Vendor meals: the line item couples forget until the caterer asks about it

Vendor meals rarely make it onto a couple's first budget draft, and then show up as a line item in the caterer's final headcount request a few weeks before the wedding, catching people off guard.

Who typically needs one

Photographers, videographers, DJs or bands, and coordinators working through the meal service, generally anyone contracted to be present during dinner. Check each vendor's contract, most specify this explicitly, including whether they expect a full guest meal or accept a simpler vendor-rate meal.

Vendor meals usually cost less than a guest plate

Most caterers offer a reduced-price vendor meal option, since it's understood vendors are working rather than dining as guests. It's still a real cost, just a smaller one than the per-head guest rate, and it's worth asking your caterer about this rate specifically rather than assuming full price.

Where to feed them

A separate table or a quiet corner of the venue works better than seating vendors among guests, giving everyone a genuine break during their one meal window of a long shift.