Your menu sounds good. I would definitely add the quiche so that you have some protein in the menu. I don't think that you need donuts, coffee cake, bagels, and toast. That is a lot of starch and it reminds me a bit of hotel continental breakfasts. Instead, perhaps a really good coffee cake and bagels for those who prefer them, along with the quiche and a fruit bowl.

Just make sure that it's nothing you need to make at the last minute -- you will be TIRED! Sweet pea makes a good point about a lot of starch, but it often seems that those are the things that are easiest to do ahead. Fresh fruit is great, but a big job. Next time someone asks, "What can I do to help?" give him/her that job. Last time I did a brunch, in August, I had the supermarket do up a big bowl or platter of cut fruit. The extra cost was worth it for the work it saved; I would have had to get up at 4:00 am to cut up all that fruit! (This was a brunch for 70 people.)

I have found that the big frozen boxes of premade French toast stix (they come in regular or cinnamon-sugar) are LIFESAVERS for a brunch crowd. They bake in just a few minutes, a zillion at a time, and you can freeze leftovers, too. That's a LITTLE protein, anyway!

I don't know if your guests like fish, but for protein there is also lox, herring, smoked fish, tuna salad, salmon ring/mold, etc. (My family and friends love fish; no matter how much we get, they eat it ALL.) Lox is expensive, but it's so good on a bagel. You can get the much cheaper "belly lox" (same stuff but not in long, pretty strips) or even cream cheez with lox bits in it. Don't forget some sliced onion! MMmmmmmmm. And you did mention cheeses; that's an easy way to serve some protein.

Have fun!

Thanks, Wedding Gang!

I'm glad to hear that I'm not too far off base in my thinking. And Sweet_pea10, I think I will drop the toast and the donuts but add in some munchkins for the young at heart. I have a really good coffee cake recipie I can whip up that is always a fav with folks. If I do bagels, coffee cake, fresh fruit, quiche, and toss in a cheese plate, that could cover all the bases. For the cheese I could do a sharp cheddar, some saga blue and a nice soft brie. If I put some nice cold grapes around the platter for some contrast that should be enough. I'll have salty, sweet, creamy and protein.

gellchom, good idea re: the lox or other fish. I checked that out in Stop & Shop yesterday and I can get lox in nice packs, all sliced for not much $$. I'm not a lox person but I'm sure some will be. A plate of lox on the table will not break the bank. Red onion, right? thin slices?

As I said, we really have no idea on how many people will be there. The people who are driving have anywhere from a 3 - 9 hour drive ahead of them. As far as the time goes, we were thinking of 10 - 12. I think 10 in the morning, after a fun filled reception the night before, is reasonable and I can't imagine that people will want to stick around much past 12 if they are traveling.

Thanks for your input, Kids. I appreciate your help. I'm starting to get excited about all of this fun stuff. But...it will be over before we know it.

Sooey

Either red or white onion is fine. You can get fancy and put out lemon, capers, chopped egg -- but in my opinion, you really can't improve upon a plain bagel with cream cheese, a slice of onion, and lox. Pure heaven!

And, not that you asked, no sweet bagels! An abomination. In my opinion, if it wouldn't taste good with onion and lox, then it has no business being a bagel and should go be a muffin or something. :-)

I suggest you also post for ideas on the cooking and recipe exchange boards. They were a godsend when I had to make that big brunch this summer.

I served something similar the Sunday morning after our wedding. We invited the bride's relatives, groom's parents, the single girlfriends, one couple from my college days from far across the country, and the wedding party and their dates/spouses. We kept it smaller at the bride's request for a quiet brunch. That turned out to be a wise decision as she needed some down time.

I rented 3 large round tables (the size for 10) that filled the patio. Also rented chairs and tablecloths. The groom's mother had sent us home with several rehearsal dinner centerpieces, so we used them liberally.

We invited a little over 30, all of them from out of town. I set up a catered buffet in the kitchen, and as it was August, we ate on the patio. I served mimosas, quiche, bagles, croisant, fruit, juice, coffee, iced tea, cheese plate, and sausage. If I were to do it over again, I would skip the bagles and croisants and cheese as almost all of them were untouched. Definitely serve mimosas--makes it seem festive.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all flying out that afternoon, but it seemed the older guests were driving up the coast for additional vacation. So people left as they chose with the older guests leaving soonest. The bridal party were all checked out of the hotel, so we entertained them a few hours till time for them to leave for the airport. It had turned grey, in fact the sun never came out that day, but originally the bride and groom were going to take them down to the development pool to swim and relax till departure time. But everyone just relaxed for a couple of hours in our family room and kitchen and enjoyed the time to chat about the whole wedding weekend and laugh at some of the goings on.

The honeymoon departure was hours later after everyone had left, so the groom relaxed and watched a game on TV while the bride took the last chance to do some laundry and packing before they left for tropical islands.

Hope this recap of our post wedding brunch helps your planning.

Thank you, sheilajoyce. It sounds like your brunch was wonderful. Yes, it's been sugested to cut back on the bread stuff. That sounds like a wise idea. I think protein is important and finding that just right balance is important.

Thanks, Everyone. All this information as well as your first hand experience has helped a lot.

Sooey

Try the entertaining and cooking forums. You'll get lots of suggestions there.