How To Host A Bridal Brunch

If you're anything like me, you've been dreaming of your big day in all its clichéd, movie montage glory — and guess what? That's OK! You're not alone, because you and a million other girls are doing the exact same thing. When it's finally time to get engaged and prepare for your wedding, who's going to be there by your side? Your girlfriends, your sisters, your cousins — the ladies in your life who have watched you cut swatches at age 7 and have seen your entire wedding collage grow since the sixth grade.

Need a little inspiration for your bridal brunch? 

To properly honor these women, it's nice to show them how much they mean to you and how excited you are to have them stand by your side on your wedding day. In recent years, the trend of asking the ladies in your life to be in your bridal party has become a DIY tradition that brides bond over via Pinterest, Tumblr, and Etsy.

When I said "Yes!" I already knew who I was going to ask to be my bridesmaids — and I immediately got to planning. First, I decided to host a bridal party brunch where everyone could officially meet (if they weren't all already acquainted) where we could discuss all of the things that are to come on the road to the wedding, from choosing the bridesmaids dresses to the bridal shower to the outrageous trouble we plan on getting ourselves into for the bachelorette party.

If planning a brunch or a soirée is on your agenda, here are a few tips that I learned while planning mine:

• Decide on the type of meal and the theme: The theme for my brunch was a bohemian tea party with the same colors that I'm planning on using for my wedding.
• Invitations: There's no party without an invitation. I designed my own invites with my color scheme in mind, had them printed, and sent them snail mail for a sweet surprise. Evites are also great if you're looking for an instant response!

• It's all about the menu: In accordance with my theme, I chose a menu that was fit for tea time, with staples like scones, Danishes, and macarons, and blended in both breakfast and lunch favorites like bagels, eggs, bacon, quiche, and pressed sandwiches.

• Booze, baby, booze: A Saturday morning brunch is certainly not complete without booze, so a Bellini and mimosa bar was essential.

• Setting the table — and the scene: I chose the linens, spoke with a florist, pulled out my china, and created an ambiance that was both feminine and very reflective of my style. 

• What's in the box? To seal the deal on the brunch, I created boxes for each girl filled with sentiments, sweets, a little bubbly, and wedding-themed add-ons.

The rest, as they say, is history. See how the details unfolded for yourself!