Dear Jenna: 

I’m a bride and I never even thought about this, but do I need to feed my vendors? I am sure it would be nice, just wanting to know if vendors expect a warm meal and where I should seat them for my wedding dinner? Any help would be greatly appreciated in knowing how to navigate this etiquette questions! 

Sincerely, 

Confused Bride 

So, should you feed your vendors?

Hey sweet bride, wow, I commend you for asking and considering this as you plan your wedding day celebrations! I remember as a bride five years ago, I had thought enough to seat our photographers at a table – but I don’t know where I got that from, because people don’t really talk about this question! Here’s what I have to say: your vendors are working super hard on your wedding day, they are running around, likely working super long days, and are probably ready to sit down and eat a meal.

As a photographer, the dinner time is generally the first time we get to sit down during the day. It’s also a time where people don’t want to be photographed! (I mean, no one looks pretty shoveling chicken and potatoes into their mouths!) I always tease my brides and tell them that they don’t want me to get “hangry!” It’s a joke, sure, but dinner time for us is such a great time to plan out the rest of the night, rest our feet, and fuel up for the dance floor.

Where should your vendors sit?

Some venues will offer vendor meals (which trust me, is better than no meal!) but a lot of times then we are the last to be served which means by the time we get our food, we need to bounce back up and be ready to shoot the speeches! So where should you sit us? Well, I love to sit with guests! The biggest part of this factor is that you’ll want us in the room (the closer to your table, the better!) You’ll also want to make sure that we aren’t the last to be served. Why? Because we will be running back and forth to document all that happens during dinner: grace, speeches, kisses, all of the things!

If we are in the room and served around the same time as you are, it’s far easier for us to document your moments (while also getting some food in our bellies!) I’ve sat with the bride and grooms college friends, their family, even their parents. Wherever you seat us is great, we will be grateful to eat, I promise!

Now, I don’t believe you need to feed every single vendor of your day, but double check with them and if they are working a full day (8 hours and beyond) it is a super sweet gesture appreciated by all vendors in the industry! I know it’s an extra expense but I promise your vendors will hustle extra hard (and happily) when they are given a little food and a time to rest their feet so that they can rock up the dance floor and preserve your favorite memories!

Have a question you want answered? Email hello@jennakutcher.com and use subject line: Dear Jenna!