Vendor meals. They’re a pesky thing. Sometimes as photographers we view the “vendor meal” warily as we’re never sure what it will entail. Sometimes we get the same meal the guests have. Sometimes we get a cheaper version. Sometimes we get a boxed lunch and sometimes the promised meal never comes. I’ve addressed this issue before but I feel that I need to expand on my thoughts from before in a new blog as things have changed and meals have evolved. In talking with my couples, I’ve realized that they often don’t quite know what exactly their vendor meal is or what it even entails so here’s the meals that we usually get and what they mean. Hopefully this helps clear some of the mystery surrounding those pesky meals!
Same Meal Guests Have
As photographers, we’re elated when we get the same meal that guests have. The first thing this ensures is that we will be able to photograph the meal that you have chosen to have served to guests. If we aren’t served the same meal, it’s often something we cannot photograph as most people aren’t friendly to strange people taking aside their plate of food. This also usually means we are seated with guests. Some photographers don’t like this but I always enjoy getting to meet someone new. It also means that if we’re in the same room, we’re around to know when anything spontaneous happens during dinner that need photographed. We also know that there will be water provided – I always bring my own but sometimes on hot days I’ve gone through it all by dinner. The final perk to this option is that we are also served with guests, so that we are able to eat while everyone is eating and are able to get back to our jobs before events start to happen. The only downside that I’ve encountered while being seated with guests is that often since we’re not in the seat until dinner is about to start, someone moves to our seats assuming we’re not there and there’s no other spots for us to take due to someone arriving without an RSVP and we’re out of luck.
Stepped Down Guest Meal
Usually if we are placed in an ante room to the reception for our meal, we are served a vendor meal. This can vary from the same thing that guests are served and is just what is leftover from whatever they have that is extra, to the cheapest option from the plated options (typically chicken), a pasta variation on what the guests are having (chicken alfredo is quite popular) or often at country clubs it’s something from their grill for guests like a burger, salad or club sandwich. Sometimes it is really nice to have a room to go to and completely relax and not worry about our stuff being messed with and just talk about the day so far. The downfall to this option is that we do not have a full guest plate to shoot (often ours aren’t dressed up like the served plates are or have the side dishes the guests do when it’s the same meal as the guests) or it’s not even close to what was served. We also rarely have drinks provided and since the bar is closed during dinner it can be a thirsty dinner if we’ve run out of water by this point on a hot day. We also are usually pretty far off from the main reception area to know what is going on unless someone keys us in to an event taking place. Since we’re often far off from the main floor (at some venues we’re on an entire separate floor!), we’re the last to be served since the guests are the priority. I totally understand that but usually by the time we get our meals in the room, the bridal party is already finished with theirs and circling the room – moments we would like to be there to capture. Finally it’s becoming a reality that most of the time, these meals never come – or they come too late for the vendors serving you to eat them because your reception is already swinging back into gear. I feel SO badly for my couples when this happens because they pay for a meal that never is enjoyed and I hate to see people lose money!
Boxed Lunch/Sandwich Tray
This option is the most popular with guests that also have to feed a band but has been used a bit more lately. This meal is usually a boxed lunch consisting of a sandwich (baloney and PB&J being the most popular versions) a bag of chips and sometimes water. If it’s a sandwich tray, it’s usually a ring or mini subs from a sub shop. These are usually served in either a back room of the kitchen or in a room that is off to the side of the reception. I’m not a picky eater so I’m usually fine with this but I do get upset when I have to battle the band for a meal. Bands are notorious for eating all of the food in a vendor room. I thought this was a tall tale when starting in the business but I quickly found out that generally bands eat up everything assuming it’s all for them and the rest of the vendors are left without meals. I’ve found that a great solution to this issue is to have the caterers have one box/bag/ring for the band and another for the other vendors that isn’t brought out until we are there as typically the bands eat as soon as they arrive but we won’t be eating until after they start during dinner. That way the band can tear through their food but there’s still some left over when all the other vendors come back for our quick bite.
Nothing
It happens. People don’t plan on vendor meals, the catering screws up or I lost my seat to people who didn’t RSVP but showed up anyway. So what do we do then? Trust me when I say that no one looks good mid-chew so whether there is a provided meal or not I will not be photographing people during dinner. I use this time to use the restroom (often my only time to do so during the day), get a quick bite in from the snacks I bring along just in case and sit for a moment or two and check over my batteries, gear and memory cards in a location where I can still hear what is going on but won’t be seen.
Hopefully this helps solve some of the mystery around Vendor Meals and what exactly they are and what each scenario means behind the scenes!
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Great article! I have it in my contract now that we eat – regardless of what it is or where. We are on our feet ALL DAY and a meal is a nice time to quickly take a break from standing! I’ve only had one wedding where I haven’t been fed and all the times I have, the food has been great!
But yeah – this would be a nice handout to all future brides! 🙂
Andrea – I have thought about it being in the contract but I don’t think that it’d really solve anything. Usually I’ve been told there is a meal for me, it’s just a matter of when I get it. It is almost always the venue/catering’s fault when I don’t get food. Funny thing is they are the first to come begging for images of their venue looking fantastic. I never had many issues until this year unless you count the guest that had me booted from the table b/c they were upset they were seated with a servant, ha!
What? Are you kidding me? Most of those food options are just ridiculous! I will say that the way your questionnaire posed the questions about your meal, if I hadn’t already thought about it, I’m sure that would have made me realize I need to think about things like seating for you or other vendors and making sure the venue provides you food. I know there wasn’t a ton of extra seating, but hopefully you got plenty of good food to eat at our wedding.
We did eat at your wedding! We ended up outside at one of the tables there which was perfect. Beautiful view and it was perfect weather! Thanks so much for thinking of us when planning 🙂 Definitely a yummy dinner for sure! I want more of those ice cream lollipops!
I am shocked the brides and grooms would not feed vendors ! That’s so rude. My thought was if I keep you happy the better product I will get 🙂 Hopefully our meal was decent for you.
Your food was super yummy!!! I appreciate you including me SO much!
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[…] them, they left in the link back to my couples and I saw the clickthrough) as well as my blog about vendor meals. While it wasn’t quite as insulting as stealing my images, it made me just as […]
Usually, the alternative to your providing vendor meals is that your vendors need to have a long enough break to go and get their own meals. So if you want them to be there all day, you need to feed them.