How to Ensure Guests Attend Your Post-Wedding Brunch

Your wedding will bring all of your loved ones together—and if you want to extend these special moments of community, you should consider hosting a post-wedding brunch. After all, this may be the last time the people you love most share a room. Planning the perfect post-nuptial brunch comes with some challenges, especially since some guests may have strict travel plans they can't break. However, there are ways to ensure most of your big-day attendees commit to this event, explain expert wedding planners—you just need to plan it carefully, of course. To put together an amazing post-wedding brunch they won't want to miss, here are five things to keep in mind.

Your brunch should always be optional—but set up an RSVP system if you want a bigger headcount.

"I always think a post-wedding brunch should be optional, since people might have travel plans and may not be able to make it," explains destination event planner Shannon Leahy, who is based in California. However, if it's really important to you that your loved ones attend, try setting up an RSVP system for the event—via your invitation suite or online—which will encourage people to stick to their response if they preemptively decide to come, Leahy explains.

Choose a convenient location.

Location is key, notes Isabel Rokeach, a planner with Michelle Leo Events. "When hosting a post-wedding brunch, it is important to make sure the location is convenient for all of your guests," she explains. It is extremely common to host this event at the hotel the majority of your guests are staying in, she notes—that way, they can simply wake up, get ready, and head downstairs for some fuel (and fun!) before hitting the road.

Timing matters.

"It is extremely important to choose a brunch time that will suit the majority of your guests," continues Rokeach. For example, if your wedding ends at midnight and you decide to host your brunch at 9 a.m., you won't reach critical mass, she explains. Hosting your brunch at 11 a.m. is a better choice, and will result in a higher guest count overall, Rokeach shares.

Clearly communicate your brunch's details on your invitation suite.

Offering up all of your post-wedding brunch's details—including the date, place, and time—far in advance will help your loved ones plan ahead, explains Kate Childers, another planner with Michelle Leo Events; do so via your invitation suite (a detail card works well for this information). Guests who need to book flights will appreciate having the full schedule ahead of time, and can plan around any scheduled activities, she explains.

Keep your meal light.

"Opt for a buffet instead of a plated meal to accommodate any tired stragglers," shares Mackenzie, Coburn, who is also part of the Michelle Leo Events team. She advises keeping the meal light and serving only a few select alcoholic beverages, such as a mimosa or a Bloody Mary to prevent loved ones from over-indulging ahead of their trip home.