It’s completely understandable, given that you’ve probably never planned a wedding before, how you might get caught up in the process and forget some of the finer details that will help your day run so much smoother.
One of these details that some couples overlook are their wedding vendor meals.
Although you might not be aware, it’s common for photographers, videographers, and other all-day wedding vendors to require a set number of meals for their staff to be able to work on your big day.
It’s often seen as good etiquette to provide vendor meals; not entirely the same as what your guests will receive, these meals are typically offered as an added service, and it’s essential not to neglect them, or you’ll end up paying full price (as if your vendors were extra guests).
But further from that, providing a meal for the people who work the longest hours on your wedding day, is sometimes contractural, it assists them to perform at their best and it keeps them onsite at your wedding (rather than heading out for a Macca’s run and missing half of the speeches).
We’ve got everything you need to know about vendor meals, which vendors are most likely to require food at a wedding, and why you need to pay for them.
What are Wedding Vendor Meals?
A wedding vendor meal is a special, custom meal offered to the vendors you have hired to work on your wedding day. It most commonly consists of a plated serve of your main course dish and therefore often attracts a discounted rate too.
In most cases, the wedding vendors who are with you for most of your wedding day will be working from when you’re getting ready in the morning until you walk out of your reception late at night. It’s an extremely long physical, emotional, and mentally exhausting, but exhilarating, workday for them.
A respectful (and sometimes contractual) way to show your appreciation for all their hard work is to offer a special vendor meal for them.
While you’re obviously paying for their services, it becomes a topic of practicality and efficiency too, when you consider that your photographer, videographer, DJ/bandleader, and MC will all need to eat at some point during your wedding day.
It’s quicker for them to eat a decent meal on-site so they can get back to making your celebration amazing, rather than needing to leave your wedding venue to get something to fuel them.
Sofie Bozzetti fueling up before her DJ set photo by Travis and Benny Weddings
The subject of wedding vendor meals has become an increasingly hot topic in the wedding industry because providing a vendor meal also contributes to a sense of teamwork, hospitality and reciprocity which encourages your vendors to perform at high levels for longer and care about your needs in a deeper way.
This makes perfect sense when you consider your own care factor when you’re hungry, tired, or not feeling appreciated at work.
Which Vendors Get Meals at a Wedding?
Some vendors should receive meals at your wedding while others don’t necessarily need or require them. However, this depends on the type of vendors you have at your wedding, the style of food service you’ve coordinated, what time of day your wedding is being held, and several other factors.
For example, your wedding photographer usually gets the most food at a wedding because they are often starting their day earlier and finishing later than other vendors and are physically present during the reception. Working all day to make sure they capture every important moment of your wedding means that they are commonly super hungry come dinner time and sometimes haven’t been able to take any breaks. Other vendors that may need/receive vendor meals include:
your celebrant/officiant
videographer
florist or wedding stylist
DJ/Bandleader
MC
It’s essential for couples to know who each person is and their role regarding their day. This way, you can plan for different scenarios before they happen and ensure that no one is left unserved.
Why Do I Need to Pay for Wedding Vendor Meals?
In the lead-up to your wedding, it's important to remember all of those people who have been there from the beginning. In some countries and cultures, it’s not enough to pay them, say thank you, and part ways; you may need to follow through with a tip, a tangible gift, and/or offer them snacks and bottled water too.
Whether you've been planning together or they've been working on the event separately, meals are a great way for couples to show gratitude towards their wedding vendors.
Below are some of the reasons why you need to pay for wedding vendor meals:
to reward a vendor's personal time and effort
to recognise the quality of service they offered you
to show appreciation and respect of your vendors given they are spending meal-times working on your wedding
because the wedding vendors' terms and conditions require that you provide a meal.
Wedding vendors often work to tight timelines and under extreme pressure.
One of the best ways to support their efforts is by making sure they’re fed. There's nothing better than a warm, delicious meal on a hectic wedding day to re-energise and fuel a wedding vendor to continue making magic for the rest of the night!!
Final Thought
Ultimately, bakers, florists, caterers, photographers, and musicians all contribute to help make your wedding day one of the best days of your life. In order to thank them for their great work, you may want to offer them a meal for working with you.
Specifying the timing of the service of the wedding vendor meal/s is additional way you can assist your wedding suppliers.
If you consider that, as you’re enjoying your delectable main course, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll want professional photos of you chowing down. This makes it an excellent opporunity for your vendor team to be fed too, because you can also bet, straight after you’ve eaten, that other formalities will be scheduled that you want to have captured. Perhaps speeches, the cake cutting or your first dance as a married couple.
If it’s at all possible, arranging the order of food service so yourselves, your wedding party and your immediate families are fed first, followed immediately by your wedding vendors (before the majority of your wedding guests), means that everyone who is required for the next tradition, custom or special surprise is ready to go at the same time.
Coordinating a vendor meal leaves your suppliers feeling appreciated and valued, while also enabling them to perform to their highest standard, giving you their very best.
