Vendor meal requirement--is this odd?

This is super normal and you should serve all your vendors the same meal as your guests. If there are options, it's fine to choose the cheaper one as long as it's the same as what guests are getting.

A vendor needs to eat and get back to work. I am certain your vendor doesn't expect to be served a 3 course meal that takes 2 hours to eat. I'd talk to him about what to expect and the language of the contract.

I disagree with previous posters and agree with you that it is odd. Not odd that they deserve to be fed of course but there's no reason to be fed the same as the guests. I would give the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a clause they added after a horrible experience (like that shrimp and noodle pic lol). I would reach out to your caterer and ask what the vendor meal is and then relay that to your videographer to see if that will satisfy the contract. Oftentimes the guests per plate cost includes a bunch of extras that the vendors wouldn't be having so to pay that extra cost wouldn't be fair. For example my per plate cost includes a 3 course meal and champagne toast and my vendors shouldn't be drinking on the job lol. Our venue/caterer provides a vendor meal that I will pay for and as it is an upscale venue I'm sure it's a good meal. It's honestly probably the same meal just without the extras.

Out of curiosity, outside of maybe a few detail shots of the food itself, is there really anything that needs to be photographed at that time? How many people enjoy pictures of themselves and others eating? Let the photographer (and video if you’re having it) take a break until the first dance. Have any speeches before dinner out of the way. Same for cake cutting. Djs for example will have a playlist run steady until the first dance.

None of our vendors specified anything about the meal (other than that one was provided) and our caterer provides vendor meals that differ slightly from the guest meals. This is pretty standard from what I know, and no one complained or had an issues with this set up at all.

We have a friend officiating so I asked my venue/caterer about whether or not they should get a guest meal or a vendor meal and she explained the vendor meal is usually a simplified variation of the guest meals and don't include service, so that anyone we wanted to be treated like the rest of our wedding guests should be counted as a "guest" and not a vendor. Our vendors are getting high quality food, just not everything the guests eat, including six hors d'oeuvres, a plated salad, main courses with some luxury ingredients, two dessert courses, etc. I did ask my caterer if I needed to get any sort of dietary restrictions from my vendors for their meals and she said it was unnecessary, so I'm unsure how that gets handled.

I would speak with your videographer directly about this and ensure that the meal you are providing meets their standards and have any confusing language removed from the contract. As others have mentioned, they have probably gotten really screwed over before and are just trying to ensure they get enough food to last through your event.

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In my experience, for many formal weddings, speeches and toasts often take place during courses 1 through 3 if there is a 5 course meal (or during course 1 and 2 of a 4 course meal). I've attended dozens of black tie weddings and this is always how I've seen it done. Based on the OP's other posts, it sounds like Elizabeth is having a pretty formal and upscale wedding. So I can definitely see it being a valid concern. I would be livid if my photographer and videographer weren't available to capture the speeches and toasts at my wedding because they were busy eating during that time.

My venue had a 100 guest minimum, we had 104 people rsvp and had 4 last minute drop outs with good reasons, our venue told us that if we had no shows that those meals would go towards the vendors so we had 5 vendors we fed and they ended up not even charging us for the 5th person. All of our vendors ate Cuban style surf & turf and they were absolutely happy with the food. Our other option would have been to pay for vendor meals that would not have been as nice but we were super happy they got to get good food.

I actually do think it sounds odd. because it is specifically saying the exact same thing guests are getting. for my venue they actually do a different meal for vendors [i didn't get it though because i had space for the vendors to sit at guest tables anyway and so my venue is paying by TABLE so if i had to get extra meals for vendors that would have cost me more]

I know my photographer told me she was told she could have food there so she didn’t bring any food and then got there and she couldn’t have the food. I’m like that’s terrible. So on her contract she asked if she can have the food or bring her own.


Venue told me they can have just the meal (chicken, beef, fish, or vegan) they couldn’t have the cocktail hour.
So sounds to me like he wasn’t able to get his meal but to ask for everything like that ehhhh not sure about that. What does the venue say they get?

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Yes that is terrible treatment. As long as no one is drinking on the job, why shouldn’t they be allowed to eat at the cocktail hour?

View Quoted Comment I have no idea... that’s what they said at the venue. Honestly was stupid in my opinion. But all the vendors I had chatted with they were all happy with their meals. I wanted to sneak my photographer and give her some of the cocktail food. 🤣😂

Not at all. Respect their presence, even if you are paying them to be there, and feed them a decent meal. This isn't odd at all.

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I normally don't comment on posts but I personally see nothing wrong with adjusting the venders menu . They are being provided a meal because yes they will be there the whole day so they must eat also but to expect to eat what your guest will be having is asking a little to much. This vendor is getting paid to do a job (and handsomely I'm sure because they are not cheap) he's not doing it for free. You shouldn't feel bad about wanting to provide an alternative meal for your venders.

It was probably because he went to a wedding where he was put in a broom closet with a ham sandwich and potato chips.

For the record, when I was a video assistant, this legit happened to us. Our contract was then changed from "must provide meals" to "must provide hot meals."

After that, we ended up at a wedding where we were given a bun, a cold hamburger patty, and some packets of mustard. I'm sure the couple was told by the caterer that we would get a "hot meal," and technically, had the burger been fresh, that would have been a "hot meal." So it was changed again from "must provide hot meals" to "must provide meal equivalent to the event meal." Equivalent is largely up to interpretation, but should be taken to mean a meal similar to what guests are being served - not a hamburger when guests are getting a plated meal.

I doubt he would even notice if he wasn't served the "exact" same meal as guests, he isn't going to be sitting looking at their food analyzing whether or not you fed him the same meal. That's just an easier way to write that he expects not to be handed a cheeseburger from the hotel grill when you are serving your guests roast chicken and mashed potatoes.

As for the timing, he's also making sure you don't plan to serve him after all guests have been served. Once again, speaking from experience, vendors should be served first - after you, but before guests or at the same time as the first guests are being served. More than one wedding I worked, we were fed at the end of the line, after all guests had been served, because the couple thought this was "polite" to serve their guests first.

That's all well and good, except that as a result, by the time we got our food, half the guests were already finished eating, and so they started into the speeches. Which we have to film. So we didn't actually get to eat. That not only defeats the purpose of feeding your vendors, but it is a waste of money to pay for meals they don't get to eat. Your guests got to eat at the cocktail hour, they can wait an extra five to ten minutes for vendors to be served first so they can finish their meal before everyone else and get back to the action.