Wow!!!!
First of all you need to get a handle on how many might realistically attend.

The more choices you have on things like egg casserole...the more you will need to make and the longer it will take for people to fill their plates. I would do one kind of egg casserole.

Those Pepperidge buns are not anything like they ised to be...I would make my own little yeast buns, split and freeze them, then fill with the ham and mustard while still frozen and pack into a roaster and warm them up ( I hope you have 2 ovens!). Yeast buns in my experience freeze and re warm better than baking powder biscuits.

When I have had brunch for a great many I have served one simple make ahead casserole. I have a huge dish that will hold 12 dozen eggs with several pounds of cheese and onions and red and green peppers. Makes serving brunch for a crowd fairly easy.
And I don't think you need both hash brown casserole and cheese grits.
As for fruit...I have done all sorts of "recipes" fro fruit salad....and the one that goes over best is just plain fruit!! Cut up lots of fruit...soft fruits not apples nor pears...but 3 or 4 kinds of melons, peaches, apricots, strawberries, blue berries, seedless grapes and bananas...unless you have family members who hate bananas like I do.
Cut it all up the night before and put into zip lock bags and dump it together in a big glass punch bowl just before the crowd arrives...keep extra in the refrig and replenish as necessary. Toss anything that might brown with a little orange juice as you cut it up. You can toss with a little Triple Sec....but I don't think that's necesary.

Breads? Start baking and freezing!! Mini corn muffins with bits of jalapeno, sticky buns, sliced home made breads...other kinds of muffins, biscuits and of course a couple of dishes of jam.

If it were me...I would have the shrimp and sauces as you are planning...
One egg casserole in the biggest dish you can find...maybe 3 of them. And I would favor one not too "gloppy" with sour cream etc....and for 60 people plan on 8 to 10 dozen eggs.
Ham buns....have 1 1/2 per person...about 100 for 60.
Grits Figure 1/3 cup per person...
Fruit...1/2 to 2/3 cup per person.
And baskets overflowing with assorted yummy breads....my notes on big parties say "bread is cheap, have lots!"
Coffee, tea, milk for the kids....perhaps lemonade....and will you be serving bloody marys?
have fun !!
Linda C

Breads & Desserts...
I did a baby shower for 60 (men and women) a couple of years ago. The desserts I used were Ann_T's bread pudding... people still talk about it, and a couple of fruit cobblers. I also made zucchini and banana breads with sides of home made jam and cream cheese.

Why not buy desserts at a great bakery? Not everything needs to be home made. Oh an I would like your jalapeno cheese grits recipe! :)

To get a close to accurate count, can't you have them RSVP to your invitation? Then prepare 10% more food.

We just attended a day after the wedding brunch where about 80 attended....lovely time, coffee cakes, muffins, bagels (with spreads) and lots of coffee and Mimosas. More then enough food and everyone left smiling.

ML

Dessert isn't needed at a brunch...you have fruit and sweet muffins and rolls etc....don't need dessert too.
Linda C

Thanks so much for the input, y'all. It really helps to discuss options and potential problems with people who've been there and done that!

Maddielee, I'll definitely ask for responses, but that will be several months down the road. In the meantime, I was just trying to come up with a ballpark figure to use in planning. The logistics seem pretty complicated (and intimidating) to this novice at feeding crowds!
I'm hoping about half will come since that would be more manageable, but I'm going to plan on 2/3rds to leave a safety margin.

Thanks for those quantities, lindac. Very helpful guidelines! I think you're probably right about just having 1 egg casserole. And, practically speaking, I know you're right about not needing both hash browns and grits. But... everybody won't eat the grits. Have to have potatoes to satisfy the masses and grits for those with more discerning palates. :)

spacific, for some reason zucchini bread and banana bread hadn't even occurred to me. Great suggestions, especially since they're 'do-aheads'. I've never made jams or jellies, but one of my sons has a neighbor who frequently gives him wonderful homemade goodies. I'll tell him to start hoarding those little jars! I've got some beautiful cut-glass pieces of my grandmother's that I rarely get to use because they're so small, but they'll just be the perfect size for a selection of jams. Now I'm excited! (I checked out ann t's bread pudding. Amazing. Another time...)

cooperbailey, if a "great bakery" existed here, I'd be sorely tempted to buy the breads and desserts so I could concentrate on having everything else perfect. I'm really a cook not a baker, and it would be a huge burden lifted. Unfortunately, I'd be stuck with a big bill for inferior products.

lindac -- my feelings exactly. But then I'm not a dessert person, so I was afraid it would seem like I'd skimped. Have to think about that...

cb, checked back over the responses to see if I'd missed anything and I did -- your recipe request. Will dig it out and post tonight.

sm

sm, as far as I'm concerned, things like zucchini or banana bread and sweet muffins like lemon blueberry, ARE dessert, although I do like a nice sour cream coffee cake. If you do something like cinnamon rolls, that's dessert too, as are Ann Ts' cream cheese danish. That's another thing that could be a "bread' possibility. The dough is lovely to work with, doesn't require kneading and the finished product freezes beautifully. You can add your choice of fillings, I've done plain cream cheese but I do make my own jam and so I've used that along with cream cheese to save time on making the fruit filling. Apple maple, blueberry and sweet cherry have been my favorites, but peach is nice too.

