfast food is a good way to go at a dinner-time reception.  I like the idea of a chicken and waffles app or a crepe station.  If you really love breakfast foods, a brunch reception would allow you to focus the reception on those food items more exclusively.

I think this is one of those things where keeping in mind that the reception is a thank you to the guests who attended the ceremony is important.  A nod to the importance of breakfast in your story is cute but making sure your guests are comfortable with the menu is more important.

lyndausvi

I think it's a great idea for a brunch time reception.  I would not really like it for dinner.

reppunzel

I think it could work in the evening if it was more a combination meal (brunch/"brinner") than just straight breakfast.  Have enough options/stations that are on the "dinner" side (meats, salads, veggies) so that someone could assemble a non-breakfast plate if they prefered.  Some dishes, like cheesy hashbrown casserole, can go either way.

Personally, I would walk right past the meat/veg. and really enjoy the breakfast-y foods. But when feeding a crowd, it seems you are safest with a variety of options. 

Peavy

If you want to serve brunch foods, then have a daytime wedding.  People expect, and deserve to be fed, an appropriate meal for the time of day.

kryse

It's a GREAT idea! But do something fun such as set up an omelette station w/chefs making fresh to order along with a breakfast brunch buffet. But I dont agree that you have tO have it in the morning. Breakfast at dinner time is always the best meal!

skantrowitz

If you don't just do breakfast foods and have some more dinner-options too, this could be great. I've been to brunch buffets before that had (in addition to pancakes and eggs) sliced steak, shrimp cocktail, prime rib, blackened salmon, spinach salad, and savory crepes. With that kind of variety, people can choose to embrace the breakfast theme, or choose not to.

getaclue44

We wanted to do this as well and my mom flat out refused to allow it.  So then we tried to slip in breakfast food for the rehearsal dinner--and his mom said no.  I guess it wasn't meant to be.  What about doing it for your rehearsal dinner???

kmmssg

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_breakfast-food-for-reception-go-or-no-go?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:6992f87d-c142-410e-af7c-cccc5e8944c6Post:11859764-3859-4a96-8fe0-f1ccd8a5b85e">Re: Breakfast food for reception: Go or no go?</a>:
[QUOTE]If you want to serve brunch foods, then have a daytime wedding.  People expect, and deserve to be fed, an appropriate meal for the time of day.
Posted by Peavy[/QUOTE]

<div>This, exactly.</div>

alyssaweakland

Steak and eggs would be a perfect thing! And salmon would be great also. I believe a wedding reception is a time to have fun with family and friends and not impress them, because you shouldn't have friends and family you have to impress. Of course I would incorporate actual dinner foods because breakfast usually doesn't stick around too much. If someone is going by what other people want then you might as well let them control the wedding. A crepe station would be awesome, especially a seafood crepe! And maple bacon cupcakes are a cute way to incorporate it also (Georgetown cupcakes makes wonderful cupcakes like that). 

So I guess a 'binner' it is! Steak and eggs, chicken and waffles and salmon. That way if anyone just wants a steak, chicken, or seafood they can have it  

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!