Wediquette: Vendor Meals

Right now I am planning on providing my vendors with a vendor meal. My catering company has told us the entree will be chicken with a starch and vegetables of the chef's choosing. At $25 a vendor meal, I feel like this is fine and providing our vendors with a good hot meal. We are providing a total of 8 vendor meals and the cost of providing 8 extra guest meals to our vendors would be expensive - are vendors okay with receiving something other than what we serve the guests?

Firstly, check each and every contract you've signed for your wedding day vendors - all of them should have a clause regarding a meal - which means you are legally required to provide them a meal. The clause should say something similar to this:

A meal is required for each attending member of the team. If no meal is provided, it is understood that the members of the team will have a one {1} hours leave from the event to purchase a meal.

Its obviously beneficial to you to have your vendors remain on site for the duration of your event, as they don't miss anything major, so enquire with your catering company about vendor meals. The meal that your vendors receive should be priced well below the price per head for your guests meal - typically $25 to $45 per vendor. While some caterers provide more of a 'boxed lunch', some cook a full entree - its really the caterers choice. If your vendors have any food allergies or restrictions, they must be communicated to the venue / chef when you provide them with the number of vendor meals that are required.

Keep in mind that you aren't responsible for feeding or paying to feed the waitstaff - that is normally the responsibility of the catering company itself.

And lastly, a hungry vendor usually means you aren't getting the best out of them, so make sure you feed your vendors!