Moms deserve the world for all the work that they do and the many hats that they wear in any given day. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, why not show Mom how much you appreciate her by serving up a Mother’s Day Brunch? I love Mother’s Day because it’s in early spring, and everything is budding and blooming. It’s the perfect setting to celebrate moms. Speaking of perfect setting, today’s blog post is all about that perfect setting for a Mother’s Day Brunch.

This year, we are hosting Mother’s Day Brunch at our home. We are not only celebrating my mother, my mother-in-law, and my step-mother; we are celebrating my grandma’s, my sister, step-sister, nieces, and friends. We want to share the appreciation for all these moms, what they do and how they are working in our lives, personally.

Planning the Brunch

As you know, we ladies are very busy just getting through the everyday tasks and hurried agenda that goes with work and raising a family. That is why it’s a smart idea to plan out your brunch way in advance. I would recommend a good 3-6 weeks, depending on the size of the brunch that you are hosting. Since I am doing the legwork for you by getting this blog post out, you still have time to plan and host a Mother’s Day Brunch this year. You want to start out with your guest list and your menu. Once you have determined those two factors, purchase or order your invitations, along with envelopes. Pick up your stamps and address labels. If you’d rather personalize the envelopes, make sure you have a special pen or marker on hand. If you are planning on having the guests bring a dish to pass (I strongly recommend this), you will want to have some type of insert to write that request on (see pic above). If there are any recipes you need to include along with that, write or print those out. Believe me, people are happy when they don’t have to think. By you telling them exactly what to bring or sending them a recipe, you really are making their lives easier. Most people will appreciate you taking the guess work out for them. When deciding on who is going to bring what dishes to share, always think about who is better suited for cooking and who is better suited for bringing stuff that is already prepared or perishable. Not everyone is a cook and you don’t want to put unnecessary stress on anyone. Afterall, she’s probably a mom too, and the goal is to make not only your Mother’s Day a day of happiness and pampering, but hers, as well. Now that you have your invitations ordered, envelopes, stamps, labels, ‘dish to pass’ request cards and recipes together, you will want to set these items to the side. At this point, you are just waiting for the invitations to arrive. If you purchased invitations, get them filled out and you are good to go. If you ordered invites, the goal is, as soon as the invitations are delivered to your door, you can slide everything into the envelopes, throw the stamp on and have them at the post office the following morning. Doing this will ensure that you can focus on the next steps to planning your brunch.

The invitations & Mom Banner were purchased by JenTbyDesign through Etsy. You will have your printables within 24 hours. Once receiving the PDF file for the invitations, I put it on a flash drive and took it to Office Depot and had them print and cut the invites. I chose taking the file to the office store so I wouldn’t have to cut the invitations on my own. You certainly can do all this right from your home. I had 12 card-stock pages printed, which included two invitations per page (24 invites, total). I then had the invitations cut to size. The expense for this was minimal and took only 5 minutes. I printed 2 of the ‘Mom’ banners out on cardstock we had at home and cut those out myself. I also purchased the Lime Green Washi tape at Office Depot for $3.99 and have a ton left over for future projects. I love the Grocer bag look for envelopes. I purchased those from Amazon and had them the very next day. My daughter made the ‘Dish to Pass’ cards and printed those on some card stock we had on hand.

Gathering the Supplies

Generally, you want to have some type of theme and color scheme for your brunch (party). I recommend you find something to go off, to give you inspiration. It can be a picture you found on Pinterest, or you can do as I did, and let the invitation be your guide. Succulents are pretty popular right now. Therefore, I knew I shouldn’t have any trouble finding pretty decor pieces to use in my tablescapes. Earthy green tones are always current and with ‘Rose Quartz’ being one of Pantone’s colors for 2016, I knew I couldn’t go wrong on finding party supplies in the color scheme I desired. You will want to create a list of the products that you are going to need. If you will be renting table linens or any other rentable items, you want to get them reserved asap. If you are purchasing paper products, make sure you buy enough for all the people invited. I keep my receipts and I don’t open all the packages until I have all my rsvp’s in. There are always items that I return for a refund after the party takes place. Products you will want to consider are:

Plates (dinner, salad, dessert)

Napkins (plan for extras to put at the dessert buffet)

Flatware (also include extras for the dessert buffet)

Cups (coffee and punch)

Table covering (linens or plastic roll)

Place Cards (optional)

Serving pieces + utensils, beverage jars or punch bowls, and chafing dishes (borrow from friends and relatives)

Tables and chairs (borrow, if needed)

 Decorations

Table Favors (at each mom’s place setting)

The mini Succulents were purchased in the dollar section at Target. They were $3 each. The larger 2 are by Threshold at Target. The plates, napkins, flatware, table covering. and candy boxes are all from Party City. The set of bowls, which I will be dividing, and circle picture frames are from T.J. Maxx. One or the other will be placed at each mom’s place setting. I love how each of the bowls have one of the following words on it: Spring, Bloom, Love, Renew. We filled a mini square box with dark chocolate for each mom, and tied it with a ribbon for a nice added detail & treat.

