Your photographer arrives before the ceremony and leaves after the last dance. That can be ten hours. The DJ, the planner and the videographer work similar days. Most of them expect a meal, many of their contracts require one, and nearly all of them need a place to eat it that isn't the car park.
Vendor meals are a small line on the catering order, and an easy one to forget until the week of the wedding. Here's who to count, when they eat, and where to put them on the seating chart.
Who gets a vendor meal
Start with everyone who is working through dinner. A typical list:
- Photographer and second shooter
- Videographer and any assistant
- DJ or band. Count every musician, not "the band".
- Wedding planner or day-of coordinator, plus any assistant
- Hair and makeup artists, only if they stay for touch-ups through the evening
- Photo booth attendant
- Officiant, if they're staying for dinner
Vendors who drop off and leave don't need a meal: the florist, the cake baker, the rentals company, a transport driver who waits off site. The venue's own staff and the caterer's team are fed by the caterer, not by you.
Check the contracts first
Go through every contract and search for "meal". Many photographers, videographers, DJs and bands include a clause asking for a hot meal when coverage runs past five or six hours, and some specify the same meal as the guests. Note each one on your vendor list with the number of people it covers.
Then ask your caterer two questions:
- Do you offer a vendor meal, and what is it? Many caterers have a cheaper option, often a simpler plate or a boxed meal. Others only serve the guest menu.
- What does it cost? It's often a lower per-head price than the guest meal. Don't assume; get the number in writing.
If a contract asks for the guest meal and your caterer's vendor meal is different, pick one and tell the vendor before the day.
How many vendor meals to order
Count people, not companies. A realistic count for a 120-guest wedding:
| Vendor | People |
|---|---|
| Photographer and second shooter | 2 |
| Videographer | 1 |
| DJ | 1 |
| Day-of coordinator and assistant | 2 |
| Photo booth attendant | 1 |
| Total | 7 |
Seven is typical. A band of five, a larger video crew or two planners can push it past 12. Give the caterer this count with your final guest numbers, as a separate line so they don't plate guest meals for vendors or vice versa. The late RSVP guide covers what goes in that final count and when to send it.
When vendors eat
Ask the caterer to serve vendors at the same time as the guests, or just before. This is the part couples most often get wrong. If the photographer eats after the guests, they're eating during the speeches or the first dance, and that's when you want them working.
Most photographers want to eat while guests are eating, because nobody wants photos of people chewing. That's a natural 20 to 30 minute break. Tell your planner or venue captain to bring vendor meals out with the first course or first round of plates, and to let vendors know when speeches will start so they can be back in place.
Where vendors sit
There are three usual options, and the right one depends on the room.
A vendor table in the reception room. A small table near the back, close to a door or a service entrance. The photographer can see the head table from their seat and be up in seconds when a toast starts. This is the best choice for the photographer and videographer if the room has space.
Seats at a guest table. Fine for the officiant or a planner who is also a friend, and sometimes for a single vendor at a small wedding. It's awkward for a photographer, who will be up and down all through dinner, and it uses a guest seat.
A separate room. A side room, green room or staff area. Workable for the band, who often have a room anyway, and for hair and makeup. It's the worst option for anyone who needs to see what's happening: if the photographer is in a back room when the toasts start, they miss them.
For most weddings, a vendor table in the room for the photo and video team and the planner, plus the band in their own space, works well.
Sizing the vendor table
A 6-ft rectangle seats 6, or 8 with one at each end. A 60-inch round seats 8. Either is enough for most vendor teams. Place it where:
- The vendors can see the couple's table and the dance floor
- It's close to an exit or service door, so they can come and go without crossing the room
- It isn't in the middle of the photos, so keep it out of the line between the head table and the room
Remember to count the table in your floor plan. At 150 guests, one extra table can matter in a tight room. The how many tables for 150 guests page shows how the table count and room size change with table type.
The table math guide has the short answer on seating the officiant: if they're staying, seat them with family or close friends, not alone.
Putting vendors on the seating chart
You have two choices:
- Leave vendors off the guest list and give the caterer a separate count. Simple, and nobody sees vendor names on the seating board.
- Add them as guests in a group called "Vendors" at their own table. The caterer's table list then shows the vendor table with its meal count, and nothing is forgotten. The downside is that their names appear on the seating board. That's usually fine, since vendors need to find their table too.
If you add them, use the meal field for "Vendor meal" so the catering list comes out right.
Doing it in Seatwise
Seatwise is free to plan with and needs no sign-up. Add a table for the vendors and use the Venue buttons to place the dance floor, Stage/DJ, bar and entrance, so you can see whether the vendor table has a clear view and an easy way out. Add vendors as guests in a "Vendors" group, set their meal, seat them at the vendor table and lock it before you press Auto-seat for everyone else.
Your guest list stays in your browser. Planning is free. Printing the floor plan and table lists, and copying the escort-card CSV with each guest's table and meal for the caterer, is part of Pro: $12, one time.
FAQ
Do you have to feed wedding vendors? It isn't a law, but many contracts require it for coverage over five or six hours, and anyone working a ten-hour day needs to eat. Check each contract.
Do vendors eat the same meal as guests? Sometimes. Many caterers offer a cheaper vendor meal. If a contract asks for the guest meal, either order it or agree the change with the vendor first.
Where should the wedding photographer sit? At a vendor table in the reception room, near an exit, with a view of the couple's table, so they can get up for toasts without missing them.
When should vendors eat at a wedding? With the guests or just before them, so they're finished and working by the speeches and first dance.