It's been over three months since our last Dallas Blogger Brunch event and my last dinner party event. As we tip-toe toward normalcy in the event industry, it's becoming clear that things won't be the same again for a long time. I'm aiming to host a Dallas Blogger Brunch full event in July, but wanted to come up with a small preview event to test the waters.
This brunch was hosted in my home, and we practiced social distancing to keep everyone as safe as possible. The chairs were arranged as usual for photos, but we spaced them out around the table for our actual meal. I prepared dishes in individual portions to cut down on family-style serving.
We had a few special treats for our brunch, made by The Cake Brake! How adorable are these "petit fours" mousse cakes at each place setting, and this lemon curd "naked cake" with merengue drops! The cutest! I love working with local businesses and the timing was perfect to support a local baker and do something fun to add a special touch to brunch. The Cake Brake was so fun to work with to create some unique items for our guests- the perfect addition to brunch!
The other star of the show was our fruit cups served in martini glasses and they were so easy to create!
I wanted to cut down on the amount of family-style dishes we had to try to keep contact as minimal as possible, and separate fruit serving dishes were a great way to do that. Strawberries, grapes, and blueberries topped with a fresh mint garnish and a pink sugared rim we picture-perfect and tasted just as good with the addition of vanilla honey yogurt and a sprinkle of granola.
We also enjoyed crustless sausage and veggie quiches in individual ramekins - adorable and delicious. Quiches are a great dish for brunch because you can prep ahead of time, then bake in the oven right before guests arrive to cut down on time in the kitchen.
The Cake Brake spoiled us and also sent over chocolate and raspberry eclairs! I tried a bite of everything and it was all excellent. I sent guests home after brunch with a full stomach and a little goodie bag.
One of my goals at any event that I host is to facilitate connection between guests, and I was excited to have a small group of guests to really talk about things that matter. We talked about some fun topics, some personal background, current events, and heard a little bit about personal experiences that guests have had - it felt so open and comfortable! As the host, you set the tone for your guests, so being the first to share a personal story or little-known fact about you goes a long way to make everyone else feel safe. After this event, I'm feeling hopeful that we can continue to dive deeper at larger events as well. I'm looking forward to the rest of 2020 and the events and connections that I know it will bring.
