Should I feed my wedding photographer is a question I get asked a lot! And my answer is always the same; if you want to!
A lot of wedding photographers will insist on being fed at your wedding but I understand that if I had a ‘normal’ job, you wouldn’t be shouting my lunch! So I am fairly flexible about it! It is always lovely to have something to eat during a long work day, but it isn’t a deal breaker for me!
The truth is, wedding photographers work very hard and rarely, if ever, get a break, so having a meal towards the end of the day is always very much appreciated and can kick start those energy levels just as they begin to wane! And most, if not all, wedding venues have a ‘supplier meal’ option that will cost a fraction of a guest meal – usually somewhere around the $20-$30 mark. A good wedding photographer will not spend an hour eating – we understand that being in the right place at the right time is absolutely paramount for capturing amazing images, so we will eat quickly, and will be back photographing before you’ve picked up your fork!
And the reality is that there is not usually another option for a wedding photographer to eat! Venues do not let photographers bring in their own food, and it is very rare for a venue to be so close to another food outlet that it is worth a vendor heading out to eat.
In conclusion, you should never feel obligated to feed your wedding photographer, but when there is no other option it always very much appreciated! And keeping those energy levels high will benefit you ten times over!