If brunch is a sporting event in Dallas, it is, then this is the Olympics. Join other brunch lovers at Dallas Observers 4th annual Morning After Brunch Event. Tickets get you bottomless brunch bites from some of Dallas’ hottest eateries, accompanied by drink samples, and topped off with music. You won’t want to sleep through this one.

Before you go sending out that group text to your big group of friends inviting them to your brunch of the century, you need to figure out a few logistical items first. The most important challenge is deciding how many people you can sit comfortably and how many you can cram in family style. You’d hate to invite 10 people and only have room in your apartment for six, so think of your seating arrangement.

If you have more friends than spots, it can be a challenge of figuring out who makes the cut. Next important question to ask yourself is how much you want to spend on food hosting brunch. Setting a rough budget ahead of time can give you a realistic goal for your menu as well.

Let’em Sleep
Whether you hang out with a late-night, rowdy crowd or a more relaxed crew, you should let them sleep in. Don’t plan your brunch at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. because you’ll either have people sleep through or show up in a less-than-happy mood.

The best time for brunch is to shoot for noon; this gives you the opportunity to do some prep stuff in the morning without having to wake up before the rooster crows and also, you can throw in some lunch items to truly make it a menu of breakfast and lunch.

Plan your Menu
Once you know your guest list and rough budget, you can start the fun part of planning what to serve for brunch. As you probably know, it’s important to balance your menu with sweet AND savory items to satisfy the taste buds of all in attendance. There is a plethora of recipes and ideas to find online and there are a couple of different approaches you can take to building your menu and adding special decorations or products like branded bottled water with the theme or logo of the event.

The first option is choosing to do a bunch of small dishes, similar to tapas. This allows you to try out all those Instagram and Pinterest recipes that you’ve been saving over the years.

The other option is making just one main dish with some side dishes, similar to a traditional meal. This is less labor-intensive and can save you some money on buying a bunch of different ingredients.

However, if you are looking to blow any brunch out of the water, you’ll want to choose foods that showcase your kitchen skills as well as leave your guests asking for the recipe.

Lay out your brunch table the night before
This may seem like a silly thing to do, but it does help. It helps you visualize the space better, saves you time in the morning and it can be a good opportunity to add a few brunch decorations to add a little atmosphere to the delicious spread of food and company.

Picking up some flowers and putting them in little mason jars are a fun, festive way to add some color and charm to your table settings or the find a cheap, cute accent idea to try out for yourself. While no one will complain that your table isn’t set and decorated for a Great Gatsby party, but doing so will definitely be noticed.

Utilize Baking
Baking is often underutilized and when it comes to hosting a brunch party, it can truly make your life easier. The baking recipes for breakfast and brunch items are endless and the best part is that they can be made ahead of time; the day or night before.

Almost all baked recipes can be reheated very easily, and no one will know that you didn’t pull it fresh out of the oven that morning. You’d be amazed at the number of brunch foods that can be made in the oven including everything from cinnamon roll variations to hash brown casseroles and wonderful egg dishes.

Try to shoot for a menu that most can be prepped the day or night before and save one dish that is best done fresh either on the stove or in the oven because trying to be a multi-tasking master chef on a time crunch the morning of is almost always a recipe for disaster.

When: February 8th

Where: Dallas Farmers Market

Address: 920 S Harwood St.

 Dallas, TX 75201

Tickets: $45 – $135

More Info: https://www.dobrunchthemorningafter.com/