I have to feed the vendors too?!?

raeah219 · February 2014

I was watching a video on YouTube about vendor etiquette and it said that I have to provide vendor meals for anybody that will be working more than five hours the day of my wedding. It kind of makes sense to me. I don't want hungry vendors, but my boss doesn't provide lunch for me lol. This was the first I've heard of this. My budget is tight so these extra meals are NOT what I want to do, but I will if I have to. Help me out ladies. What's a girl to do?

FizzySips · February 2014

Feed your vendors! You want them at their best. Many venues offer a "vendor meal" option if you are truly concerned about cost.

AprilH81 · February 2014

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

Maggie0829 · February 2014

I was watching a video on YouTube about vendor etiquette and it said that I have to provide vendor meals for anybody that will be working more than five hours the day of my wedding. It kind of makes sense to me. I don't want hungry vendors, but my boss doesn't provide lunch for me lol. This was the first I've heard of this. My budget is tight so these extra meals are NOT what I want to do, but I will if I have to. Help me out ladies. What's a girl to do?

To the bolded, but you do get a lunch hour/break correct? Well a photographer and DJ and videographer do not get those designated breaks. They are typically working straight through for, more then likely, 7 hours (include set up time and commute and break down of equipment). The least you can do is feed them.

grumbledore · February 2014

raeah219 said:

I was watching a video on YouTube about vendor etiquette and it said that I have to provide vendor meals for anybody that will be working more than five hours the day of my wedding. It kind of makes sense to me. I don't want hungry vendors, but my boss doesn't provide lunch for me lol. This was the first I've heard of this. My budget is tight so these extra meals are NOT what I want to do, but I will if I have to. Help me out ladies. What's a girl to do?

The difference is that normally an employee can leave and eat lunch. Do you want your vendors to leave to eat? Of course not. Definitely feed them.

JellyBean52513 · February 2014

Check your contracts. Some contracts will explicitly state, "Vendor requires a meal that is the same as or comparable to the meal being served at the event." Others might state "Vendor requires a meal and a reasonable amount of time to consume said meal after x amount of hours of labor." This doesn't specify exactly what that meal is, and like Fizzy said, your venue might have a vendor meal, which can be a sandwich or something less expensive than your reception dinner.

raeah219 · February 2014

Which vendors get a meal? Dj, photographer, wio else? What about the servers that are in charge of the Buffett? I don't even know how many of them there will be. The lady doing my decorations has a team of 3 young ladies, I feed them all too?

AprilH81 · February 2014

raeah219 said:

Which vendors get a meal? Dj, photographer, wio else? What about the servers that are in charge of the Buffett? I don't even know how many of them there will be. The lady doing my decorations has a team of 3 young ladies, I feed them all too?

Depending on your contracts you only need to feed the vendors who are working during/through the reception (DJ/band, photographers/videographers/photo booth attendant/etc). You do NOT have to feed the servers/bartenders unless it is stated in your contract.

You don't need to feed the florist who drops things off and leaves, or the baker who delivers the cake or people who don't work the reception itself.

raeah219 · February 2014

Thanks so much ladies. Y'all are the best

JaxInBlue · February 2014

Ditto PPs. Feed your vendors! It may be spelled out in their contracts what they expect - ie: the DJ may want something s/he can eat at their booth, but the photographer is okay with a seat at the bar or in at a vendor table. Their contracts may also specify if they will take alternatives to the meal you are serving your guests. Feeding your vendors and treating them well will likely mean you get better service.

You also don't say how many vendors you have but keep in mind the vendors you need to feed are usually the DJ/photog/DOC-types. We did not need to provide meals for the wait- and kitchen-staff at our venue, even though they technically worked the whole event. I'm sure they ate (and that the cost was absorbed somewhere in our budget) but we did not have to count those individuals as extra plates in our budget.

delujm0 · February 2014

Read your contracts. Generally, vendors that are sticking around for many hours have a meal written into the contract. Our photographer and her assistant require meals (they will be working 9 hours with us that day, makes sense). Our planner and her assistant didn't have it written into the contract, but we're definitely feeding them because I'm sure they'll be pulling a 12+ hour day. Our caterer specifically said that they will handle feeding their own employees, so we don't have to worry about it. The caterer will provide vendor meals in a separate room dueing the reception. The vendor meals are a LOT cheaper than the guest meals - so you do'nt have to worry about paying $100/head or whatever for your vendors to eat.

