Feeding vendors logistics

We’re just seating them as a guest table. They will be offered and eating at the same time as all of our other guests. They are a part of our normal headcount.

We had a 3-course plated meal, and our vendors ate during the entree portion of the meal. Our caterer set up a buffet for our vendors in a different location in our venue. It was essentially the same food that the rest of the guests ate, just not in plated form. We had 14 vendors to feed (due to the large band) so the arrangement worked out well. We had a very formal wedding and this was the norm at our venue.

We're doing a buffet and our vendors will eat at the same time as our guests. Most weddings I've worked they tend to just snag a couple of empty seats, but I'm planning to designate a specific table for them if I can. We don't have anything going on during dinner, so we're not too worried about missing photos or anything like that.

As far as I'm aware, they ate when we ate, and were served in a separate place, but what we ate.

Though they could have sat at an empty space, I believe our venue gave them a nice, quiet place where they could eat without worrying about guests interrupting them.

We requested that the vendors are served first at the same time as us since we want to sneak away after we eat with our photographers and videographers for sunset pics while our guests are served. It worked out better for our schedule since we are going to knock out all the speeches, first dances, cake cutting etc. while guests are eating so we can have uninterrupted party time. 😉

They typically eat the same thing you and your guests are eating and will eat in the kitchen/food prep are outside of guests presence.

View Quoted Comment

Most health departments don’t allow people to eat inside a kitchen or food prep area for liability issues. How are they hurting guests by eating in the same room?

View Quoted Comment I didn’t say they were hurting guests. But every wedding I’ve been a part of, vendors are in the back with the rest of the venue staff.

All of the contracts for ours have a clause in there stating that they will eat when we eat (and if they can't, the will let us know when they're slipping off to eat). If we have the room, then we'll designate a table just for them which will be towards the back of the tables so it's easy for them to come and go.

I've noticed at other weddings that the vendors either ate in the kitchen/food prep area with the rest of the vendors, or they would quickly grab a plate and eat to the side out of the way.

I've only seen vendors eat at a designated 'vendors table' in the same area as guests once, at a super casual backyard wedding. Our vendors will be eating in the cocktail hour space, which is separate from the reception space. If you're not sure where your vendors should eat, you can ask your venue for clarification. Our venue has a written policy that vendors must eat in a different area as guests (I believe the reason is that mingling with the guests can potentially be seen as unprofessional). It's always courteous to feed your vendors the same food as you feed your guests instead of a boxed lunch with a cold sandwich.