Feeding the DJ

oconn137

What's the etiquette behind feeding my DJ?  Must I send him an invitation and let him chose his meal (beef, chicken, fish, vegetarian)?  Can I just put him down for chicken?

Thanks!

janedoe1113a

Normally venues have vendor meals.  You need to feed him though.  As well as feeding your photographer.

You don't send him an invitation.  Also, don't just put down chicken since he might be a vegetarian. 

ggmae

We fed our vendors the same meals that our guests got. When we met with him for our final consultation 10 days before the wedding, we asked him what meal he would like.

temerityjane

Ask them what is in their contract.

Some venues offer specific vendor meals for your vendors that is different/cheaper than the guest option, and it is ok to feed them that, IF their contract doesn't state otherwise.

It's also okay to feed them what your guests eat and just ask them which option they want. Some vendor meals at venues are SO TERRIBLE (if they're even offered) that many vendors have it in their contracts that they must be offered the same meal as the guests.

My DJ company owner said that his DJs eat before they arrive and don't break to eat while they work. I think that's pretty hardcore. I'm going to ask again before I have to give the final headcount. I mean, I know it's their company policy and all, but I'd be hungry.

I don't think it's tacky to serve a vendor meal if your venue offers them and your vendor contracts don't rule them out AND you make sure they're not totally gross, like peanut butter and jelly or something - just a less expensive but still decent meal. Not a lot of venues do that, though, I think. Definitely budget to pay for a full cost plate for vendors that are spending the day with you, but I wouldn't do an invite - a quick call would do it.

ExpatPumpkin

Why don't you just call him and ask him which entree he'd prefer?  Then you can put him down for that one...  Ditto on feeding your other vendors as well.  

For our wedding, we had a room just for the vendors to eat and take breaks in...  They were given access to the open bar and were offered the hotel's regular menu for dinner.  They ordered whatever they wanted and it turned out to cost us about $25/vendor for their dinner...

No way we would have offered them the same meal as our guests, for two reasons:  it was multi-coursed and they didn't have time for a drawn out meal, and it would have cost us several thousand dollars to feed them all that meal.  

If you have many vendors and your food is very expensive, you should talk to your venue about meal options for them.  Good luck

Zooloo

You should feed your vendors that are working the reception, and I suggest you ask their preferences.  You never know when someone has a food allergy or has a medical situation (like diabetes) and may require a certain type of dish.

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_feeding-dj?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8a65e858-b813-4c69-95d5-75134a4e8bbaPost:7c947fb2-f72d-4bd8-8b96-aca72c9c80c1">Re: Feeding the DJ</a>:
[QUOTE]You should feed your vendors that are working the reception, and I suggest you ask their preferences.  You never know when someone has a food allergy or has a medical situation (like diabetes) and may require a certain type of dish.
Posted by Zooloo[/QUOTE]

I would just call the vendors and ask them what they want.  That is what I did.

banana468

Ditto Lynda.  Our vendors ate what our guests ate and we asked them what they'd prefer.

brookelynpaisley

Make sure you talk to your site coordinator too. I was worried about this same situation and as it turns out, vendor meals were included in our price. They ate the same buffet food as our guests but weren't included in our guest head count. Just find out what they would prefer.