What is a Wedding Breakfast?

A wedding breakfast is basically a buffet dinner given to all guests and the newly married couple before the wedding. The term is also used in British English. Brunch, on the other hand, is an extended overnight stay in a place other than the bride and groom’s residence, such as a hotel or bed and breakfast. Brides usually start the new century by celebrating their wedding with a bridal shower. Wedding breakfast is meant to feed the guests.

Food for the wedding breakfast is usually served at the reception of the bride’s family. But more often, the bride and groom’s families give catering services to supply the food. In Ireland, the Irish blessing bread (brynhraid) is a traditional breakfast. The bread is baked on an Irish stove and then served with tea, coffee, butter, bacon, sausage, jam, and cream. Brides from Ireland and the UK usually serve whiskey instead of beer, as in Germany, though the British usually prefer lagers. Irish brides usually serve whiskey-aged tea, but it is not an ordinary tea.

It is said that Queen Victoria broke the tradition of the first meal after the bride and groom’s arrival at the marriage bed by having a candle light breakfast (in the form of “pudding”). She had her meals with her new royal cook, a woman called Miss Watson. This was the first British meal (and in the British Empire, the first social gathering for women). Other social events like ball meetings and sports events were held after the bride and groom’s arrival. Sports events in the UK include cricket and soccer. Thus, the bride and groom’s families were the ones who fed the guests.

It may be hard to imagine now, but what a wedding breakfast used to be. The families of the bride and groom fed the guests, just like they feed today’s guests. The bride and groom served the wedding cake, which is still available from some bakeries, as well as their own unique breads and cakes. For a typical wedding breakfast, the bride and groom’s parents would make the toast. Then, the families of the bride and groom would help themselves to the delicacies, like bacon jam and maple syrup.

Modern wedding breakfasts are quite different, although not necessarily less nourishing than traditional ones. There are many kinds of modern wedding breakfasts, from the traditional to the contemporary. Some modern wedding breakfast places also offer catering, so that guests can have their choice of cuisine. For more casual wedding day nourishment, the traditional buffet style meal is a good option.

Food is always a joy to serve at any celebration, but particularly at a wedding breakfast. It is the happy couple’s way of thanking the guests for being there, or perhaps the bride and groom trying to say thank you to those who came to celebrate their union. In some weddings, a “wedding breakfast” has evolved into a more formal affair, with guests invited to bring a gift, or to “wish the couple a happy wedding”. Whatever the case, the key to success at a wedding breakfast is to make sure that everyone has fun!