One more day
BY TRESA ERICKSON

You're looking over the schedule of events planned for your wedding reception and you're starting to think that between the dancing and the cake cutting you're not going to have enough time to mingle with your guests and say thank you. Why not extend your wedding another day with a postwedding brunch the following morning? It will give you a chance to connect with guests you might have missed at the reception and thank everyone for coming.

Unlike your wedding ceremony and reception, a post-wedding brunch does not have to be an elaborate affair. You may have it at your home, in a park, at a restaurant or wherever would be convenient for you and your guests. You can make it an open house and invite everyone who attended your wedding or restrict it to the wedding party and close friends and family members. Just make sure you don't invite anyone who wasn't invited to your wedding. Not only will they feel out of place, but they may feel slighted.

You should schedule your post-wedding brunch so that guests having to catch an early flight may attend it and those wanting to sleep in and attend later can. For many, 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. is ideal, but depending upon the schedules of you and your guests, that time slot may not work. Once you've chosen a location and a time, you may send out official invitations by mail or e-mail or phone your invitations.

When planning the menu for your post-wedding brunch, try to keep it simple. Serve a buffet of breakfast foods and let people serve themselves. Menu options may include eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast or pancakes, toast, bagels, fresh fruit and coffee, milk, juice and water. If you'd like, you can even serve sandwiches and other foods for those who show up later.

Throughout the brunch, make sure you stop and chat with every guest. Thank them for coming and don't forget to wish them a safe trip home if they are traveling.

Once the brunch is over, you'll be able to leave for your honeymoon satisfied that you have said thank you and made sure that everyone was well fed. You might also learn a tad more about what went on at your wedding when you were busy cutting the cake, such as how little Tommy kissed Katie or Uncle Arthur fell out of his chair!