Celebrate Mother's Day With a Stylish Brunch

Sidestep the long lines at your favorite brunch spot and skip the last-minute, cellophane-wrapped bouquets this Mother's Day. Host a stylish brunch instead for a celebration spent the way this special day was meant to be enjoyed—unrushed and cherished with friends and family. Photo courtesy Baume & Mercier

Show your impeccable style and gracious hosting skills—traits you probably got from mom—by planning a memorable brunch with ample time for sharing stories and strolling down memory lane. Invite aunts and cousins and a few friends and their moms for an afternoon soiree of creative small plates, refreshing cocktails, and floral design accents.

Mother's Day is all about flowers. Mix up cut flowers and potted plants in pastel hues for a garden-inspired setting; when guests leave you can distribute the potted plants, like roses, Montauk daisies, and tulips, in lieu of bouquets. For a modern spin, consider artfully placed terrariums of varying sizes filled with air plants, cacti, and ferns; you might even pick up the basic elements for DIY terrariums—glass jars, soil, moss, charcoal, gravel—and have your guests build their own deciduous gardens that they can take home to remember the day.

While you wait for all of your guests to arrive, have flutes of chilled Prosecco or peach mimosas on hand as a refreshing welcome drink. At the table, have some jugs of refreshing cocktails prepared, like Pimm's Cup or Bloody Mary. You can make the latter more creative by providing a selection of hot sauces, olives, and even ice cubes made of celery, Worcestershire sauce, and chiles that melt and slowly flavor this classic brunch drink. You'll also want to have fresh-pressed juices, hot water for tea, and brewed coffee.

One of the hardest parts about brunch is deciding what to order when everything looks delicious. Offer up a selection of sweet-and-savory brunch-inspired classics served in tapas-size portions so that your guests can try everything. Frittatas made with garden veggies, like zucchini and eggplant, and cheeses are a crowd pleasing alternative to omelets, while bacon-and-hash brown quesadillas are inventive spin on these staples. Make a berry salad and warm syrup for topping Belgian waffles and dark chocolate chip silver dollar pancakes.

After treating mom to a special day spent celebrating with the people who matter most to her, surprise her with a timeless gift that will remind her how much she means to you each day. A classic watch from the Linea collection by Baume & Mercier offers versatility. With its polished case and interchangeable bracelet, a Linea is perfectly suited to the woman on the go who is seeking a watch for every occasion.

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Add Gourmet For a Mothers Day Gift Basket

Gift baskets have become very popular lately for Mothers' Day. But there is no doubt that the best option to go for, when you want to treat someone you love to the very finest in food and drink, is a gourmet basket. Many of the ingredients in a gourmet basket will be vaguely familiar, but they will have been taken to the ultimate level in luxury, while others - such as "pate foie gras" or "quail eggs" - for example, may never have been tried by your Mom before.

These specialty items added to a gift basket can also come from many different taste groups. For example you could include items that would be ideal as a starter - pate and crackers for instance - and then go on to touch on other areas as well. Various different condiments and similar products can be added to a main meal, while luxury and unusually flavoured biscuits and cookies can be enjoyed afterwards. And of course, gourmet chocolates will always be welcomed to finish off any sensational meal!

A gourmet basket works extremely well because it can open up a whole new world of taste sensations. If "Mom" loves food then you will certainly be advised to make sure there are some gourmet products in that basket! She will love trying all the different flavours and products that you have chosen just for her.

Gourmet items also give the impression that the gift basket is very expensive, but actually this isn't necessarily so. The difference in price between gourmet baskets and more standard fare will depend the portions of course, but even similar sized gourmet baskets are not very different in price compared to more general ones.

The great thing about gourmet items is that they can be used to completely transform ho hum meals when she explores the contents of her gourmet gift basket, and give her fresh new ideas for menus, not to mention some luxurious treats and snacks that can be enjoyed purely on their own.

If you know your Mother has a particular taste for certain items then you could request these items specifically, so you can include all the gourmet items you are sure she will enjoy, while at the same time avoiding everything she dislikes or worse everything she is allergic to. Most companies are happy to create just the right kind of basket that you need, so it is always worth asking for their advice. It's fairly certain that they will have answered all of your questions from past clients!

In short, gourmet products can really enhance any gift basket and give your Mom a wonderful experience that she will never forget. And you may even introduce her to something new that she has never tried before - giving her a unique taste she may never have ventured to try on her own.

Now some people see the word gourmet and automatically fall into the trap of thinking that these gift baskets are going to be expensive, but that isn't necessarily the case. Depending on your budget you will be able to choose from several different sizes of gift basket, each one having more items included as the price goes up. If you just want to treat the person to a range of gourmet delights then you could look for a basket which doesn't have any alcoholic drinks included in it, as this will help to keep the price down.

Sandra Folanari writes articles about her interest in Mothers' Day, its traditions, its flowers, its history. Children and husbands have been giving fabulous flowers a long standing tradition with over 100 years of history, ever since Anna David honored her Mother with carnations. Delivered gourmet baskets, fruit baskets, organic baskets, edible fruit arrangements and spa baskets are some of the latest additions to the ways to honor your Mother. Sandra offers anecdotal memories along with tips and information on making and purchasing gifts for your Mother.