Wedding Etiquette: Is It Required to Feed Wedding DJs and Vendors?
A big question that arises when a couple is planning to get married is whether there is some written rule about feeding their wedding DJ and wedding vendors present during their wedding reception. While there is not any actual written rules, it really comes down to each couple carefully considering this topic for themselves.
Although, some vendors will actually put in their contacts specific details about what types of beverages, food, and meals the couple is expected to provide on their wedding day. If it is in the contract and you sign it, then it is important to honour whatever the contract says.
For instance, if you are having a late morning ceremony and early afternoon reception, then you may not have a full meal planned. Rather you might be serving a light lunch, finger sandwiches, and other such appetize-like foods. Or you may be foregoing food altogether and just serving the wedding cake and having your DJ provide some entertainment while you visit with your guests.
For these types of weddings, keep in mind your DJ is busy setting up while you are at your ceremony. It can be nice to make sure there are snacks, water, or other beverages on hand during this time, as well as throughout their performance. This helps keep them energized and in turn, gets your guests onto the dance floor.
On the other hand, for afternoon and early evening weddings where you intend to serve a sit-down, full meal, it can seem challenging for your DJ to find time to actually sit down and eat. Even still, it is nice to have access to water, beverages, and snacks from the time they arrive to set up and throughout their sets.
What many couples will do is make sure their DJ gets a full meal either during one of their set breaks or at the end of the evening when they are done performing. Plus, your DJ will greatly appreciate your efforts to make sure they were fed, which will also show that much more in their performance with elevated energy levels to keep your guests entertained all night long.
For other wedding vendors, you will want to make sure to take care of them, too, depending on when they are providing their services on your wedding day. Most couples will feed their wedding planners, photographers, and DJs.
With caterers, most couples will find out if the caterer feeds their staff and if not, often will make some arrangements to make sure the caterer and staff get fed at some point, like after serving the wedding party and all of their guests.
In the end, providing snacks, beverages, and meals for your wedding DJ and other wedding vendors is a great way to thank them for their time in making your wedding day memorable. Not to mention, it also shows them how much you appreciated the services they provided.
