Feeding Vendors ???
Not only do guests get hungry
at weddings, so do vendors. It is very hard for them to focus
on serving you, if their stomach is growling. Feed them. The question
arises whom should you feed. The division is lies along professional
vendors and workers who are staff.
Professional vendors always
include the DJ, the band, the photographer, and the videoographer.
These vendors should have a meal provided by the caterer or the
reception hall. The meal may be the same dish served to your guests,
or a special meal can be prepared that is less formal and at a
lesser cost.
Complimentary drinks should
be served to all professional vendors. These drinks though should
be non-alcoholic. At no time should a vender be drinking alcohol
while working. If any vendor contract requests the alcoholic beverages
to be served, then the vendor is not a professional and should
not be hired.
Staff provided by the reception
hall and by the caterer shall be provided a meal at your expense.
Meals are only reserved for Vendors that are independent contractors,
not workers who are provided either by the hall, caterer, or agency.
Instead of meal, these workers are compensated by a gratuity that
a DJ or photographer would not receive.
Sometimes there are gray areas.
If the Bartender is hired independently and is not provided by
the caterer or the hall, you should provide him or her with a
vendor meal. Vendors who might only work the cocktail hour, i.e.
a pianist, shall only be served non-alcoholic drinks and no meal
is required.
Not only will vendors be provided
a meal, they need to know where they can eat the meal. It depends
on the number and the relationship you have with your vendors.
At my own wedding, the photographer was a co-worker of my mother-in-law.
I felt uncomfortable putting him out back in the kitchen, since
he was a personal friend of the bridal party. The problem was
I only had one other vendor, who was the DJ. I sat them both together
at a table of guests. This should be considered an exception though.
In most cases the relationship
between the vendor and the wedding is strictly professional. There
is no obligation to sit vendors with the rest of the guests. The
best option is to discuss where to seat them with the reception
hall coordinator. If a reception is outside, provide a table off
to the side for your vendors and notify them where their proper
places are.
