October 13, 2015

How to Host a Fall Brunch…

I don’t know about you, but I am full speed on my Fall bucket list items. Over the weekend, I hosted my first ever Fall brunch! I thought it was only fitting to invite over my basics. You know those friends that you have that go crazy over pumpkin? Yes, I’m one of those, also, so I decided to do a pumpkin everything themed brunch! I’m not kidding though.. if you could only see our group text messages (all year long), but even more so in the Fall about some funny pumpkin meme, or something ridiculous that is going to be pumpkin flavored, you would completely understand our pumpkin obsession.

Sometimes when I decide to host parties, I get overwhelmed and stressed out. These things are supposed to be fun and enjoyable so I’m going to tell you a few tips on hosting your own brunch so you can avoid some of that stress, especially with the holidays coming up. Anyone braving to host Thanksgiving dinner??

Pick a Theme: First thing you want to do is pick a theme. Once you have a theme in mind you can plan everything around it. In my case I chose pumpkin. Everything from the food to the decor was pumpkin. I even did a pumpkin scrub for the favor. {More on that below}.

Make the Guest List: This is probably the second most important thing to do. You need to decide how many people will be there so you can plan accordingly (food, caterers, time management, etc.). I am always up for a big party, but there is just something about small gatherings that are so comforting and very Fall-like, so I opted for a small brunch.

Begin Meal Planning: I cannot stress how important planning is. If you take the time now to properly plan things out, things will go so much smoother in the end. Make a menu. Pinterest becomes my BFF when I’m meal planning, because let’s be honest, the best ideas are on there! Once you have your menu planned, go ahead and make your grocery list from that menu. Trust me, you will be so happy you did!

Meat and Cheese Platter

Tip: Use all white serving dishes. You can mix and match and they all go well together because they are all white! They are also so elegant and make the food really stand out on the dish.

Pear Compote with Brie

Donut Hole “Acorns”

Pumpkin Granola Parfaits

Apple Cider Bellini (Recipe from my 25 Fall Cocktails List)

Tip: Chose one “theme” drink so you don’t have to worry about having a fully stocked bar.

Plan The Details: Take the time to envision how you want the decor to be to fit your theme. Make a list of what you need. Also, make a list of everything you need to do to accomplish all of the details. Do you want to have games? Do you want favors? Do you want name tags? I really enjoy adding little touches like all of the above because it really makes it special. It was so cute seeing how excited the girls were when they saw they had their very own name tag by their place setting.

Tip: Simple is Best. Don’t Skimp on the little details.