Usually vendors who just drop stuff off and then leave (florist, cake baker, etc) don't require meals. A DJ might depending on how long their shift is. Ours is only with us for 3.5 hours (we are having live music for the ceremony and cocktail hour), so she doesn't require a meal.

antoto · February 2014

raeah219 said:

Which vendors get a meal? Dj, photographer, wio else? What about the servers that are in charge of the Buffett? I don't even know how many of them there will be. The lady doing my decorations has a team of 3 young ladies, I feed them all too?

It should all be in the contracts. But in general if they will be there for your reception then you need to feed them. So if the person doing your decorations is not there during dinner then you do not need to feed her. Same for your florist, etc. Typically it is your photographers, DJ, and your DOC if you have one. Probably not a rando staff member who is just serving food - they have not worked all day.

mlg78 · February 2014

If you're concerned about cost, I didn't even count the vendors into the count. Buffets typically have more than is really needed so throwing in my two videographers, photographer and DJ was no big deal.

kmmssg · February 2014

Many venues have discounted vendor meals available so be sure to check for that. My DOC, DJ, and photographer will be with us for an extended amount of time and I will keep them fed and happy!

SammiNJonni · February 2014

Read your contracts most vendors require a meal some specify a hot meal so a sandwich is not going to cut it. Also inquire to your venue/caterer about vendor meals. My venue offers vendor meals for $25 each which is a lot better than the $110 pp I am paying for guests. My venue is going to give them one of the entree choices my guests are receiving.

missnc77 · February 2014

The good news is, you can factor them out of the open bar cost per person if you have one. I have a live band of 5 people, 2 photgraphers (husband/wife team), 2 videographers, a wedding planner, and her assistant. That's about $800 more dollars overall, but I'm the one who some how ended up with a damn entourage, so we must pay the piper.

raeah219 · February 2014

Lol a lot of you ladies have weddings that are a lot more lavish than mine. "I don't have to worry about the open bar cost" I sure don't bcuz I'm only hosting beer wine and a sig cocktail. And $25/pp is more than I'm paying per guests. I still appreciate all of your support and advice, it's just funny to me to see the difference between my wedding and other weddings

raeah219 · February 2014

Just to clarify in not saying that bcuz I have a smaller budget I'm not going to feed my vendors. I've already sent FI a text that we need to"add some meals and feed our ppl" lol

grumbledore · February 2014

raeah219 said:

Lol a lot of you ladies have weddings that are a lot more lavish than mine. "I don't have to worry about the open bar cost" I sure don't bcuz I'm only hosting beer wine and a sig cocktail. And $25/pp is more than I'm paying per guests. I still appreciate all of your support and advice, it's just funny to me to see the difference between my wedding and other weddings

Our buffet, even with the things we are adding, is still less than $25 per person (and yummy). There is a ton of variation when it comes to cost.

HisGirlFriday13 · February 2014

Our buffet, including the bar, was $33 pp -- @grumbledore is right that there is a ton of varistion in cost.

We only had to feed the DJ and photographer, and we just had them go up to the buffet. The DJ ate at his booth, but the photographer ate at a table with his wife and coworkers.

The photographer specifically asked for something more than the vendor meal, because he said usually they just get a sandwich and it's not very filling. I wasn't going to treat the DJ separately, so he got to eat the buffet, too.

A lot of venues will charge you less for vendors even if you give them a meal similar to your guests' because they're not drinking the alcohol and whatnot.

PrettyGirlLost · February 2014

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.

banana468 · February 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.

Why? Just because he's "hired help" he should be happy with whatever the B & G throw at him? If the B & G are eating a hot meal I can't imagine giving a cold sandwich to the DJ. If you treat him like he's worth less than the others, you may get service that matches his distaste.

photokitty · February 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.

Said Dj specifically says he's a "fat boy who likes to eat" so it's pretty amusing ;-p (I had the same one as April and his price is way cheaper than hiring someone else and getting them a cheapie meal)

AprilH81 · February 2014

photokitty said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.

