A daytime or brunch wedding is becoming increasingly popular, especially for intimate celebrations. If you envision your wedding day to be more laidback with your closest family members and friends but don’t want to sacrifice any of the traditional wedding festivities, a brunch wedding is a great option for you!
One of our beautiful couples, Mary Jo and Justin, hosted a brunch wedding with us here at Celebration Gardens this fall and we’re excited to share their story with you. Their day was filled with sunflowers and sunshine, as they tied the knot midday and celebrated with a fantastic brunch wedding menu afterwards.
The design and timeline of this brunch wedding works well for an intimate party, like Mary Jo and Justin’s, but can be applied to weddings of any size. After all, our Grand Pavilion can seat up to 175 people! Our hope in recounting their wedding story is that you draw inspiration for your own nuptials and see that your wedding doesn’t have to look one certain way. It can be anything you dream of, whether that’s a brunch wedding, a pastel wedding, a neutral wedding, or something else altogether!
Is a Brunch Wedding Right For You?
How do you know if a brunch wedding is right for you? There are endless possibilities out there for your wedding, so how do you decide what vibe, theme, season, or time of day you like best? When reviewing your options, we encourage you to consider the following:
- Atmosphere & Ambiance
A brunch wedding is typically more relaxed than an evening celebration. If you’re hoping for a more formal black tie affair, a traditional late afternoon/evening wedding may suit you best. On the other hand, if you prefer a more laidback setting with the sun shining overhead throughout all the festivities, a brunch wedding is calling your name!
- Culinary Preferences
Food plays a huge role in any event, but especially at your wedding! If you and your partner love breakfast, lunch, and brunch food, lean into that and go with a daytime brunch wedding. This would be a great way to showcase your personalities and is a wonderful example of letting your preferences as a couple guide you in your wedding planning and decision making. We are big believers in the idea that your wedding should be completely personalized to you, so if you love brunch, embrace it!
- Entertainment & Celebration Options
Holding a brunch wedding during the day allows you to truly take advantage of every minute, as you get married and celebrate with your loved ones with ample time left over to have an after-party or participate in an adventurous excursion in the area. For us here in sunny Orlando, this could mean visiting a theme park after your wedding, particularly for the nighttime fireworks show! Other options for post-wedding escapades include going on the Winter Park Boat Tour, heading to downtown Orlando to catch a show or concert, and ending your best day ever with a one-of-a-kind luxury dining experience.
Hosting a brunch wedding with post-wedding fun like this works especially well if you are having a destination wedding, so you and your guests can celebrate your new marriage and then also explore all that Orlando has to offer all in the same day and weekend.
An Intimate Wedding Ceremony at Celebration Gardens:
Mary Jo and Justin’s brunch wedding was an intimate gathering of 25 people and the day kicked off with their ceremony at our Wedding Gazebo. Their wedding design incorporated hues like rose, yellow, red, and ivory, so this couple enhanced the Gazebo with ivory fabric draping and floral sprays. We loved how the sunflowers in these ceremony arrangements really popped against the clean and crisp white of the Gazebo. The surrounding landscaping we have on our Gazebo Lawn provided further decoration for this celebration, as there was plenty of natural greenery and blooming flora to create natural and beautiful framing for the ceremony.
The weather that day was absolutely perfect! The sun brightly shone overhead and there wasn’t a cloud in sight, creating a brilliantly blue sky for this brunch wedding. Mary Jo and Justin each had one wedding attendant and a flower girl precede their entrance into the ceremony, but of course, it was the blushing bride that stole the show!
Mary Jo wore a beautiful white wedding dress with off-the-shoulder bell sleeves and all-over lace detailing. Her bridal bouquet consisted of peach and burgundy roses and sunflowers, which matched her sunny demeanor perfectly. As she walked down the aisle that day, her smile was the most radiant thing. It never left her face, as she and Justin exchanged vows and rings, and before they knew it, they were officially husband and wife!
Botanical Garden Wedding Photos:
After the newlyweds said “I do,” it was time for family photos and couple portraits around our botanical garden wedding venue. Our landscaping is in bloom year-round, so there are always the most picturesque backdrops for your wedding photos. Mary Jo and Justin chose to take family pictures in front of our natural greenery trellis post-ceremony, but this was just the beginning! As their guests shifted to the cocktail hour and reception area, they then strolled through our gardens, capturing blissful newlywed photos along the way.
From our butterfly garden to the canopy of greenery at our Intimate Pavilion to our classic British phone booth direct from England, our venue offers a plethora of backdrops to give your wedding gallery variety. Everywhere you turn, you’re met with colorful flowers, abundant greenery, and beautifully manicured lawns. We know how important it is to create a dream-like setting for your special day, so we take extra care of our botanical gardens, maintaining their beauty no matter the season.
A Brunch Wedding Menu by John Michael Events
Following photos, Mary Jo, Justin, and their loved ones moved under our open-air Grand Pavilion to enjoy their brunch wedding menu! Catered by our sister company, John Michael Events, this delectable menu consisted of:
- Fresh Fruit Display with French cream and orange marmalade
- Scrambled Eggs served with cheddar cheese and salsa
- Rosti Potatoes
- Sausage Links
- Pancake Bar
- Mini Assorted Scones
- Butter and Chocolate Croissants
- Cinnamon rolls with Glaze
Hungry yet? Everyone loved the food, especially the pancake bar that was an action station! A professional John Michael Events Chef prepared the pancakes fresh in front of guests, serving them with toppings like peanut butter cups, chocolate sauce, strawberry puree, sliced bananas, powdered sugar and more.
This brunch wedding menu offered the ideal blend of savory and sweet options to satisfy everyone’s taste buds. The rest of the wedding was marked by sentimental toasts, special dances, and the pure enjoyment of each other’s company. We adored seeing how happy Mary Jo, Justin and their guests were that day and are honored that they chose Celebration Gardens as the setting for this special occasion.
Congratulations Mary Jo and Justin on a gorgeous brunch wedding and cheers to a lifetime of happiness together!
Let’s Plan Your Brunch Wedding!
Celebration Gardens is Orlando’s premier botanical garden wedding venue, located in Winter Park, FL. Our Wedding Gazebo, Intimate Pavilion, Grand Pavilion, and lush gardens provide a seamless flow from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception. We also offer all-inclusive wedding packages to make wedding planning as simple and stress-free as possible!
Are you interested in having your wedding at our beautiful outdoor wedding venue? Contact us today! Our friendly team members would love to chat with you and provide you with a customized quote.
Orlando Wedding Vendor Team:
Thank you to these talented Orlando wedding vendors, who helped make this brunch wedding at our botanical garden wedding venue possible!
Venue – Celebration Gardens
Photo – Sterling Photography
Catering – John Michael Events