Wedding Reception Forum

Breakfast for dinner at reception

I'm looking to get a little input. My fiance and I are set to be married on a Saturday in December.  It will be a small ceremony and reception with our closest 50 friends/family. We are huge on breakfast but want the ambiance of an evening reception. We are vegan/vegetarian so the traditional dinner menu is out of the question, so breakfast for dinner seemed like the perfect solution, plus its specific to us as a couple. 
We had the idea of also having a salad/pasta/bread roll bar for the more traditional guests. People can decide for themselves what they prefer.

Would the pasta option be an appropriate idea? or would it throw people off? Thank you!
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Re: Breakfast for dinner at reception

  • I am also not a fan of breakfast for dinner.  It works in a pinch but...

    And I agree with PPs that some breakfast with some pasta seems to set you up for a confusing mix of things.  Is a brunch reception totally out of the question? Or would you be comfortable leaning vegetarian for the evening a building a dinner menu with hearty vegetarian entrees - you could have a vegetarian lasagna or ratatouille, vegetable napoleon, curry.  It seems like there could be a lot of entree options for you outside of breakfast foods.

    Before you pursue a breakfast menu, I would run this idea by your VIP guests as a check on how something like this might go over.  The reception is really a thank you for those who celebrate with you, so it would be best to plan a menu that suits a variety of tastes.  
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  • Besides pancakes/waffles/pastries the only vegan breakfast food I can think of would be oatmeal or cereal. If you have a specific menu in mind we might be able to help you. 
    Maybe breakfast inspired apps? hash brown bar?


  • I personally love breakfast foods and I love having breakfast for dinner, but as a wedding guest, I would be confused as to why you had breakfast options and pasta/salad. 

    Also, as PPs have said, breakfast for dinner can be very divisive - as in, some people love it and others strongly dislike it.

    I love the pasta option - could you have a pasta bar with multiple salads as @missfrodo suggested, and perhaps a few varieties of quiche? 
  • Ro041 said:
    I think if you want to have breakfast and pasta/salad, you need to make it a brunch (not breakfast) for dinner reception.  I have been to plenty of brunch buffets that have breakfast options on one side and lunch options on the other (including pasta and salad).  
    Great idea!
  • SP29SP29 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited January 2017
    Breakfast for dinner seems to be a very polarizing subject here- either you love it or hate it.

    I love breakfast for dinner. I do however think it weird to have breakfast as well as pasta and salad. I like the brunch idea better.

    I'm also wondering why a dinner menu is off the books as you are vegan/vegetarian but breakfast isn't?? EGGS??? A traditional breakfast usually involves lots of meat (bacon, sausage, ham), cheese, other dairy and and eggs. Very animal heavy.

    An easy dinner would be salad, rolls, soup, pasta, lasagna, stuffed peppers, tacos.
  • As POs have mentioned, breakfast for dinner is neither altogether popular, nor is it necessarily vegan. I'm not opposed to it, but I'd probably be scratching my head if I were served breakfast foods for a "vegan dinner."
  • The biggest question I have is what are the dietary preferences of your guests?  Are you the only vegetarians/vegans in the room, 10%, etc?  Yes "Breakfast for dinner" is a polarized love/hate thing especially considering traditional breakfast foods are often things people love or hate.  IMO, if your heart is set on a Vegan meal, then have a vegan meal.  If you realize "6 friends, FI & I will be the only vegans in the room of 200" then have something you can have as an entre' or buffet choices and something the other guests will gladly eat that you can find socially acceptable.  
  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited January 2017
    My daughter had a brunch reception after a morning ceremony.  Yes, there were eggs and pastry, but the big hit was the bacon, sausages, carved roast beef, and salmon!  Especially the bacon!
    I get it that you are personally vegan, but why impose your dietary choices on your friends and relations?  I don't drink often, but I serve wine along with non-alcoholic beverages when I entertain.
    I suggest you offer one vegan entree, like a cheese ravioli.  Then let your guests choose their preferences from a menu with choices.
    Breakfast for dinner?  No, thank you.
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  • SP29 said:
    Breakfast for dinner seems to be a very polarizing subject here- either you love it or hate it.

    I love breakfast for dinner. I do however think it weird to have breakfast as well as pasta and salad. I like the brunch idea better.

    I'm also wondering why a dinner menu is off the books as you are vegan/vegetarian but breakfast isn't?? EGGS??? A traditional breakfast usually involves lots of meat (bacon, sausage, ham), cheese, other dairy and and eggs. Very animal heavy.

