Feed Your Vendors — Kimberly Cauble Photography

Wedding Cake — Special thanks to my second, Blakely Fowler of Blakely Clayton Photography, for capturing this not-so-flattering but very realistic photo of me at a recent wedding.

In the wedding industry, there’s a definite controversy over feeding vendors. Some clients/coordinators suggest vendor meals, and others opt not to feed their vendors at all. But I’m here to tell you that hangry vendors do not perform well! You really should plan to feed your vendors, or at least the ones who will be at your event for the entire day. Other than one time being served a vendor meal of a cold sub while I was pregnant (I don’t think the bride’s family realized I was pregnant and shouldn’t eat lunch meat before the wedding date—but thankfully the venue’s kitchen had a microwave and I just heated it up), I have never not been fed well at a wedding! I seriously have the best clients. I have eaten some of the most delicious meals, experienced some unique cultural foods that I would have never tasted before if I had been choosing the menu, and have been sent home with dozens of cupcakes and even entire pizzas to share with my family! I know there are some differences of opinions out there about feeding your wedding vendors, so here are some of my thoughts on feeding your vendors (and not just because I am one!):

Feed your vendors to give them the energy they need to do their jobs well. Consider how many hours your vendors will be there and if their block of work time is around any meals. If they will be there for at least four hours and are working around a meal time, provide them a meal! Thankfully, my amazing clients seem to recognize the fact that a fed vendor is a happy vendor. I mean, we are on our feet eight, sometimes ten to twelve straight hours, and no one can keep up the energy required to be alert and focused for that long without sustenance! Sure, I bring myself snacks and plenty of water, but there is nothing like a hot meal to feed the belly (and soul) and get me geared back up for a wedding reception.
Feed your vendors the same thing everyone else is eating. Like mentioned previously, the only time I have been served a meal that wasn’t the same as what the guests were eating was when I was provided a vendor meal including a sub, chips, and bottled water. Don’t get me wrong—I love subs! And thankfully, I was given a specific break to eat my meal away from the guests, so my mouth wasn’t watering as I watched guests eat filet mignon or chicken cordon bleu. But if you expect your vendors to be surrounded by delicious food and not eat, that will create some hangry vendors. It’s not that we are greedy—it’s just that everything looks so tasty and we are usually famished by the time a meal rolls around! Photographers and videographers do not stop once they hit the ground on a wedding day. We often don’t even drink enough water throughout the day, because we’re so focused on capturing all the moments rather than taking care of our own needs. So when we get to chow down for a minute on that food we’ve been smelling during the first dances, it makes a world of difference in our energy and mindset!
Let your vendors eat as quickly as possible. Don’t make your vendors wait until everyone else has eaten to eat. We need to eat while everyone else is eating, because there’s not much to photograph during that time. Who really wants photos of themselves shoving mac ‘n cheese or green beans in their mouths? A meal time is the part of the evening where a photographer/videographer can rest for a minute and give their bodies and minds a break. And a good meal can make all the difference in how much energy we have for the rest of the evening! I once second shot a wedding who had a coordinator who was against letting us eat at the beginning of the meal, so we waited. However, by the time we got our food, the lead photographer and I had to rush to eat and barely had time to be ready for the next important moment to capture! That made us both rather angsty for the rest of the evening! That experience even prompted me to put into my wedding contract that my second shooter and I should have a prepared meal during the time when the bride and groom are eating to prevent missed photo opportunities.
Give your vendors a place to eat. It doesn’t have to be in the main ballroom, but making sure your vendors have a place to eat somewhere close to the reception area makes a world of difference! I have been given a room off to the side of the reception, a space behind a hidden bookcase (so cool), a special “vendor table” in the reception hall, and even invited to sit at the family’s table before! (I have the most wonderful clients!) Even just an empty cocktail hour table will suffice, but don’t leave your vendors hanging with a plate of food, no silverware, and no place to sit down.

So, in conclusion, FEED YOUR VENDORS. They will most likely go the extra mile if they feel appreciated, and you’ll be much happier with the results of a happy vendor!

Hangry Photographers Don't Take Good Pictures (Feed Your Vendors)