Farewell Brunch

You could have someone like Panera cater it. They have breakfast quiches, bagels, pastries, fruit, coffees, etc. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone cooking or having to run around getting groceries.

View Quoted Comment

I feel so silly for not thinking of Panera 😂 There's one just a few blocks from the hotel! I also plan on looking at some local bakeries and maybe inquiring about something similar. Panera would definitely be easiest but if I can do something local that would make me happy!

What type of restaurants are you looking at? Does “wedding” mean you can only use high end restaurants? Casual affordable restaurants are knocked for not being “fancy”/“appropriate” when there is no reason to. The food is generally more universally appealing with the smaller bill as well. Cross off any of the higher end and start looking at the fun diners in your area you can meet up at. Plus guests may very well prefer the casual vibe after a formal reception.


I would not DIY unless you were able to get a local diner to deliver. Contact them to see who offers breakfast catering on a tight budget. Another option is fruit/yogurt/muffins from Costco that can be picked up the day before the wedding and stored in a kitchen you have access to. Coffee and juice are inexpensive.

View Quoted Comment I have definitely found during this wedding planning process, that it is sometimes the most obvious things we don’t think about 🤦🏼‍♀️😆 I have used Panera breakfast catering on many occasions. They are just so convenient, have a huge variety of foods (so you can pretty much guarantee there will be something for everyone), and they are so cost-effective! And another thing I learned that is so great about them… they bring huge containers of coffee! The first time I used them, I didn’t order coffee because I thought that seemed silly since we could just make coffee, and that it would probably be cold by the time it was delivered. But when you have 20+ people all drinking coffee, you spend the entire time dumping grounds and starting new pots of coffee; non-stop. I learned my lesson the first time! LOL Now I always get the huge containers of coffee, and it works soooooo much better. And the coffee has never been cold upon delivery!

View Quoted Comment

I was looking at restaurants that were in walking distance from our hotel, and that's where I was running into food & beverage minimums that weren't feasible. We're just off the beach, and it's not really a popular place to put a diner apparently 😅 It seems to be a bit more "upscale" area.

After CeCe mentioned Panera I started looking specifically for local bakeries in the area in addition to the nearby Panera and Bruegger's and I think I found some really solid options! There's a local bakery that will do special orders of quiches, pumpkin (and other similar) breads, and coffee cakes so I'm thinking them! There's another one that seems to focus more on individual pastries, so I filled out their contact form. I just feel silly that I didn't think of Panera or finding something similar on my own.

If local doesn't work out, the Bruegger's brunch box seems perfect for what I had in my head! Bagels, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, and hashbrowns! Or the Panera Continental with bagels, cream cheese, breakfast pastries, and coffee.

I'm already feeling so much better about it all 😅

View Quoted Comment

I'm glad I'm not alone in missing the obvious 😅 Thank you for the brain blast!! Maybe I'll go local for the pastries (or at least some of them lol) and get coffee from Panera!

Definitely make sure you have savory items as well because not everyone wants sweet only.

View Quoted Comment

Oh for sure! One of the local places has ham/gruyere or spinach/gruyere quiche and I was also looking at breakfast sandwiches and hashbrowns from Bruegger's!

I think this is such a cute idea. We are doing a destination wedding as well and we are doing a welcome dinner before the wedding and the day after the wedding, we were going to meet our guests for breakfast and a sightseeing tour at the rain forest. But a farewell breakfast would be nice. Plus having some of their meals paid for helps to lessen the financial burdens for the guests.

View Quoted Comment

Minimizing financial burden is 100% what I was shooting for, but in a casual way so no one feels pressured to get dressed up before getting on a plane!

View Quoted Comment But I think a farewell breakfast/brunch says casual. I would think people would know to come dressed comfortably because shortly afterward they will be heading out. Worse come to worse, you can just let people know that it’s a casual get together.