Feeding Vendors???
By Renee Aste
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 videographer. 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.
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