Would it be weird to have brunch/breakfast food for dinner at an evening reception?

jimandpam87

I love breakfast foods so I would personally think it was awesome.  However, I agree that beer/wine would be weird.  Like others have said, I would at least throw in mimosas or something.

Kauris

We are having a brunch wedding, and never thought to put it at night. I love brunch/breakfast more than is probably normal, but I would think this was weird. FI would be pissed. It is possible to have a very lovely brunch wedding and brunch food, during brunch time.

Also, there are many places that I saved money by doing the brunch early in the day:

1. My venue was less expensive, they could book another event that evening, so my event is less expensive.

2. My MUA is cheaper. Same as above, I got half off my hair/makeup since she can book another client for the afternoon.

3. Decor. My venue charges extra to have additional decor up, the evening wedding is going to have that decor already up, they paid $700 for the lanterns to be strewn across the yard, while they won't be lit for my wedding, they are still pretty. And free to me.

4. Florist. Because my wedding isn't as formal as an evening wedding, I am having less flowers, thus, less cost!

There are plenty of reasons to do an actual Brunch wedding, and yes, it's odd to serve breakfast for dinner when people will be expecting beef, chicken or fish. Plus, now we get to have an after party at our house with a taco truck!

lc07

I could be way off here but I always imagined that brunch weddings were less expensive because it was a less popular time slot. Why would a venue allow you to take up a dinner time slot with a less expensive food option? Are bacon and eggs that much less expensive than chicken and rice?

Anyway, I'd think it was odd as a guest but I would be polite of course.

ajsmith14

We plan on doing a breakfast-for-dinner at our reception, and those who know about it are very excited. We will beer and wine available all night, but particularly during the cocktail hour, when we will feature non-breakfast appetizers. If guests still want an alcoholic beverage to go with dinner, we are offering a mimosa bar for the adults and a milk bar for the kids, so everyone feels included. We aren't just serving standard items pancakes and scrambled eggs, but something akin to a higher quality Sunday brunch menu. (shrimp and grits pastries, poached eggs over hashbrowns, etc.)
In the end, we decided to go with a breakfast for dinner because we love breakfast food, and wanted to make it unique to us - we're tired of steak/fish/chicken dinners with a salad and roll at weddings and thought our guests would enjoy a change, too. As long as you have variety and plenty of food that won't leave the stomach growling, your guests should growl, either.

ajsmith14

Also, I'm noticing a lot of people are steering you toward a morning/ afternoon reception if you want brunch food. We are having a late afternoon wedding with an evening reception, because we have people traveling from all over the country. Overall it is YOUR day and you should do what you want to!

umathurman

I think it would be a little bit weird. I liked the idea someone mentioned about having some breakfast items as a late night snack.

kittenkaboodle

I wanted to do that, since I love breakfast for dinner, also known as brinner in my house.  This idea got vetoed by multiple people, but was seriously considered for the rehearsal dinner, which got vetoed by only the grooms father.   FI drinks beer at brunch all the time, so I don't think beer would be weird at all.  I agree with others and serve mimosas as well.  

jay788

We love drinking beermosas with brunch on weekends, so that's my drink suggestion. It goes particularly well with a beer like Blue Moon. Mmm. 

Also some other suggestions. Make sure you include some options that make it stand out from your typical chain hotel breakfast.  Also, include a salad or some sort of vegetables, and enough protein options! Brunch can be really carb heavy...

smhubbel

People are doing all sorts of quirky things for receptions these days. I say do it, but make sure to also provide fruit, like cut up melon or strawberries or whatever along with the eggs and pancakes though. That is still breakfast, but something that, from a healthy eating perspective, guests might appreciate. I LOVE pancakes, but don't eat them due to dietary restrictions. Fresh fruit however is wonderful any time of the day.

I think that during dinner you should have some other sort of drinks available for your guests other than beer and wine, like mimosas or irish coffee. After dinner, you can switch to just the beer and wine only then. 

Waegerle87

So I went to an afternoon/evening wedding earlier this year that had a breakfast for dinner and it was wonderful! They did a bacon bar for appetizers, which was pretty darn cool.  They had eggs, potatoes, steak, ham, fruit, etc.  I loved it! 

wrigleyville

I love breakfast food and would be stoked, but I agree it's a bit strange for an evening reception. Most people will be expecting steak, chicken, fish, etc. Even with my huge love of all things breakfast, I'd be taken aback for a second. It's not against etiquette or anything like that, but I don't know that it would go over very well.

That said, you're feeding your guests and not doing anything wrong, so take that with a grain of salt.

If you're going to do this, I'd make sure to have plenty of breakfast meats since, as others noted, breakfast can be pretty carb-heavy. Perhaps you can do omelets and/or crepes, and have things like sausage, bacon, and ham. You could also do "steak & eggs" as an entree.

I fell in love with these and really wanted a brunch reception so we could serve them during cocktail hour, but H and I both decided there was no way we were getting up early enough for a morning wedding. We were going to do them with mini-pancakes and mini-waffles:

bahamabride2015

If there were sausage, egg and cheese mcmuffins served I would happily stuff myself