If your wedding is taking place over a meal time, and you are feeding your guests, you should make sure there is some arrangement for your service professionals to eat, also. That means people like the photographer, videographer, band, etc. There are several reasons for this:
How should you deal with this? There are several options. Some people have a table among the guests where the service professionals eat as though they were guests. Others have the caterer provide a simple meal for the service professionals that they eat elsewhere. Another option is to provide a place for them to eat food they bring with them, and finally, you could allow them to leave to go get food. I don't really recommend the last option, because that's the one where you have the least amount of control over how long they're gone.
To decide between these options, I recommend you discuss with your caterer what options they offer, and what the standard procedure is in your area. Armed with this information, you should then speak to your service providers about what they expect and/or prefer. Then, you'll be able to write some reasonable language into your contracts with these people specifying what will be done about meals. This step is highly recommended, because having it in writing gives everyone something to look at to remember what was agreed on, and if something different ends up happening, it gives you a clear, written leg to stand on if you want to pursue the matter. You should, of course, also write what is decided on into the contract with the caterer.
I think it is reasonable to expect that the caterer will make proper arrangements with their own staff about meals and breaks, without your intervention.
The contents of this document are copyright 2004 Sonja Kueppers. Do not use without permission.
Last Modified: May 15, 2004
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