I also think that one egg dish should be enough, although I tend to be over the top on such things so would probably make an egg casserole and then something like Woodie's Creme Brulee French Toast, also something that is made the night before and baked.

I won't tell you to cut the grits out of the menu, if you and others like them that's OK, but if I were attending, you'd better make the hash browns, LOL.

Yeast breads do reheat better than biscuits, in my opinion, I agree with LindaC. Sweet potato biscuits sandwiched with ham and hot pepper jelly are delicious, but don't freeze and reheat well. Maybe just a yeast roll with the ham would be better to keep warm and serve.

Fruit salad always goes well here too, but my family just likes various cut up fruits and berries, with some 7-up poured over it for sweetness and the citric acid helps keep anything like peaches from oxidizing and turning brown.

have fun!

Annie

You didn't say when this wedding is? Date? Weather in your locale?

Sorry, but I don't see Bread Pudding for a dessert along with ham buns, egg casserole with Crescent dough, hash brown casserole, grits and more breads. Just too many carbs. I would have the fruit be the last item on the buffet or have the fruit and small cookies/bars on another table as the dessert. Cookies and bars can be made ahead and frozen. Pound cake sliced could also be another dessert selection.

If you can get the Hawaiian brand small buns, they will work for the Ham Delights (that's what we call them here). They will stay warm until served if wrapped well in foil. I would not put out all of them at once, but replenish the serving tray after about half of the guests have served themselves.

If the brunch is late morning or noon-ish, a platter of marinated vegetables or sliced tomatoes with fresh herbs would be nice and add color to the table.

I'd also like the jalapeno grits recipe, please? ;o)

Teresa

I'm another vote for no dessert. Fruit or a sweetish quick bread would be fine. After all everyone needs to save room for wedding cake later in the day!!!

If you want to go homemade, there are loads of recipes for the southern "Angel" biscuits made with yeast. (Sorry I don't have a T&T version, but one of my friends makes them often. You make them ahead and keep in refrigerator and then just bake that day. If you set out a platter of them with some mustards and thin sliced ham that would be delicious.

And don't forget the mimosas!!!!

Grace

Can I take this in another direction?

When I have brunches...which I have had updwards of 60 people...I usually do bagels with tuna, egg and chicken salad...I also make a large three bean salad. The morning of the brunch you can purchase the small egg rolls which they can make into sandwiches. A big tossed salad is also a nice addition. I just feel that you are going to be totally exhausted making everything that morning. The tuna, egg and chicken salad can be made the day before.

Sorry to throw the wrench into your brunch (which by the way I think is wonderful of you) but I just thought it may be easier for you.

Congrats on the wedding :)

gbsim, you've cast the deciding vote! Thanks to you and lindac and Annie for relieving my 'guilt' over the whole dessert question. :) Guess my instincts were right but I was just afraid to trust them.

My preference is also for 'plain' fruit, but I was worried that it would seem blah to everyone else. From your comments, I guess not. Teresa, something you said about that gave me a brainstorm. I have several dozen antique crystal champagne glasses that are really lovely. They're not 'flutes', so maybe they're not even champagnes, even though that's what my mother always called them. Anyway, they're wide-mouthed and shallow bowls on elegant long stems. I'm going to fill them with a colorful mix of grapes, melons and berries. They'll be on a separate 'dessert' table, along with an optional whipped topping of cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and Grand Marnier and some simple (but luscious) shortbread cookies. Omigosh, y'all have inspired me!

Teresa, it's in Nov. Sounds so far away, but 4 months ahead isn't too early to begin planning, right? The weather here is incredibly unpredictable at that time of year. More often than not, it's really gorgeous between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Indian summer. But sometimes it turns nasty. I'm trying to think positive!

I have also worried about the carb overload. But, hey, Michael Bloomberg isn't invited, so we should be safe.

mjrdolfan, thanks for your good wishes! She's a lovely and *appreciative* bride, so it's my pleasure to do something special for her. I so understand your concern. But that's exactly why I posted here -- because I know how easy it is to get sucked in and end up leaving too much to do at the last minute and have it all go to hell in a handbasket. I promise that won't happen. You didn't 'throw a wrench' into it at all. You just reminded me, once again, how important it is to be on top of things. Thanks!

sm

P.S. Grace, forget the mimosas? Do you think I've totally lost it, honey chile??? :) Actually, the Bloody Mary's are what I'm famous for. Horseradish is my secret ingredient. But I've already put one of my ddil's in charge of the mimosas. And another is making bellinis. And a third is squeezing fresh orange juice. It's gonna be a partay!!

I would bake a ham the day before and slice it down into a large platter and have that as well. I have done that for our school food brunches and every speck of ham usually gets eaten!
I can't imagine serving that many people..how many helpers will you have?
Joann