    An easy dinner would be salad, rolls, soup, pasta, lasagna, stuffed peppers, tacos.
    The bolded is on point as to the Knotties.  

    Personally, I love breakfast for dinner.  It was something we threw out as an idea, and given our morning wedding, we still sometimes toss around brunch instead of lunch.  

    BUT - vegan breakfast is going to be hard to pull off for a dinner replacement unless all your guests are also vegan/vegetarian. You really need some protein in a form that people recognize (EGGS!) for a breakfast - otherwise things will seem overly sweet.

    Vegan/vegetarian dinner will likely be much easier to pull off for a room full of non veg.  As I'm sure you know, Italian and various Asian cuisines all lend themselves nicely.  I'm neither vegan or vegetarian, but I really enjoy vegan asian food.  And a vegetable heavy vegan pasta can also be really yummy. 
  • @southernbelle0915 That made me laugh too ;)

    As a vegetarian/vegan for a billion years, it is WAY easier to make vegetarian or vegan food for dinner and have people like it than it is to pull off breakfast. As PPs have said, lots of dinner meals can be prepared without meat, but people would really notice breakfast without bacon, sausage, eggs, etc.
  • I like breakfast for dinner, but I agree with PP's that it is a lot harder to do a vegan breakfast than vegan dinner. I wouldn't mind a vegan dinner, and honestly, I would be fine having just waffles, pancakes, French toast for breakfast for dinner, but a lot of people are going to want protein (and I would prefer it). And I have no idea how you'd do vegan protein for breakfast. I did some quick googling and most of the breakfasts are mostly starchy/bready or fall into the category of stuff that many non-vegans would probably find odd and would dislike and not take. 
  • You're currently straddling two nice ideas- an evening reception with dinner cuisine, or a brunch reception.  I'd pick one.
    Also how many of your 50 guests are vegan?  Regardless of the meal you choose, the percentage will impact how much of your meal is vegan.  If everyone is vegan, make the whole meal vegan-friendly.  If it's you, FI, and a couple others, a meat/dairy/egg meal with a couple of vegan options would probably please more people.
  • I like breakfast for dinner from time to time, but I would find it strange at an evening wedding. If you really want to do breakfast foods at your wedding, I think you need to do a brunch reception. It is going to be difficult to have the evening ambiance you are looking for if you're serving pancakes. 

    I also think that if you want the food at the reception to be all vegan/vegetarian, you have more and better options for dinner than you do for breakfast.
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  • @southernbelle0915 That made me laugh too ;)

    As a vegetarian/vegan for a billion years, it is WAY easier to make vegetarian or vegan food for dinner and have people like it than it is to pull off breakfast. As PPs have said, lots of dinner meals can be prepared without meat, but people would really notice breakfast without bacon, sausage, eggs, etc.
    Agreed. I love breakfast for dinner, but not sure what a vegan breakfast would consist of beyond waffles/pastries (and knowing nothing about cooking vegan, not sure how that works without eggs, milk, etc.). When I think breakfast for dinner or breakfast buffet, I think eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. I'm a big meat eater, but also love vegetables so I think I could enjoy a vegan/vegetarian dinner before I would enjoy a breakfast without a good protein (that I'm aware of). I'm not a fan of meat substitutes, so I'm not sure your non-vegan guests would enjoy anything like that.
  • I'm not really a fan of breakfast for dinner at home, so being served breakfast for dinner at an evening wedding would really be bizarre and disappointing to me.

    Now add in the fact that it's a vegan breakfast- so no bacon, eggs, sausage, cheese, smoked meat. . . What in the hell am I going to eat?!  What do you serve for a vegan breakfast?





    "Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."


  • I don't think it's wrong for a vegan couple to serve an entirely vegan meal, even if they're the only vegans and they have 200 guests. The same as I don't think it's wrong for a couple who don't drink to not serve alcohol.

    However, I would definitely question the motivations a bit. Like, if the couple just happens to not drink it would seem weird for them not serving alcohol, but if they were recovering alcoholics it would make a lot of sense. Same thing with the food--if the couple are vegan because of animal cruelty, etc., then it makes sense to not serve any animal products, but if they just happen to eat that way it would seem a bit odd to me. 
  • KnotYetTiedKnotYetTied member
    Name Dropper 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited February 2017
    MandyMost said:
    I don't think it's wrong for a vegan couple to serve an entirely vegan meal, even if they're the only vegans and they have 200 guests. The same as I don't think it's wrong for a couple who don't drink to not serve alcohol.

