Giving a meal to your photographers, photobooth attendants, etc?

View Quoted Comment Yes, always plan on feeding anyone working at the wedding. You should also talk to them ablut when they should eat. Especially anyone who works the entire wedding time (i.e. photographer).



My best friend is a photographer. I've seen her almost drop at a wedding or two because she couldn't slot out time to eat - even when it was food was offerred. She was too worried she'd miss an important moment for the couple. Instead, she just worked the entire time from 9-10 am until the reception was over around 6 pm on a slice pf toast.

It’s required with our venue.

Aside from the servers and banquet manager at the restaurant, the only hired vendor on site for our reception will be the DJ. I asked the banquet manager if I needed to add him to my guest list and he said I really didn’t need to, that they wouldn’t charge me to feed him since it’s a cocktail reception as opposed to a sit down dinner. But it is my understanding that vendors should be included in most instances.

Yes. Not only is it courteous, but most photographers and videographers require it in their contract if they’re providing more than 4 hours of service. I can’t imagine making someone work 8-10 hours for my wedding and not even feeding them.

It is in our contracts to feed most of our vendors if they will be there through dinner. For example, Photographer, videographer, dj, day of coordinator. I know on the videographers contract it said if we don't feed them we are required to give them an hour break to go find something and eat. Being as our venue is 30 minutes away from the closest fast food places that wasn't a feasible option for us.

Additionally to pointing out that it is in most contract... A lot of vendors spend the whole day on your wedding. If they are hungry (or worse hangry) their final product will not be as good as if they were fed and happy! Remember IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO FEED VENDORS!! (dj, photographer, photobooth)

Yes, each of mine gets a meal and a piece of cake!

Yes absolutely. We are providing meals for both of our photographers, videographer, and the members of our band. Typically, anyone working the length of the reception should get paid. You wouldn't pay, say your florist, since they leave after setup and come back for breakdown.

By law if you are hiring them for 4 hours or more, including set-up and clean up, in a place that is serving a meal, you are required to offer them a meal. It does not have to be a guest meal. For my wedding, and one of my sisters and one of my brothers, different people (hundreds of miles apart) all the vendors, photographer, DJ, musicians/ dance band quintet, bar tenders, all requested a cold box lunch, that was 1½ sandwich, cold salad or potato salad, fruit, 2 sealed drinks. Then choice of the meal desert, whether cake, pie, etc. Same reasoning for all, in reality, they take a very short break 2-3 times, musicians and bartenders during speeches, etc. And it is miserable to start and stop a hot meal. And some bartenders set up, eat during the ceremony, then work, and dinners are not ready before cocktail hours pull the bartenders to work. So I would recommend you ask the vendors their preferences. They work so many events, two told me they would weigh twice as much if they ate 5 to 10 rich food meals a week, with all the extras. Makes sense. When I worked catering, each place said okay to any cold meal they had ingredients for. They can always nuke and slice chicken, or any plain meat, though no (less healthy) deli meats may be on hand. Vendors usually know.

Yes. We fed the DJ and photographer. Also asked the wedding coordinator but she's through the venue so she said we didn't have to.

Wow, everyone!! Thank you all so much for your overwhelming responses! You guys are awesome. I figured that at the minimum, it would be nice to at least offer a meal, but I did not know that there are some contracts that require that.. this is news to me. I have yet to book my DJ or Photographer/Videographer so I would not have known until maybe later on. Thank you so much everyone, all the best to every single one of you!!

It is even written in some contracts for vendors to be fed and caterers usually have a "vendor meal price".

Most vendors have it in their contract depending on how many hours they work with you, or they request time to go get food. When I was a ln even planner I would always ask brides how many vendor meals were needed. At one venue the vendor would receive the same meal as the guest at a big discount (since they wouldn’t be eatting appitizers, dessert or drinking alcohol) at the other venue I worked at the vendor would be able to choose their own meal from a select menu (hamburger, flatbread, or salad). You should feed them. Most of these vendors don’t have much to do while you’re eating, they need to eat too.

I plan on feeding the DJ and Photographer.

View Quoted Comment I am glad you asked andrea! Planning a wedding is a first time thing for most of, so we are all learning as we go!! I keep finding out more and more things that I have never en thought of!!! This community is wonderful!

Yes, all of them. They will most likely be working for six hours while watching everyone else eat and I didn't want them to be hungry. It's good etiquette and it also ensures they will be at optimal energy to perform their services

I plan on giving meals to my photographers and DJ. They will be there for most of the day and I don't want them to sit and watch everyone else eat.

I'm surprised that more vendors don't have that included in their contract. I know mine does! They should eat! Imagine working all day and not getting a break to eat! I'd be one hangry lady!

You're absolutely supposed to provide food for your vendors. Mine will be eating the exact same thing as the guests are eating and I'll reserve a table in the back for them to sit at. I'd rather have my photographers eat while everyone else is eating because I don't need any shots of people stuffing their faces. I'm also going to have my Dj make a dinner playlist so he can eat his meal.