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I'm not sure if you are "supposed to" but I plan on including them in my count and have let them know they will have access to the buffet. Where you have such a specialized catering plan, perhaps arranging for a plate for them in the kitchen, or on the side, might be bettter? I'm also planning on feeding our pastor (a family friend) and our musician (not a family friend). I just figured it was a nice gesture to feed them.
Yes, you should feed the photographer. You should really feed any vendor that is spending a long time at your wedding (band, planner, etc)
My photographer requests a meal in her contract, as well as requests to be sat in the reception room itself (and not fed a vendor meal in the kitchen or a separate room). It's nice to include them in the count and feed them, but not neccesary unless they specifically request it,
Yes. They will be with you the entire day(8+ hrs in most cases), long before the wedding starts, and will not have a chance to skip away and stop at Wendy's. If they aren't fed, their energy runs out and you may not get good pictures, and they may not think highly of you. Plus, they may include in their contract that they receive a meal. Talk to your caterer about vendor meals or what they charge to feed a vendor the same as your guests will be eating. A buffet won't make that much difference pricewise since the caterer automatically makes extra. But don't feed them in a different room, especially if you want any pictures taken during dinner, when they have to be in the same room. Also, it is a major health violation for anyone, no matter who it is, to be fed in the kitchen, and any venue/caterer who does can and will be fined and closed indefinitely by the health dept.
I like food! ;) In all seriousness though, it is in my contract for weddings where I am booked for more than 6 hours that I either be fed or allowed a short break to get food. Shooting a wedding is grueling, all that climbing and ducking to get the shots, my energy would be nil if I didn't eat before the end of the night. Even if I didn't have it in my contract, in the past my brides have generally been courteous enough to feed me, and a little courtesy goes a long way!
It should say something about this in your contract!
Mine says that meals are appreciated when they are working the ceremony and the whole reception. If they are not given a meal they state that they will need to take an hour to go and eat! Which is reasonable in my mind!
My venue provides vendor meals - which is the same meal but at a lower per head cost because all the extra's aren't included in it! Alcohol etc.
Yes, you should feed them. Your caterer should have food pulled aside for them to eat while everyone else is going course by course.... It would be rude not too unless you're OK with them leaving to get some. If you would like them to stay, you need to provide food. Check your contract, most have it listed in there!
I think you should definitely feed all your vendors if they are there for several hours or more.
I would really recommend feeding your photog or any vendor who is at your wedding for an extended period of time (like the other ladies said). But, you don't have to serve them what you serve your guests. Our caterer is going to put together a gourmet brown bag dinner for them, separate from what we serve our guests. Sounds like that might be a better option for you than a 10 course meal!
Just tell your caterer you need a "vendor meal", it's absolutely standard practice to feed your vendors - photog, DOC, musicians, etc.
I'm surprised it's not specified in the contract.
A vendor meal is usually much less than your cost per person, just fyi.
My photographer asks for dinner in her contract. She'll be having the same thing as our guests. Since we've booked her for a 10 hour package, we'll be providing her with lunch and snacks too. We're trying to maintain good relationships with our vendors!
Definitely, for all the reasons everyone has already said! Just one extra thought, though--I like to be seated in the main reception area and not in a separate room, just in case something special happens and I need to hop up and snap a picture of it.
Plus, pretty much everyone hates having their picture taken while they eat, so there's not much going on for the photogs anyway. It's a nice chance to give them a little break, and I agree--even if you don't provide food, at least provide the chance to eat SOMETHING. :)
we are definitely including our photogs in the food count, they're going to be with us 9 hours... i can't imagine someone having to do that without eating!!!
It was in our contracts, but absolutely feed them even if it's not. They're not going to want to eat 10 courses anyway, just a warm meal with protein!
My FI and I are definitely feeding our photographers, although we are a bit uncertain of where they should eat! We realize that the most ideal place would be to eat in the same room as us (partly so as not to miss out on spontaneous photo ops, and partly because we don't want to be rude...), but we are having an extremely small, intimate dinner with only 30 guests and one large table in a private dining room. We don't want to seat them elbow-to-elbow with my grandma (awkward!), but it would just look sad to have a private side table set up for them to eat at. But is it rude to ask them to eat in another room???
Absolutely feed them, but you won't have a choice anyway, it will be in their contract. My photog ducked out for probably 20-30 mins while we were eating/walking around to tables and ate whatever my venue provided him. We didn't even discuss it with our venue, he works there all the time so they just did what they always do.
Mine has it in his contract, but we of course would have anyway. We have them for 8 hours -- it would be cruel not to! But you don't have to give them the exact same meal your guests are getting, and you don't have to seat them with your guests. You can serve a vendor meal or something... I'd talk to your caterer about your options, I'm sure they've done it before. I'd also do this for your DJ and videographer, and any vendors who'll be there for a significant amount of time.
