Wedding Photographer wants meal at reception, is this normal????

bride_on_a_budget

becs wrote: »

I can't believe the outrage of people here about this! Most photographers will be with you for Hours especially if doing pre wedding pics and staying through reception for first dance etc! As you say Lucylouwoo it does say to provide them with a meal. We however provided our photographer and assistant with the same food as we had but they sat in the bar of the hotel rather than with us which was fine. I would never have dreamed of not providing this for them, they are one of the most important people of your wedding and I would just consider it downright rude not to, budget or no budget.

it would be ok to offer them a meal/food, but to stipulate in the contract that they have to be fed is rude.
its a bit like having builders in to do a extension and they say, well we will do it for you for x amount but you have to feed us linch everyday.
i know its not the same price but its the same sort of thing.

working in the wedding Industry with many photographers i would not hire some-one if this was in their contract, but i would offer them a meal/ food if they were with us all day, just not the £40/£80 3 course meal.

aimee21j

I disagree with you becs. I am away at work for 9 hours a day and they don't provide me with meals. You are paying them to work for you. I have however offered my photographer a meal (she has declined it).

*Louise*

I'm glad my dad is my photographer - so I would need to pay for a meal for him anyway lol


Btw - he has done many weddings and has never requested a meal at them. And that was even staying hours and not charging a fortune.

MILLYMOLLY

Wedding photographers charge an awful lot of money and I'm sure this takes into account the amount of hours they are working at a wedding, in my opinion they should sort their own lunch out like everyone else has to when they go to work, It is their job after all and I certainly wouldn't think of them as one of themost important guests.

siren13577

Cheeky sod, I think it's really rude to demand a lunch, give him sandwiches and a packet of wotsits!!!!!!! They get paid a fortune as well.

Having said that I have said to my photographer and assistant that they can help themselves to the buffet but that's because there's loads of food (for 120) as a package and only 80 coming so plenty to go round.

SugarSpun

Our photographer's charging 550, which includes the hour he'll spend touring the venue beforehand to get an idea of lighting/positioning etc, the hour he'll spend before the wedding starts setting his stuff up, the six hours of wedding/reception including schlepping his equipment from one venue to another, and the several hours he'll spend post-wedding removing redeye, or carefully cropping the pictures, or airbrushing out dark spots on white clothes, and the million other things photographers do that makes the pictures beautiful and them highly skilled workers.

Our guy will be wandering around across two mealtimes. We'll expect him to eat, and we'll take him into account. We've also told him we'll buy him a pint when the speeches are over. Maybe two, because he's also letting us have the raw files as well as the finished images so we can photoshop them ourselves.

babybug

My friend's photographer will be there from 9am when she gets up, to 9pm (after the dances and the evening guests arrive etc). Obviously she will make sure he has something to eat. As it is a winter wedding she's providing a hot meal for him so he's not just got sandwiches. It won't be the £80 a head meal, and if he'd expected that she probably would have chosen someone else.

My wedding will be an afternnon affair, with the photographer there for only a few hours, so I won't be expecting to feed them.

I think it depends on the type of day as to what seems reasonable.

jtb2412

We asked our photographer to stay for the meal - he was with us for 12 hours that day and I thought the least we could do was feed him ! Plus he was a friend of the family but I would have done it if he had not been a family friend.

However, I do think it's a bit cheeky to stipulate it in the contract. Personally I think it should be up to the bride and groom to decide.

MrsTinks

I think there is a world of difference between expecting it and it being offered I'd be offended if it had been expected but would definitely offer it Just a bar meal or something to keep them topped up

bryanb

Look on the brightside- He'll naturally bring a wedding present. Maybe give him a copy of your present list if you have one.