Said Dj specifically says he's a "fat boy who likes to eat" so it's pretty amusing ;-p (I had the same one as April and his price is way cheaper than hiring someone else and getting them a cheapie meal)

Yeah, he was well worth the $18 (plated luncheon) it cost me to feed him. His company get great reviews and have some of the lowest prices around the city.

AprilH81 · February 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.

I don't think that is an unreasonable request. Our photography contract stated that they needed to be seated at a table near the bridal party so they could easily continue to work while they ate. Should they "get over it" too?

PrettyGirlLost · February 2014

banana468 said:

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.
Why? Just because he's "hired help" he should be happy with whatever the B & G throw at him? If the B & G are eating a hot meal I can't imagine giving a cold sandwich to the DJ. If you treat him like he's worth less than the others, you may get service that matches his distaste.

The vendor meals in our area are gourmet box meals and a lot have hot options. And none of the vendors I talked with made any demands to be served the exact, full meal the wedding party and guests were.

So I think your DJ is a little full of himself. However if he has a thriving business with those terms in his contract, more power to him.

ETA: Changed "demands" to "terms" because that was the actual word I was looking for, but had a brain fart.

abbyj700 · February 2014

I don't see having an equivalent meal as something demanding. My brother and his wife had to rule out a photographer because she literally had a rider in her contract that included the very specific type of vegan meal she needed along with the brand and how many bottles of water were required for her. Now THAT I wouldn't tolerate.

PrettyGirlLost · February 2014

abbyj700 said:

I don't see having an equivalent meal as something demanding. My brother and his wife had to rule out a photographer because she literally had a rider in her contract that included the very specific type of vegan meal she needed along with the brand and how many bottles of water were required for her. Now THAT I wouldn't tolerate.

Unless she had an actual food allergy or issue, which I would accommodate if I wanted to hire that vendor.

Jen4948 · February 2014

It's only considerate to provide meals for vendors who are working for hours with no breaks to get food for themselves.

pinkshorts27 · February 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

banana468 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.
Why? Just because he's "hired help" he should be happy with whatever the B & G throw at him? If the B & G are eating a hot meal I can't imagine giving a cold sandwich to the DJ. If you treat him like he's worth less than the others, you may get service that matches his distaste.

The vendor meals in our area are gourmet box meals and a lot have hot options. And none of the vendors I talked with made any demands to be served the exact, full meal the wedding party and guests were.

So I think your DJ is a little full of himself. However if he has a thriving business with those terms in his contract, more power to him.

ETA: Changed "demands" to "terms" because that was the actual word I was looking for, but had a brain fart.

I'm thinking he probably had a few to many experiences where they skimped out on the vendor meals and he was under fed. I can see a certain type of person giving the vendor a cold cheap small sandwich without many sides.

AprilH81 · February 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

banana468 said:

AprilH81 said:

Check your contracts. I had to feed our DJ and Photographers (a husband/wife team). Our videographers we could choose to feed them or not, up to us. Since we had to feed the others we decided it was only fair to feed them as well.

Our DJ specifically stated in the contract that he had to be fed the same quality of meal as the guests (no box meal if we were serving lobster).

Some venues will have a less expensive "vendor meal" but this will only work if they are eating in a different room.

OMG, your DJ needs to get over it, lol.
Why? Just because he's "hired help" he should be happy with whatever the B & G throw at him? If the B & G are eating a hot meal I can't imagine giving a cold sandwich to the DJ. If you treat him like he's worth less than the others, you may get service that matches his distaste.

The vendor meals in our area are gourmet box meals and a lot have hot options. And none of the vendors I talked with made any demands to be served the exact, full meal the wedding party and guests were.

So I think your DJ is a little full of himself. However if he has a thriving business with those terms in his contract, more power to him.

ETA: Changed "demands" to "terms" because that was the actual word I was looking for, but had a brain fart.

The contract specified an "equivilent" meal. So if we were serving a hot plated meal he couldn't be served a cold sandwich with a bag of chips. If that is what we were serving everyone else he would have been okay with it.

I have to feed the vendors too?!?

Re: I have to feed the vendors too?!?

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