This is a thread that was started in our old BlissWeddings.com forums by NW-Bride on 7/30/05. Feel free to add your comments by pressing Post Reply.
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posted by NW-Bride
A friend of mine told me that I have to count my vendors (string quartet & officiant & coordinator) as part of the head count for the reception to give to the caterer.
Is that really true? Is it necessary to feed them for such a short period of time?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
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posted by NovemberGal
You should feed your vendors--all of them, photographer, video, dj/musicians, coordinator), but all vendors/hotels/restaurants I know of give you a significantly reduced rate for them, and they get a plate of food and don't sit at the tables. Like, mine are $20 for vendors, but $80/person guests. The officiant and his/her wife (if appropriate) should be INVITED GUESTS with a place to sit and a full meal.
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posted by 080605bride
You should plan on feeding your vendors.
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posted by syringa
You definitely need to feed your vendors. You may think of it as a short time, but some of them will have been on their feet for several hours and they need the break. If you are using live music, the band's contract will probably specify that you must provide a meal.
What many people don't realize is that if you don't order a meal for those working at the wedding, the caterer will often provide one anyway. You may find the photographer, coordinator, DJ, or band members in the kitchen or at a table in another room grabbing a quick bite when there is a lul in activities. If you are having a buffet, they will probably go through the line after your guests if there is time before you go on to the next planned activitiy. If there is no time, they may grab a bite in the kitchen later. I also carry an energy bar with me in case I don't have time to eat, which is often.
The one thing that you should be certain of is that no vendor drinks alcohol while working. You can tell the bartender if necessary not to serve them. Band members seem to be particularly bad about hitting the bar the first thing and drinking throughout the reception. I have even had band members who brought their own alcohol when they discovered that the reception was alcohol-free. Anyone working at the wedding should not be drinking anything stronger than punch. If they drink, 1. you are paying for it; 2. they are not giving you their best effort; 3. you certainly don't want drunken vendors in front of your guests.
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posted by NW-Bride
Thank you so much for the information...I was wondering if I was going to have to cut 6 guests from my list in order to provide dinner for the vendors. I will certainly check with the caterer to see what their fee is. I appreciate the help!
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posted by feb-bride
Think about it like this - The vendors don't get the option of running somewhere to grab a bite to eat. I fed all of my vendors, even though I was only contractually obligated to feed one of them. I didn't want them preoccupied with being hungry to the point where I didn't get their best work.
My photographer was with us from 12:30 p.m. to almost 6:00 p.m., and my videographer was with us from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; I wouldn't go that long without eating, so I didn't expect them to go that long, either.
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posted by TheaterDiva1
Your reception place may have a deal for vendors (mine charges per person, 1/2 price for vendors). Definitely make sure they get fed.
-Maggie
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posted by labeadel
My officiant isn't going to be anybody I know well at all, just someone we hire to officiate the wedding. Would I still invite this guy (& a guest) to dinner (and rehearsal dinner)? If so, does he get an invitation in the mail?
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posted by 080605bride
I was wondering the same thing. We are just hiring the guy from our ceremony site. We have only exchanged e-mails back and forth. Do we extend invite?
I am feeding my vendors. We are having a seated meal with 3 options, I picked the least expensive option for them
(chicken).
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posted by feb-bride
I don't think you are obligated to invite the ceremony officiant since you don't know him and he does not need to be at the reception.
HOWEVER - Make sure you have an understanding regarding this. We did not send our ceremony officiant an invitation to our wedding because we were only hiring him to do the wedding. He followed some reception guests and showed up for the meal. Luckily, we had a buffet, so there was enough food, but the situation could have been really uncomfortable had we went with a seated dinner.
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posted by bm4ever
In my opinion, and please note, I am not married, however, I would think that I would invite the officient and a guest to the reception. This person has just solidified your union of marriage. Just a nice gesture to extend an invitation.
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posted by NovemberGal
I agree, it's nice to invite the officiant (& guest if he isn't Catholic) to the dinner, even if you've hired him rather than having any kind of personal connection. If you're so squeezed for space you'd have to cut out friends to let him in, well, I wouldn't do that either. But if you can at all, I think it's nice to do, if not required.
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posted by NW-Bride
I called and spoke with the catering dept and they offered three suggestions: a box lunch, a tab (suggested $20 per person) at the hotel, or they could be included in reception for half the per person cost.
Thank your for all of the input, I never even thought about it when I started working on the budget.
Bonnie
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