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The following post was written by Tara Berger, Stylist and Founder of One Stylish Party, an entertaining blog and online party boutique featuring designs and inspiration for entertaining in style.
When it comes to celebrating Mom on Mother’s Day, consider spoiling her with a beautiful spring brunch, complete with a gourmet waffle bar, signature rosé spritz cocktail and plenty of seasonal flowers! As a lover of entertaining, I am excited to not only share party inspiration, but to also provide all of my tips, tricks and recipes, so you can feel confident hosting your own unforgettable Mother’s Day brunch.
When I decided to host a Mother’s Day brunch, my first priority was developing a unique menu that guests would love. After tossing around a few ideas, I landed on a DIY gourmet waffle bar that I knew would be perfect for the occasion. Perfect for including both sweet and savory options, I love that a waffle bar allows guests to customize their waffles exactly to their liking, using pre-planned recipe suggestions, or go completely DIY using any of the toppings on the waffle bar.
Another benefit to a waffle bar is that it allows you to prep everything before guests arrive, which frees up your time as the host. On the morning of the party, I used a square waffle iron to cook a large batch of waffles using an assortment of pancake and waffle mixes from Birch Benders, including their Organic Classic mix, Organic Chocolate Chip mix and Protein mix. To add some more variety to the waffle bar, I also toasted some frozen Birch Benders waffles that I found in Heinen’s Frozen Department.
I utilized my kitchen island to style the waffle bar and filled it with platters of fresh waffles and groups of toppings for guests to make a variety of gourmet waffle recipes.
Let’s dig into the details!
The Waffle Bar
The Mother’s Day waffle bar featured the following recipes:
Berries and Cream
Featuring fresh berries, Heinen’s honey, crème fraiche and granola for garnish.
S’mores
Featuring Nutella, mini marshmallows, Heinen’s semi-sweet chocolate chips and graham crackers for garnish.
Click here to print the Berries and Cream and S’mores waffle recipe cards.
Banana Banana Bourbon
Featuring sliced bananas, chopped pecans, Heinen’s bourbon barrel maple syrup and powdered sugar for garnish.
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Featuring Heinen’s freshly ground honey roasted nut butter, Heinen’s sour cherry spread, fresh berries and crushed peanuts for garnish.
Click here to print the Banana Bourbon and Peanut Butter and Jelly waffle recipe cards.
Caprese
Featuring fresh burrata, grape tomatoes, Heinen’s balsamic glaze and fresh basil as garnish.
Chicken and Waffles
Featuring frozen popcorn chicken bites, hot habanero honey and fresh green onions for garnish.
To elevate the look of the waffle bar, I worked with local Cleveland calligrapher, Brenna Claire Calligraphy, to develop hand-drawn recipe cards that were displayed as beautiful artwork and party décor, but also acted as a functional reference that guests could use while making their gourmet waffles. In fact, I loved the recipe cards so much, I asked Brenna to create a printable version for any readers who would like to recreate this waffle brunch bar at home.
Click here to print the Caprese and Chicken and Waffles recipe cards.
The Rosé Spritz Cocktail
Next, what is a Mother’s Day brunch without some bubbly? In keeping with the feminine, spring theme of the party, I decided to serve a rosé spritz as the signature cocktail. The cocktail station featured all of the ingredients to mix up the spritz, including elderflower liquor, prosecco rosé and grapefruit garnish. I also stocked the bar cart with club soda and sparkling strawberry lemonade for guests who prefer a mocktail option.
The bar cart was styled adjacent to the dining table, so guests could mingle and help themselves to a cocktail at their leisure. I also carried Mother’s Day theme through this area by decorating the cocktail station with an oversized pink mesh bow, fresh florals, mismatched accent plates and a cocktail recipe sign for guests to refer to when mixing up their cocktail.
Click here to print the Rosé Spritz cocktail recipe sign.
The Tablescape
Now to dive into the details of the tablescape! The design of the table was all about layers, soft feminine details and of course plenty of fresh florals. A pale pink rose tablecloth served as the base of the table, and each place setting featured an antique white and gold charger, blush pink dinner plate, white salad plate, a mismatched floral accent plate and a lilac linen napkin delicately tied with an oversized floral ribbon.
The tablescape also featured gold rimmed cocktail glasses, pink floral cans of sparkling rosé found in the Heinen’s Wine Department, ceramic flower tea lights and several cake pedestals filled with stacks of fresh waffles. When styling this tablescape, I definitely took a “more is more” approach, and continued to layer on details until it felt complete.
Last but not least, the fresh floral centerpieces provided a focal point to the tablescape design, and truly brought the spring Mother’s Day theme to life. All of the florals from the centerpiece arrangements were sourced from the Heinen’s Floral Department, and featured roses, ranunculus, tulips, snap dragons and wax flowers in an array of ivory, blush, lilac and pink tones. The key to creating a lush, organic floral centerpiece is to use floral foam at the bottom of the vase, which allows you to individually place each stem. I also recommend using soft greenery, such as eucalyptus or ruscus, as a filler to add volume to your floral arrangement.
I hope you feel inspired and confident to host your own spring floral brunch in honor of Mother’s Day. Every mom deserves to be spoiled!
Photography: Brittany Gidley Photography, Styling: One Stylish Party, Food and Florals: Heinen’s , Calligraphy and Art: Brenna Claire Calligraphy, Floral Styling: Ashley’s Florals.
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