Bridesmaids Luncheon Ideas and Menu

What You Need To Know

A bridesmaids luncheon is a southern tradition I grew up with and attended once my girl friends started getting married. It’s a wonderful gathering that the bride hosts for her bridal party, to show love and appreciation.

This is the time that the bride typically gives a thank you gift to each bridesmaid, and in my experience it usually includes something that they’ll each wear or use on the wedding day. Think coordinating necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc.

You can host the luncheon at a small rented venue or clubhouse, a restaurant, or at home. And since home entertaining is my jam, that’s the route we’re taking here. I’m including the menu and recipes I rely on for such occasions, so you hardly have to think about anything else when planning this party!

Table Decor

Thrift shopping is one of my favorite pastimes and I’ve collected a lovely array of both vintage and replica tea cups. Many have touches of gold in the design so they look great when paired with trendy gold-toned flatware or brass decorations. But since this is not a tea party, I used the cups for a cold soup course instead.

The table setting showcases gold-tone accessories, and pretty new and vintage glassware. I wanted to show how you can combine older treasures with modern trends to get a beautiful, unique look perfect for a bridesmaids luncheon.

For the lunch table, mix-and-match sets rather than using all one pattern in a setting. It gives each place setting more interest.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with collecting pretty glassware. I found the green hobnail glasses at World Market and the pink stems are vintage. I love how feminine and delicate they are.

Another unifying factor is the napkins and gold-toned napkin rings. Use a single color or a simple pattern like I did here.

Since the china patterns include a varying color palette, I used different colors of card stock for the place cards. That way they coordinate but still keep the table colorful.

Personalized table favors always make great gifts. I found these monogrammed trinket dishes at a local shop and thought they’d be a great addition to the table as well as a take home favor for guests. The monogram colors coordinate with the rest of the table, and you can place a gold foiled chocolate truffle on top.

Centerpiece

A footed vase makes this arrangement of mixed flowers look sensational! It’s prominent but doesn’t sit too high to hinder conversation across the table.

Follow my tips to create a centerpiece on a budget to create this at home with floral foam and a couple of bouquets.

Starters

You can serve the meal in courses for an elegant atmosphere, or keep it less formal by setting up a buffet and letting guests help themselves.

Optional: Why not serve an amuse bouche to stimulate the appetite. Elegant and delicious deviled eggs with bacon are just the thing. Simply serve 1 or 2 deviled eggs on a small plate, paired with a mimosa.

This chilled raspberry soup is a delicious starter. It’s like a fruit smoothie but creamier and silkier. Serving it in tea cups makes a more unique presentation.

Next, serve this spinach and strawberry salad made with fresh spinach, sliced strawberries, sugared pecans or walnuts, crumbled bacon, crumbled feta cheese, and homemade vinaigrette or poppy seed dressing.

Main Dish

These main dishes can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator. In fact, serving cold entrees is a key factor in making a care-free menu. And to that point, chicken dishes make a great choice and are universally loved.

These sesame chicken salad in puff pastry cups are a crowd pleaser! And if you don’t want to make the pastry cups you can simply serve the chicken salad on croissants, as a sandwich, or on a bed of lettuce leaves.

My other go-to dishes are crunchy chicken salad with peanut dressing and Thai noodle salad with chicken, shrimp or edamame.

Other options are my easy chicken quiche which can be served at room temperature. For a vegetarian option, goat cheese, red pepper and mushroom quiche is out of this world!

Sides

Once again, being able to make a dish ahead and serve it at room temperature is the key to easy entertaining. And the sides that you serve will depend on the main entree that you serve.

A fresh fruit platter adds gorgeous color and refreshing flavor to the menu. Use whatever fruit is in season and slice it into individual portions. For berries, wash and dry them and place in small bowls or scatter them throughout the tray.

Make-ahead: Prepare the platter the day before and wrap it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Refrigerate until ready to serve. All you have to do is remove the covering and place the tray on the table.

Easy marinated asparagus is a classic choice as a side vegetable. This version has Asian flavors and you can make it ahead.

If you want to add something a bit heartier to go with the quiche or chicken salad cups (or sandwiches), make broccoli pasta salad. It’s got veggies and you can use whole wheat pasta to make it more nutritious.

Another option is broccoli crunch salad made without mayonnaise. It’s tossed with a vinaigrette and is a savory, lightly sweet, and crunchy combo.

To round out the meal add a wood board or bowl of bread. A quick beer bread, a bakery sour dough bread, or croissants is perfect to serve with butter.

Drinks

Sip on a signature drink like this peach party punch, and fill in with pitchers of water and bottles of Rosé. For a non-alcohol option, make sunshine punch without Prosecco.

Dessert

Set up a dessert table and serve candies and small treats. Make a cake as the centerpiece using my pineapple white layer cake recipe or this awesome orange layer cake recipe.

If you want to make mini desserts in individual servings, prepare angel cake strawberry shortcakes in jars. They look as good as they taste!

Bridesmaids Gifts

The bride usually gives her bridesmaids a gift at an event like this. And when they’re wrapped this pretty they can be part of the decor.

Tie silk or satin gold ribbon into a bow, around small white gift boxes. Print off simple Thank You tags in coordinating colors and tuck them under the ribbon.

The gift itself can include items the ladies will need on the day of the wedding such as a gold cuff bracelet, and nail polish. A scented candle or bath salts are a sweet addition.

FAQ’s

I hope you love these bridesmaids luncheon ideas as much as I do, and you’re inspired to mix the old with the new. Do you have a bride in your life? Share this post with her to help her plan, and let me know what you think in the comments below.