Creating the Menu

Your menu has already been created in the planning stage. But, a week or two before Mother’s Day, you will want to start gathering your recipes and creating a list of items that you need. Be sure to check sale flyers to see if you can buy anything at bargain prices; even if your guests are contributing, hosting a party is costly. Making a concrete list days before you head to the store is imperative. Believe me, you will think of things that you forgot to put on the list, so also keep it handy. There is nothing worse than getting started on your cooking, only to realize you forgot a key ingredient. The day before your brunch, double check your recipes one more time to make sure you have everything you will need for the morning. To save time, when planning your menu from the beginning, it’s always a good idea to have plenty of make-ahead dishes. One of the things we do in our family is we try to prevent the person that is hosting the gathering from having to do much cooking. We respect the fact that they will have their hands full enough with the cleaning, organizing, shopping for products, setting up and all the other little details that come with hosting a party. Many of these details aren’t necessarily noticeable, but still need to be done. Everyone that is attending, for the most part, is doing the cooking and bringing the prepared dishes.

Setting the Perfect Table

Moms love to be pampered, and sitting at a beautifully decorated table is one way that you can show her just how special you think she is. To decorate the table, grab some special glasses at the dollar store, or check Target’s dollar section to see what pieces they have. Think about friends, family and neighbors that may have pieces in their home that they would be willing to let you borrow for your Mother’s Day Brunch. Flowers, succulents and fresh greens (even herbs) are beautiful on a table scape. Just remember to keep your arrangements low. Centerpieces should never be at face level. You want your guests to be able to engage in conversation and not have to lean in any direction to achieve this. That is one of the reasons you can’t go wrong by decorating with succulents; they are small and low. This is also nice if you are using buffet tables, as they are not very wide for you to put big centerpieces on. Having an assortment of small, compact items is cozy, and visually appealing to the eye. Incorporating small, simple white votives and tealights is also beautiful. Make sure you are only burning unscented candles, however. Your scented candles should not be around the food or dining area. Save the subtle scented ones for the powder room, only. Make sure if you are using table linens, they are pressed and ironed. If you are using buffet tables, always cover them with some type of table covering. Plastic roll in a simple white is fine. I always say, if you have more than eight people at your gathering, set your food up buffet style. It is too timely and too much work having to pass everything around a table that has more than eight people. Let’s face it, we are not patient  … especially when food is involved. Many of your guests will be coming straight from church and will be starving. If you are doing buffet-style, you can still set your place settings at each spot for the visual appeal of your table scapes. After giving the blessing, you will want to communicate to your guests that they can retrieve their plate(s) from the table and head to the buffet. I enjoy doing this, because I like my tables to be decorated and pretty when my guests arrive and during the mingling process. But this is your personal preference. A lot of people just put the stacks of plates at the beginning of the buffet. If you do choose this method, make sure the flatware (whether real or plastic) are placed at the end of the buffet. Many people choose to put the utensils at the beginning, alongside the plates. But, it’s important to realize that your guests need to use their hands to put the food on their plates. Fumbling with utensils , while doing this is an inconvenience. Placing them at the end of the buffet, along with napkins, is always a good idea.

Quick & Easy Tip for the Last Minute or Non-Entertainer

Many of you may very well fall into this category, so I couldn’t leave it out. It’s Mother’s Day and if you’re a mom, it’s your day, too. This should not be a day that you are stressing over. If you’ve waited a bit too long, aren’t that talented in the kitchen or the entertaining part, don’t worry – there are some simple solutions. Instead of stressing over trying to prepare complicated dishes when cooking isn’t your forte, I highly recommend, once again, that you divide up the dishes amongst the guests that will be attending. Nobody expects you to do it all. Also, check out your local grocery store deli for some tasty treats that don’t require anything on your part but ordering, paying for, and picking up. You can pick up their delicatessen menus weeks in advance to help you plan. Most deli’s and bakery’s make beautiful presentations when putting their platters together. Bear in mind however, purchasing custom platters such as these will be a more costly way to go. You can also make pretty yogurt parfaits just by purchasing large containers of sweetened, plain yogurt and fresh fruit, and then layer them in a nice glass. You can purchase croissants and danishes from a neighborhood bakery, and serve them with a selection of jams that you put into pretty, little bowls. There are many things that you can do to ease the planning. And don’t forget about getting others involved. Many people will be thankful that they don’t have to host the gathering, and would love to pitch in however they can.

Whether you are hosting Mother’s Day Brunch or some other type of gathering, I hope these tips offer you some resources and guidance to help in making the party planning process easy and stress-free. Keep your expectations in check. Your home does not need to be perfect. Be open to little mishaps, generally there will be at least one. The best way to handle it is give a quick apology, laugh about it, and don’t bring it up again. Engaging in happy, positive and loving conversation is the number one priority when having or attending a party.

Look for more pictures to be added to this blog post next week, as the party decorating begins.

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