Interesting reminder... Vendor attire

Uhhh, I would hope professionals would dress professional, but I'm in the north so I don't know how things go in beachy states, I guess.

We had vendors ask what was appropriate or if there was a level of formality we wanted them to go with.

I didn't... caterers/bartenders/chef wore uniforms and our coordinator at the venue wore a dress and our officiant did. The only thing i would make sure of is if you have black tie or something that your officiant matches that if that's what you want. And my photographer actually wore black yoga pants and a black long sleeved shirt so she was neutral. i didn't mind the yoga pants though because they were nice and she was moving a lot and laying down to get shots.

The last wedding I shot- the DJ wore sweat pants and a holey t-shirt. The bride asked him 3 times when he planned to get dressed for the wedding.

He didn't even bother to wear his NICE sweatpants.. if those exist.

In California, vendors generally wear all black or black bottom white shirt/blouse with a black vest. ETA: Our officiant asked if we wanted him to wear a suit or a cleric robe. We asked that he wear a robe. That way there was no confusion about who he is before the ceremony.

I've seen some lead female singers in bands at weddings wearing something a little more revealing than I'd care for...but have no idea how to say that kindly

Double post

The DJ gave us the option to wear "tuxedo" or "casual" or "no preference." We chose tuxedo because we thought it was the best of the two. Our photographers had told us ahead of time that they would dress professionally, and try to "blend in."

If they hadn't brought it up to us though, I don't know that I would have thought of it!

The only vendor who asked what he should wear was our DJ. We told him to wear a suit. For some reason, even after seeing that question on his form, it still didn't occur to me that other vendors might not dress professionally. If any of them didn't, I didn't notice.

@Jenn, LOL at "nice" sweatpants!

My photographer showed up to my boudoir shoot in a goonies tshirt and shorts and I was super surprised, but he apologized right away and said, don't worry, this is absolutely not how I'll be dressed for your wedding. I think they were actually pretty stressed about it because they (male and female photographer) sent me a photo of how they dressed for a recent wedding they'd shot. Professionals know how to dress.

I can't agree with you more, mostly because I see other pros dressed like they just rolled out of bed to go play softball in the park. Your MUA's will be in your photos; they should be dressed presentably and professionally. Your photographers and video people will be seen by your guests. They should absolutely try to blend in; comfortably, so they can crawl, lie on the floor, climb into trees, whatever. Your officiant? Personally, I try to be as neutral as possible, if I"m not wearing a robe, but I've seen officiants in outfits that make my skin crawl.

Anyone who is going to be in photos or seen by your guests is game for this discussion. Blame it on anyone you want. But don't depend on anyone to use their own good taste.

Our vendors asked us what level of formality they'd like us to dress in. My DJ specifically asked what our wedding colors are - he shows up in button down shirt, slacks and tie and if he has the tie color already, he'll wear the wedding color, which I thought was cute/awesome.

Our planner I haven't asked, but she is extremely professional so I have no doubts about her. My photographer I don't care what she wears, I just want her to be comfortable. From our meetings and engagement shoots, her attire has always been appropriate for the occasion.

That is interesting! I have never found that to be to be a problem in the weddings i have been apart of! Hearing those stories are ridiculous! Your wedding is technically their place of work and I would never come to work like that!

Our DJ has a whole section on attire in their contract where we can choose what we'd like for them to wear. They do anything from backyard pool parties to formal weddings, so they want to fit in and look professional. It's an all-female DJ company, so the attention to detail isn't surprising, lol It was just another reason why I like them so much and wanted to book them...they are VERY thorough and organized and I love it! Not worried about our photog, he's kind of hipster so I'm ok with that look...as long as he's comfortable. The rest work for the venue and wear professional uniforms (servers, bartenders, etc.). Good thing to note though, I'm not sure I would have even thought about it to ask if the DJ didn't bring it up first.

The only conversation about outfit was with the officiant. He ask us if we wanted him to wear a robe or suit, and what color suit. The rest of our vendors showed up professionally dressed, as I would expect any professional to.

Man, I'm not trying to be antagonistic here, but for most scenarios, you are using local vendors who do this all the time. It boggles my mind that they wouldn't understand the level of formality for the venue, time of day, etc.

I asked a couple of my vendors about their attire. I requested for at the least business casual so they would be in slacks and a polo. However, I forgot the MUA and what Celia mentioned is so true!

I've always worn black or charcoal grey dress pants, a neutral top (not sleeveless regardless of how hot!), black socks and black tennis shoes. The shoes are the most important part of my wardrobe ... 8-10 hours on my feet running around carrying 15 pounds of gear, up and down steps, across fields, trying to walk quietly on church floors. I tried cute and functional dress shoes and paid for it with a bad back for days afterwards! It does stun me that some vendors come in jeans. Regardless of venue, jeans are inappropriate for any wedding/event as vendor attire. Don't feel bad asking what the vendor's attire will be.

My rational mind wants to believe that everyone knows how to dress appropriately, but her mentioning it got me thinking. She mentioned mostly beach weddings being the issue, but that it was better to be safe than sorry. Since she is the one capturing the day I'm guessing she is much more sensitive to the visual side.

@Jenn B. I would be pissed if my DJ showed up in sweatpants! What the hell...

That was one of the first questions I asked all of our vendors. I would think that they would dress appropriately, but you never know. Our officiant also asked us what our wedding colours were so she could compliment the colours but not be too matchy or clash.