Where to seat vendors

Ask your venue if they have a preference. my venue does, they have a special spot for vendors.

Our venue has a vendor section in the kitchen. They don't sit with the guests.

View Quoted Comment Yup, this is true. Ask your venue for info.

I thought about having an extra tabke set up that would be open seating for anyone, including vendors. But I have the feeling that they most likely will want to be away from the main reception area to take a break and not just eat. I will give my vendors the option to stay but wouldnt be surprised if they dont use it.

I didn’t think about this beforehand, but at my wedding they sat together at their own table to eat, at one of the tables in the cocktail hour seating by the bar.

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I don't think I would like that option. feels a little cinderalla ish

My venue has a separate room for vendors to eat and they dont eat what the guests are eating, they get a plated chef selected meal.

What do you mean where to sit the vendors??? this is my first wedding and I didn't know that the vendors eat with us??

I would guess the photo and videographers eat but who else???

View Quoted Comment I didn't know that either. I'm a guest timer as well.

I ordered “vendor meals” for my 2 photographers, 2 videographers, DJ And DJ assistant. It was in the contract for the photography and videography specifically, and the DJ contract just eluded to staggering their dinner breaks so as not to stop the flow. For my venue the vendor meals were only $15, and did not count in the open bar head count. I believe they received the chicken entree from our dinner.

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Many photographers and videographers will require in their contract that they are provided with a meal. That is only fair as most photographers are working an 8-12 day with few or no breaks. You will want to provide a meal for any vendor that will still be there during the reception, aside from the caterer themselves. Photographer, videographer, planner or DOC, DJ, your officiant if you choose to invite them to the reception.

Our venue is a barn with just a warming kitchen, but with two suites on site for getting ready. I have no problem with reserving a table for my vendors to eat, but I also want to give them a place away from the hustle and bustle of the reception to truly take a break and eat if that's what they choose. I plan to ask them if they would prefer a table in the venue, in the kitchen, or in one of the suites a few yards away.

My photographers contract also has that clause where either we provide them with a meal, or they will take a period if time to leave the venue to get food and have a break. I have added these two into my guest count. I am not sure about the caterers or not, but I have added places for them just in case. My caterer did tell me he will prepare more food than the guest count anyhow to ensure that there is plenty of food so it wobt run out. Whatever is left over we can take and will use for a drop by lunch with family the next day. I wanted to spend one day between the wedding and honeymoon with my international family and guests, a day that I would be relaxed because the wedding and its planning would be over.

I would not sit vendors with the guest at all... they should be working I think. I know they have to eat as well but only when the time allows.

Our venue provides a separate room for our vendors. Our band and photographers will eat in there. It’s also in our band’s contract that they get a break during the reception, so they’ll be able to take that break in that room.

I’ve never been to a wedding where vendors eat with guests.

View Quoted Comment My vendors have a table for them set outside by the venue. They won't be sitting with the guest

In a side room as they have a different meal. Plus I have 20ish that need to be fed.

I gave my vendors the option to eat with the guests if they wanted because I didn’t want them to feel like the help. I left a few seats open at the tables just in case (but I only had 3 photographers and officiant). They ended up eating in a separate room since that’s what they’re used to at that venue but I wanted them to feel free to sit wherever.

View Quoted Comment DJ or a band

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To be fair, it's an actual eating section in the back - they're not shoved in a corner with the mops or anything! One photographer I spoke to said they prefer it anyway - they want to slip their shoes off under the table and relax a bit, take a real break from their duties while they eat. If they are with guests they still have to be "on". They do get the same food we do.