A wedding day is a long one for everyone involved, especially the professionals who are there to make sure everything runs smoothly. They'll need to refuel at some point, which is where vendor meals come in.

Aside from being courteous, people work better when they are fed and have a chance to recharge. If you don't, many contracts will state that the vendor is free to leave to get a meal elsewhere, which means they won't be on-site.

Which Wedding Vendors Require a Meal?

If your wedding is in the evening, you will be serving dinner to your vendors. The vendors who will be included in this meal are "those who have been there for the majority, if not all, of the day, or are present for the entire reception." This usually includes:

• Photography team
• Videography team
• Wedding planning team
• Band or DJ
• Photo booth attendant and other speciality reception entertainment (aerialists, live painters, etc.)

Your catering team will prepare meals for themselves, but if your bartending staff was hired separately from your catering team, you should plan to provide meals for them as well. Vendors who leave before the party starts, such as your floral and decor teams, will not be served. Hair and makeup artists, as well as personal attendants, are usually not included in the meal unless they will be staying for touch-ups—or even hair chops! —for at least the first half of the reception.

How Do I Plan Vendor Meals?

Regardless of whether you have a planner or not, your caterer should bring this up first. They'll enquire about which vendors require meals and any dietary restrictions. If you're working with a planner or coordinator, they'll collect this information and provide the final headcount.

What Is Served For Vendor Meals?

It varies greatly. When dinner is served family-style, from a food truck, or when guests order at their tables rather than pre-selecting their meal on their RSVP card, vendors are frequently served the same meal as guests because the caterer will have extras of the menu options on hand.

Other venues or caterers may offer a hot buffet—chicken, green beans, or whatever the kitchen can easily prepare for a large group of people. In some cases, the vendor meal may consist of sandwiches or boxed dinners. In general, if the meal you'll be serving your guests is a hot meal, your vendor meal should be a hot meal as well.

When Will Vendor Meals Be Available?

When vendor meals are served will be determined by your caterer. It is fifty to seventy percent of the time after guests have been served their entrees. Because the caterer must serve the guests first if they are serving extra guest meals to vendors.

That being said, and while caterers may not always agree, we prefer to serve the vendor meal before the entree whenever possible. The reason for this is that after dinner, guests will be ready to hit the dance floor. Attendees will become antsy if they have to wait another 20 minutes for the band to finish eating. This is often easier to accomplish if your vendors are given a different meal, as those dishes can be served during cocktail hour or the first course.

Where Can We Get Vendor Meals?

Your vendor team will most likely eat their meals at the same time as your guests, and they will want to do so in a separate area so they can properly take a much-needed break. If you're getting married in a hotel, ballroom, or another type of venue that primarily hosts large events, you'll have plenty of options for extra rooms. Consider screening or curtaining off a separate space for the vendor meal if your venue is more of an open-air loft. (Your vendors can also store supplies and personal items in this area.)