    However, I would definitely question the motivations a bit. Like, if the couple just happens to not drink it would seem weird for them not serving alcohol, but if they were recovering alcoholics it would make a lot of sense. Same thing with the food--if the couple are vegan because of animal cruelty, etc., then it makes sense to not serve any animal products, but if they just happen to eat that way it would seem a bit odd to me.

    To above bolded: I don't see how that would be weird. My FI and I don't drink. I don't plan on serving alcohol. It's expensive, and not something we do, and then you have to worry about guests' safety if they overindulge.

    To the OP, we're also considering breakfast foods for our reception, because it's something important to us, and has personal significance to us. But I'm angling for a brunch wedding so that the breakfast fits. We'll see.

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  • MandyMost said:
    I don't think it's wrong for a vegan couple to serve an entirely vegan meal, even if they're the only vegans and they have 200 guests. The same as I don't think it's wrong for a couple who don't drink to not serve alcohol.

    However, I would definitely question the motivations a bit. Like, if the couple just happens to not drink it would seem weird for them not serving alcohol, but if they were recovering alcoholics it would make a lot of sense. Same thing with the food--if the couple are vegan because of animal cruelty, etc., then it makes sense to not serve any animal products, but if they just happen to eat that way it would seem a bit odd to me.

    To above bolded: I don't see how that would be weird. My FI and I don't drink. I don't plan on serving alcohol. It's expensive, and not something we do, and then you have to worry about guests' safety if they overindulge.

    To the OP, we're also considering breakfast foods for our reception, because it's something important to us, and has personal significance to us. But I'm angling for a brunch wedding so that the breakfast fits. We'll see.


    I think we discussed this in another thread but there's a difference between just 'not drinking' and not having it for your guests.

    I don't drink diet sodas but I have them in my home for guests.

    You should think of some social expectations for your very own circle / family when making that determination.

    Similarly, you could also only offer fish for your meal.   Many won't eat it or won't like it but there's nothing *wrong* on paper with that choice. 
  • KnotYetTiedKnotYetTied member
    Name Dropper 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited February 2017
    banana468 said:
    MandyMost said:
    I don't think it's wrong for a vegan couple to serve an entirely vegan meal, even if they're the only vegans and they have 200 guests. The same as I don't think it's wrong for a couple who don't drink to not serve alcohol.

    However, I would definitely question the motivations a bit. Like, if the couple just happens to not drink it would seem weird for them not serving alcohol, but if they were recovering alcoholics it would make a lot of sense. Same thing with the food--if the couple are vegan because of animal cruelty, etc., then it makes sense to not serve any animal products, but if they just happen to eat that way it would seem a bit odd to me.

    To above bolded: I don't see how that would be weird. My FI and I don't drink. I don't plan on serving alcohol. It's expensive, and not something we do, and then you have to worry about guests' safety if they overindulge.

    To the OP, we're also considering breakfast foods for our reception, because it's something important to us, and has personal significance to us. But I'm angling for a brunch wedding so that the breakfast fits. We'll see.


    I think we discussed this in another thread but there's a difference between just 'not drinking' and not having it for your guests.

    I don't drink diet sodas but I have them in my home for guests.

    You should think of some social expectations for your very own circle / family when making that determination.

    Similarly, you could also only offer fish for your meal.   Many won't eat it or won't like it but there's nothing *wrong* on paper with that choice. 


    There is another thread about this topic in the Etiquette board (Are Dry Weddings Unfair to Guests?). I read through that thread, but I don't think I commented on it. The consensus was that it is not rude to not provide alcohol at a wedding. We plan on providing a wide variety of beverages, so having no alcohol at my wedding should be fine, as we plan to host our guests well.

    ETA: I went back to that other thread and read it all the way through. It seems alcohol has different meaning to some circles. In my family/friend circle, it'll be fine. I didn't realize it was a "know your people" thing. I guess if you're used to something, you sometimes assume other people are too. I've been to both kinds of weddings (dry and open bar), and our people don't care either way. Most of us are religious.

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  • @KnotYetTied - not having alcohol at our wedding would cause some serious confusion in our circle.  FI and I are both fans of beer (we go to festivals and try out new breweries all the time) so people would seriously not understand if we chose not to have alcohol at all.

  • I love breakfast for dinner but need to know more about your menu. Are you planning to serve eggs and dairy? If you're talking about items such as seafood crepes, blintzes, eggs Benedict, cheese souffle, Belgian waffles, huevos rancheros and mimosas, sangria, screwdrivers, I'd be happy. I'd miss the bacon, sausage, and roast, though. 

    Pasta/salad/bread/breakfast seems more suited to a late morning/afternoon brunch, which can be very elegant. 
                       
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