Who, What & Wear of Postwedding Brunches

Your wedding doesn’t have to end after the reception. Organise a postwedding brunch the following morning to gather everyone together for one last goodbye before you depart on your honeymoon. Here’s what you need to know:

WHO

The morning-after brunch is a great way for you and your guests to relax after partying the night away –but it’s not mandatory. We repeat, it is not mandatory. If you host one, you have two options –either keep it to family only, or open it up to everyone spending the night at the hotel. If you go with a small, quiet brunch, but are also staying at the same hotel as many of your guests, do yourself a favour and take your morning meal elsewhere –say, a restaurant down the street (or preferably even further). It’ll save you from an awkward encounter with guests not on the ‘brunch list’.

WHAT

After all of those months of exhausting prep work, the wedding’s over. But fear not; the post-party brunch is the perfect opportunity to get back together with your guests (phew, it’s not over!). This is your last chance to thank everyone for coming to the wedding and say a much more relaxed goodbye than you would have while running out the door and into your getaway car the night before. If you’re having brunch at the hotel where everyone’s staying, invite guests by word of mouth or by slipping casual invites into their welcome bags. As for the bill, there’s no hard rule, but our take is that brunch is on you two, especially if your folks helped to pay for the wedding.

WEAR

This one’s less about what you’ll look great in and more about what you shouldn’t wear. Rule number one: no pyjamas of any kind or tracksuit pants. Rule number two: no inappropriate tees with sexy/suggestive comments. Your guests have a pretty good idea how you closed out your wedding night –no need to remind them. Rule number three: absolutely no matching ‘Mr. & Mrs.’ tops (oh so lame). If you’re leaving for your honeymoon immediately after brunch, throw on some comfy clothes that will transition well to the plane ride. Think along the lines of a skirt and flats or jeans and a silk top (you can always change at the airport).