Feeding My “day of” Vendors

With my caterer, they provide vendor meals, which is different from what the guests are eating. Does you caterer have the option for vendor meals?

View Quoted Comment That’s good to know! My venue is also the caterer so I will definitely ask that question whenever they contact me to do the tasting.


Did you provide snacks for throughout the day or is it just the reception meal?

It would be courteous to feed them the same as guests because they will be with you for hours and need to eat a hot meal. A standard vendor meal is a mini cold sandwich and chips. Your caterer will probably give you a price break since they aren’t drinking alcohol. There is no reason they can’t be set up in the same room since the health department will not allow anyone to eat in the kitchen and they should not be in a different room away from the action.

View Quoted Comment Oh no! Mini cold sandwich and chips is very blah! I definitely want them to be fed well. I’ll definitely have a table for them, as well. Thank you!

View Quoted Comment If the venue has a 150 max capacity, should I count them towards that number? So, I should plan to have less guests than the max?

Most venues count vendors and venue staff as part of the total capacity count as enforced by fire safety laws. Double check to make sure.

I would confirm with your caterer what they provide as a vendor meal. Our caterer’s vendor meal was essentially the same as our guests, I think it was just plated separately rather than at the buffet. I did not have a table for them.

My venue provides vendor meals for $35 a person. No idea what they entail. I assume they eat in the back with the servers? I do not plan to give them a table there is no space for them. I have never seen vendors eat at tables in a reception.

View Quoted Comment No you don’t need to count them as guests. Their meals are separate. I assume they eat in the back or something.

The vendors and staff typically eat in a separate space during a downtime. That's what I've seen. Your venue probably has vendor meals and a space for them. Vendor meals are considered separate from guest meals and you should not need to make a separate table for them if your venue is all inclusive

Thanks all! Seems like different venues and caterers do it differently. I’ll definitely ask how my vendors will be taken care of the day of and maybe I’ll be back for more questions if their answer isn’t satisfactory to me. I don’t want them just eating a mini cold sandwich and chips…..

I would honestly talk to your caterer about the options. I'm sure he/she has enough experience to guide you in the right direction.

For my hair and makeup, I am making them little bags of self-care gifts, and will be ordering them whatever we are having for lunch, the photographer as well. The dj and photographer are fed by my caterer and have specifically asked to now have their own table because guests will start talking to them. They usually sneak away or find a corner to eat.

View Quoted Comment

My wedding is next month. I'm planning for the reception meal.

View Quoted Comment Oh that is super cute! I like that idea of self care goodie bags. Do you mind sharing what you’ve put in there? 🥰

We are feeding all of our vendors for our upcoming reception & it'll be the same food that everyone else is eating.

My vendors ate the same meal at half price. I would speak to your caterer/venue about this.

My vendor meal was not as elaborate or
pricey as the guests’ meal, but it also was not sandwich and chips — it was a hot meal (chicken breast and veggies). Definitely check with your caterer.

View Quoted Comment Gel masks, body scrubber gloves, some samples of my fave skincare line, snacks *I asked them their faves*, and some other little things

First off this is how I feel so you can take it or leave it. I would like my vendors to feel at the very least like guests so I am going to treat them as such! These folks are working hard, like a 10-12-14 hour day the day of plus all of the time they put into planning and preparing for this day. Vendor meals are not always that good, so you be the judge. Think about how you would like to be treated.