Yes I would definitely feed them, however as your caterer for vnedor meals so you dont have to serve them the 10 course meal. They should be significantly less than your guest meal as well. It was not in our photographers contract but we fed them without a second thought.
you should actually feed anyone who will be with yoi over 5 hrs as a matter of courtesy, IMO. They are with you all day and everyone does best when fed. Most vendors are used to scarfing down neals anyway. A hot meal is usually appreciated, when possible.
Well, you could be like this bride, who bought her photographer and DJ meals from McDonald's (which were cold by the time everyone was sitting down to eat) and refused to allow them to eat meals provided by the venue when two guests didn't show, but nobody really thinks very much of her. ;) Personally, I think it would have been better just to have them bring their own food than to insult them with cold $5 meals, but that's just me.
We're providing our photographer and DJ with a meal. I know we're paying for their services, but still, they're providing us with such important elements of our wedding day! To me, it's a way to show our appreciation. I think they're getting vender meals, though, which is at a lower cost than the guests' meals.
I think ABSOLLUTELY!! They are working really long days to get the pictures, and unless you plan to give them a couple hours to leave the reception and go somewhere to get a good substantial meal to keep them going throughout the night, I think you should absolutely be feeding them! This is always one of my pet peeves, as an amateur photographer... brides and grooms often forget that the photographer is working, and following you aorund for usuallt around 8-10 hours, and you need to make sure they are given time to eat, or included in the meal at the reception!
we fed my photog, she waited until everyone was mingling, grabbed a plate and a table where she would be sure not to miss any shots and ate, she was also pregnany, so if she didn't eat, i may have been upset with her! lol
Yea you should feed them if they'll be there more than 3 hours. Its a LOT of work running around constantly. Some photographers will do a sit down meal, but some photographers will have their plate, snack from it & take pics in between bites. But you need to provide food for them or else they may not have the energy they need. Its better to let them eat there instead of leaving to get food... there may be lots of traffic or they could get lost if its a bigger city or something could happen which delays their return.
You may not be required to, but its really really good to be able to provide food for them even if its not in contract.
Definitely check your contract! It probably says in there that you need to feed him/her/them. Many venues make "vendor meals..." make sure what your photog specifies (ours requests the actual banquet meal, aka what we are all eating rather than a "vendor meal"). The DJ/band should be fed, and your DOC if you have one!
@LBPhotography: AMEN about courtesy going a long way - I am a performing artist (part-time, on the side -- not for weddings) and I get booked to events where I am in costume in the 100 degree heat for hours and clients won't even offer me a glass of water!!! It totally effects my energy and mood...
Anyone who works for you for more than 4 hours should get a meal and a break.
@evalague: Yes, I don't think we should have to have in our contracts either. Those photogs who don't have it there probably still expect to be fed, they probably just feel silly putting something like that in their contract. I still kind of feel weird about it. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks of these things and I don't want to go hungry! haha.
We only had about 60 people at our extremely budget-tight wedding, but we we served Filet Mignon and open bar (taking care of our guests was important). Our photog had his own seat in the dining room, his own place-name holder, wedding favor and the same food as everyone else. I even emailed him before the wedding to find out if he wanted the steak or salmon! He was treated as a guest, and at the end of the night when his time was done and he should have gone home, instead he stayed for the cake and the bouquet toss. Case in point about courtesy going a long way.
Yes - you need to feed them (espcially if you want to keep them happy and excited about giving you their best stuff) but not necessarily the same food as the rest of the guests are getting. It's not unusual for vendors to be fed "boxed dinners" of just the main course and an area to eat the food away from all the guests (i.e. back room, kitchen, etc.).
You should feed them, regardless of the terms in your contract or not, out of courtesy.
Here's my equation with vendors:
Happy vendors = happy things such as pictures, etc. = happy couple.
Besides, for us, we love all our vendors, they've become our friends and wouldn't you want to feed your friends if you had them come over for a party?
Ditto to so many of these posts! Eight hours of photography is physically and mentally demanding; I honestly would be scared to try to go without food (I'd be worried I'd pass out!).
And beware the vendor meals! First, they can be anything from what your guests are served to an inedible half-frozen sandwich (I've been lucky, but I've heard some real horror stories from other photographers).
Second, they are typically served in a separate room, *after* the guests are served. The absolute best time to eat is when guests are eating. And SarahBrown is right: the absolute *worst* time for photography is when people are eating. Guests look silly, get annoyed or self-conscious, and there is half-eaten food everywhere. Then, when guests finish and the party starts again, your photographer disappears into another room to eat. I much prefer to stay in the same room so that I can watch and jump up if something good happens; *and* so that I could eat at the best possible time--when you'd get the worst pictures.
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I'm having a Chinese style wedding banquet where 10 food courses are served to 10 people at each table. Am I supposed to feed the two photogs or is it rude not to?