Comments on my brunch plans Please (wine, freeze, coffee, cookies)

[salonva]

We are hosting SUNDAY afternoon - a bunch of friends and family- so far I have about 40 people but it could go as high as 80 ( I should have a firm idea next week but I think it is realistic to say 60 ish ).
It is a casual celebration to give them a chance to meet and congratulate our daughter and her fiancé.
We are planning to have bagels and(lox, white fish, salads). This is ethnic and most of our guests are good with this. We will also have soda, wine, water, juice, and some hard liquor(it is a celebration), as well as coffee..I am thinking that in addition to the bagels and smoked fish we would have a few Mediterranean platters (humus and other vegetable based spreads). I am also considering making some mini quiches as well for variety which I could make ahead . The other food will be basically brought in so that part is stressless.
We will also have coffee and dessert - fruit platters, cookies, pastries,.
My question is for any pointers or advice you can offer. I realize with this size crowd, I cannot really expect perfection but I am a bit overwhelmed.
We said to start coming at 1. Again this is a Sunday afternoon. Most people are local but there are a few who are coming about an hour away.
Would you suggest I have the desserts and coffee from the beginning or would you suggest I put them out after an hour or what time? I really hardly entertain and this has me totally stumped. ANy advice please share. (And my thoughts at this point are- to order the bagels and fish for 40. the other platters for 20,and to supplement with cut up veggies and the quiches. Does that sound reasonable? Or am I being too conservative with the ordering. Thank you

[Palenaka]

Sounds like a great party! I do think you are being conservative on your food only because your event is at 1pm so many guests may be hungry for lunch. I would put the fruit out with the rest of the food and save the dessert for later..or just put it all out at once and make it easy on yourself! Your friends and family are attending so you will have plenty of help just ask them!!

[Threestep2]

I would wait until you have a head count and add 10%. You can purchase plates/napkins/plastic ware - extra will come in handy in summer. Will you be hosting at home or at a venue? Do not forget necessities such as serving utensils, paper towels and sturdy trash bags. Toilet paper/paper towels/plunger! Tubs or coolers for drinks.
You can bake the quiches and freeze them. A short stay in a preheated oven and they will be perfect. Can you delegate some of the chores such as cutting up fruit? do you have to order ice?
I would put everything out - let them eat! Have some food as back up to refresh grazed over trays for the second wave.

[tpk-nyc]

If you want your home to smell yummy and inviting, bake a least some of the cookies yourself. Make the dough the day before, pre-portion them and stick them in the fridge. All you have to do pop them onto trays and bake in batches for 15 minutes. It’s easy to do at the last minute and far better than anything you could buy. Since it’s an engagement party, you might want to make Italian or Mexican wedding cookies. They’re super simple and always popular.

If you’re serving alcohol, I suggest choosing two mixed drinks, say Mimosas/Champagne punch and Bloody Marys, that you can make in pitchers. It’s too hard to make individual drinks for that many people. If you want a champagne-like wine at a fraction of the cost, get a dry Prosecco. You can get it a Trader Joe’s for $8 – 10 a bottle.

Coffee should be made in bulk as well. Ask your friends if they have a large urn you can borrow. It’s a party so make sure to get some good coffee—no Folgers!

If you’re using disposable cups, always use plastic (preferably simple, clear plastic), never waxed paper cups. If you serve something room temperature (like wine) in a paper cup, the wax will melt from the heat of your hand. The cup will fall apart and make a mess.

I would put everything out at once. I’m used to eating brunch at 1:00, but many people aren’t. They may eat beforehand and only want a cookie and coffee.

[Cdarocks]

I think your menu sounds great. I am a caterer and I would put the desserts out later. You could set out cookies or something simple with everything else and then have another surprise later when you bring out dessert and fresh coffee. You won't need as much dessert available as everything else because there are always those who don't eat sweets.

[salonva]

Thank you all for the comments. So I guess I should go with it and order a bit more. Nice to know whatever I am thinking, someone thinks it works.... I do have a BIG percolator which I have to remember how to use .... I will see about borrowing another for maybe hot water.
Again any and all advice sounds great to me. I like the idea of Mimosa but not sure how to have so much made in advance. I have some pitchers but not so many....how would I store it? How much in advance is it made? You can tell I am not used to this. I may just go "easy" and not have the mixed drinks but curious.

[tpk-nyc]

Originally Posted by salonva

I like the idea of Mimosa but not sure how to have so much made in advance. I have some pitchers but not so many....how would I store it? How much in advance is it made? You can tell I am not used to this. I may just go "easy" and not have the mixed drinks but curious.

I meant minutes in advance. It’s more for ease of mixing and pouring than anything else. Pouring champagne from a bottle is surprisingly fussy (because you have to let bubbles subside and then pour some more).

If you or a friend has a nice punchbowl you could do it that way as well. There are dozens of champagne punch recipes online. You can freeze juice into a large block and use it instead of ice. That way you keep with punch cold without watering it down.

[RainbowHope]

The menu sounds awesome!

I am not sure what to offer from a quantity of food standpoint but others have some ideas.

I vote for putting out the desserts in the beginning. You want to be able to visit with guests, and if people have to leave earlier than others, than everyone will get a chance to sample the goodies.

Sounds like a great party is planned, and congrats on a happy family time!

[Granny Fats]

Something to think about is to have two big pots of soup simmering. Just keep them there and if a lot more people show up, you can give soup as well as the other things. Have enough mugs or bowls on hand for the soups. Something very nice, is to have things to drop into the soup. For example, they get a mug of vegetable soup. Then, you have a choice, mini-meatballs, chopped pepperoni, cubes of cheese, to drop into the soup. It is very festive! And you can stretch the soup if you find you have too many guests!!!

[George Chong]

I have a dispenser with an ice core that I use to serve the masses with mimosas. It looks a lot this one. Buddeez 085 Unbreakable 3-1/2-Gallon Beverage Dispenser w/ Removable Ice-Cone | Free Shipping I think I mixed 3 bottles of champagne to a gallon of orange juice.

I would go ahead and put out the desserts as it would be one less thing for me to have to worry about.

I also would order more bagels as I always have a fear of not having enough food for guests.

BTW - I love your menu. What time should I show up