You’ve asked and we’ve answered! Welcome to your weekly column ‘Planning Your Happily Ever After’ with wedding consultant Shikima Hinds. Her focus this week: Vendors’ meals

Dear Shikima:

My wedding photographer told me that he and his assistant expect meals during the wedding reception (and it’s in his contract, too). I’m paying them a lot of money for their services. Am I supposed to be spending money on their wedding meals and the meals for all the other wedding vendors?

—Karen

Dear Karen

Yes! You should plan to feed any wedding professional who will be there with you at the reception. You’ve done the work of hiring all of the vendors that will help make your day magical. Without key vendors, your wedding day simply wouldn’t happen.

Providing meals for your vendors is an often overlooked piece of the wedding day puzzle. The last thing you need on your wedding day is a hungry deejay or a photographer who misses your first dance because he’s somewhere looking for a snack. If you think about it, asking a vendor to go get his or her own food isn’t really practical.

TIP : Be sure to factor in the cost of feeding these vendors into your overall budget. Ask your caterer to see if there are ways you can save on vendor meals. Most caterers will offer a reduced-priced meal for vendors.

What’s in the contract?

Making sure your vendors are properly fed might be specified in their contract. Reading the contract that a vendor provides is the easiest way to know whether or not you need to feed your vendors. Many vendors have started to require meals in their contracts; but even if they don’t, it’s noted as good etiquette to provide them with meals.

Which vendors do you have to feed?

You will definitely need to feed your wedding planner, photographer, videographer and deejays plus their assistants. Wedding vendors such as your make-up artist, florist, and baker usually leave the venue by the time the ceremony and cocktail hour starts, so you are not expected to provide a meal for them. My recommendation if you want to be generous — any vendor who is at the wedding and working at mealtime should be fed.

TIP : When you’re confirming your final wedding guest numbers, be sure to give your caterer the count to include your vendor meals.

When should your vendors eat?

Timing is everything. If you provide a meal, your vendor ideally should be finished within 15 or 20 minutes, as they are not leisurely dining. My general rule is, when it comes to your photographer and videographer, plan to have them eat while dinner is being served at the reception — that way they won’t miss anything major. For example, your photographers should eat while the couple is eating, because that way when they are finished eating they can get back to taking important shots such as you mingling with the guests.

Your wedding deejay should eat during cocktail hour or during speeches; in other words, those times when music and dancing are not at the forefront of the event.

As for your wedding planner, it really depends on what you have planned for after dinner. If there is just dancing afterwards and they don’t have anything else to set up or prep for, they can either eat while you are eating, or eat once the dancing is underway. Personally, I cannot eat until the formalities are done.

TIP : Caterers should not ask you to feed their staff. Caterers will usually make extra food for their staff.

Do I have to feed my vendors the same meal my guests are eating?

It’s not required that your vendors eat the exact meal as your guests, but you should ensure it is a proper one, tasty and fairly similar to what you’re giving guests.

Buffets are very helpful when considering a vendor’s meal. Your vendors can load up on what they prefer and there will still be plenty of food left for all of your wedding guests to take seconds if they want.

TIP : It will be more affordable to have your vendors eat the same meal since your caterer will not have to deviate from your original menu.

Where do the vendors eat?

While vendors will be expecting a meal during your wedding, they won’t expect to be seated or treated as a guest. In fact, some vendors prefer to have a more private area where they can take a true break while they eat.

There are two options:

1. Set a separate table just for vendors inside the reception, but this can add extra costs for you (extra linen, extra place setting, and extra centrepiece) and it can take up space.

2. Most vendors are completely fine eating in a separate space or even the cocktail area, just not too far away.

In the end, ensure your vendors are fed; they are working so hard for you and more than deserve it!