Not to offer the photographers a wedding breakfast?

[realteal]

Just wondering if this is cheeky or not. Maybe this is the done thing and I don’t know about it!

We are hoping to get married next year. There will be one photographer and his assistant. Their photos are great to be fair and we are very happy to have booked them.

We’ve just got the contract through. They have asked us to order two wedding breakfasts that they will eat in a side room.

AIBU to think this is a bit cheeky? We are paying them a four figure sum. Why can’t they bring a flask, a lunch bag and a packet of crisps like everyone else who goes out to work?!

Is this a common request?

@JayAlfredPrufrock Would you cook a meal for a plumber working in your house? Or a builder/roofer?

How bizarre. Ours went and got his own food, in the morning in between being with dp and coming to me, and then again while we ate. We offered him drinks several times but he always declined and he left before the evening food was served.

Was a standard contractual point for our photographer, I assumed it was the norm.

Would you cook a meal for a plumber working in your house? Or a builder/roofer?
Presumably a tradesman stop for lunch and can go off site to the chippy or butty shop.
The photographer doesn't normally take a dinner break.

Many weddings are at huge houses in the middle of the countryside - where are they supposed to go to get lunch? And they have no fridge to put their food in. On a hot day their lunch wouldn't survive in the car.

I think it's terribly rude not to feed them. We also served the hair and make up artist breakfast.

We gave our photographer a full wedding breakfast. He didn’t ask though - but was very grateful.

A meal is fairly standard I think? Perhaps not necessarily a 3 course meal that the wedding party are eating, but something nice to keep them going. It’s a long day for them too

A plumber working in my house is totally different. It’s 9 to 5 (if you are lucky) they can knock off at lunchtime and go and sit in their van, they are responsible for their own timekeeping, not at the whims of someone else and usually have free access to a kettle. And unless I lived very rurally there are probably shops in the near vicinity.

YABU. Absolutely it is standard.

[quote CBUK2K2]@JayAlfredPrufrock Would you cook a meal for a plumber working in your house? Or a builder/roofer?[/quote]
They can always fix it if they mess up. Or are late returning.
A photographer’s there for one day - if anything happens you can’t get the time back!
It’s better to spend a few quid feeding them and ensuring no distractions than forcing them to wander off in search of food.
Yes people can bring sandwiches etc etc but having only that to eat all day is really depressing!

They had the main from our meal in the bar area of our venue for ours. It wasn’t automatic expected though.

@JayAlfredPrufrock hahahaha great minds think alike 😎

I paid for mine? I think it was a bit cheaper!

They also sat at one of the tables as the venue had no where else they could eat!

They were fab.. two lovely guys just starting out but we got some amazing photos!

Could the venue knock-up a fried egg on toast,

... and maybe a slice of tomato?

I'm a wedding photographer, and I ask for a meal in my contract. Doesn't have to be the three course meal, just something hot provided by the venue.

Quite often I'm on my feet for 10+ hours with all my heavy gear sat on my back, have a long commute to and from a wedding with all my equipment, a "lunch bag and flask" on top of that would kill me, and It's not like I have an office fridge to pop it all in at the start of the day! I can only take a break whilst people are eating, and even then, that depends what else is going on. I don't want to leave the site to get food because that means I might miss something important, and I'm not leaving my expensive equipment behind. More than once, small children or drunk guests have tried to play with my stuff without asking.

We don't ask for a meal to be "cheeky", we ask for something a little more nutritious than a limp cheese sandwich and a cup of tea to help with the energy to get amazing pictures.

Supplier meals are like £20. None of my couples have ever questioned it, and I have been doing this since 2013. At my own wedding I gave both my photographers a full meal with dessert and the chance to properly sit down and take a break.

I have photographed a few weddings and never expected to be fed. I always bring a protein bar or 2 to get my through the day.
However there was one wedding where they had given me a meal and I must admit it really perked me up and fave me the energy to get through to the first dance.
I wouldn’t put it in my contract

The difference between feeding a wedding vendor compared to a plumber/electrician etc is there is often nowhere for a wedding photographer to actually go to eat their food - other than their car which isn't ideal when you've probably not eaten or had a break since breakfast. The equipment is heavy and carried for hours, there's a lot of energy used during the day, it's a very physical job. Often they are expected to photograph speeches before, sometimes during the meal and then be ready to photograph cake cutting, first dance etc. so can't actually leave the venue in case they miss something. Time is very tight and a main course and soft drink is very much appreciated. If there's a bar area or attached restaurant then most photographers are happy to arrange their own food, but sadly, especially now with the trend for rural, marquee and barn weddings there is nowhere else to go without travelling miles. If it's a deal breaker for you, talk to them about it. It's less about the money for photographers and more about the convenience and time management.

@Kona84

I have photographed a few weddings and never expected to be fed. I always bring a protein bar or 2 to get my through the day. However there was one wedding where they had given me a meal and I must admit it really perked me up and fave me the energy to get through to the first dance. I wouldn’t put it in my contract

I suppose it depends on the person. I know some people who could survive on sandwiches all day long. I need at least one hot meal so I presume that’s a decent standard to set for others too. I’d consider the sandwich eaters the exception…

But then again some people might also want to control their diet - all that wedding food must be quite rich 😎 even if you are on your feet all day!

They are working all day, it’s right to feed them.

@NewPapaGuinea

I irrationally find the term “wedding breakfast” annoying 😆

Same. Jesus, my guests got nothing close as a breakfast at my wedding. I think they got fed about 4pm 😮

Ours didn't ask but we offered as the hotel advised it was pretty common place to do so. Was happy to as they brought a packed lunch so only fair they also got a meal!

Totally normal. Otherwise they’re at work for hours, on their feet and carrying heavy equipment, without a hot meal. Every wedding I’ve been involved in has done this.

Completely normal and expected

@TractorAndHeadphones

It depends on location of venue and how long you have them for. If it’s the whole day yes - you can’t expect them to survive on sandwiches! Otherwise no

@TractorAndHeadphones If it’s the whole day yes - you can’t expect them to survive on sandwiches!

Heaven forbid!

I was an Events Manager in a venue and worked on many weddings, this is a completely normal request. Sometimes a photographer will ask for a wedding breakfast and other times they will request a ‘hot meal’. In other words they’re asking for something more substantial to eat than a sandwich and a bag of crisps.

OMG 😱 I feel terrible after reading this.

I don’t think I fed the poor photographer at my wedding 🙈🙈 don’t even think it was a question that we’d considered.

He must have thought we were a pair of bell-ends! 🙄