If you are looking to make your wedding memorable, think about a wedding breakfast the afternoon of your wedding or the next morning as the last event of your wedding weekend! Read on to learn more!
Hey, Kathy!
Since you’re the resident historian there at Ainsworth House & Gardens, I hope you can answer this:
My friend, Nikki, is getting married there next September. At her Jane Austen-themed wedding, she’s having a wedding breakfast.
What’s a wedding breakfast? How early will the ceremony be so that a breakfast is served????????
–Daniela, Disconcerted in Dayton
Hey, Daniela! Those are great questions and I will answer them all! This will be fun!
When did the wedding breakfast start as a trend?
Although it didn’t become popular or trendy until the 1800s, many historians think that the wedding breakfast dates back to the 1600s in Europe. At the time, a couple often fasted the night before the wedding as a sign of their devotion to put God first in the lives. During their early morning wedding ceremony, the couple shared the sacrament of bread and wine during Holy Communion. After the wedding, a meal was served to nourish the famished couple.
As the custom of the newlyweds fasting faded, weddings inched later in the day. By the early 1800s (think Bridgerton, Jane Austen, and the British Regency), weddings were often held in late morning with the wedding breakfast served any time between noon and 5 P.M.
It usually lasted up to 2 hours.
By the late 1800s (think of The Gilded Age), the wedding breakfast was a three course meal featuring food from any meal of the day, including dinner. Why would an engaged couple now serve a wedding breakfast? There are a number of reasons:
1. If the wedding has a Bridgerton of similar theme, then a wedding breakfast in the afternoon is very appropriate to conduct the theme.
2. If the newlyweds booked a honeymoon a long distance away, they might want to have a wedding breakfast in the afternoon and then travel to their honeymoon.
3. If the couple loves breakfast (breakfast tacos, quiche, ,waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes, Eggs Benedict, avocado toast), then a wedding breakfast is amazing!
4. If the couple has relatives and friends who no longer feel confident driving at night, then a wedding earlier in the day and a wedding breakfast served in the early afternoon is perfect!
5. If this is a destination wedding, gathering the next morning after the wedding and reception is the perfect way to share time with your cherished family and friends and extends the fun of your wedding weekend!
You don’t have to worry: Attending a wedding breakfast does NOT mean you are up at the crack of dawn to get to the ceremony!
If you have any other questions, please reach out to me.
Your friend in the wedding history business,
Kathy Bazan
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