Wedding Videographers and Other Vendors Are Excluded From Dinner - What's Up With That?

Wedding vendors, including videographers, photographers, disc jockeys and photo booth workers, are paid for their services, however, they truly appreciate being included in the reception dinner. This is especially true for wedding videographers and wedding photographers because they start early in the day with the bridal party, and are working straight through until 11:00 or even midnight. That is a long day, too long to go on just a sandwich. Most brides are reasonable enough or thoughtful enough to include us in the count for dinner, but it is about more than just a meal. For the wedding videographer and photographer, it is extremely important to be seated in the main dining room with the guests. We need to be able to see and hear what's going on during the entire reception. If we are seated in a separate room or outside or in a broom closet or whatever, we are likely to miss something important that goes on, especially something unplanned. These are often the most memorable or the funniest moments. It's our job to record everything that happens from beginning to end. It is a disservice to the couple to exclude us from the room. Sometimes it's the bride and/or groom that doesn't consider the wedding professionals when planning their reception. We have found that more often, the bride and groom or the bride's mother include us in the dinner and provide us with a table, but it's the venue that doesn't follow through. When they set up tables, they don't include one for the wedding videographer, wedding photographer or other wedding professionals. To address the issue, we have included an addendum to our contract to specify that we are to be provided dinner at a table in the main dining room. There are still times that we arrive at the reception (early so we can set up) and find no place for us to sit. Many times we have had to go to the head of the reception venue and ask for seating. Believe it or not, we have been told, "we can get you a chair to sit along the wall of the room. We have also been told more than once that after all the guests are served, we can eat if there's anything left. We explain that our contract with the bride and groom includes a table and a meal but we are obviously not their priority. They don't seem to realize that our meal has been paid for along with all the guests. We don't like to do it, but we have had to go to the bride's parents to inform them we have been excluded. It really is a hassle for everyone and it didn't need to be. This article has been was written by myself for my newsletter and since the author is the same person, permission for use is granted. Joe Sabol is an internationally known videographer with almost 29yrs experience in the video industry. Please visit us at http://jandjvideoproductions.com for more information. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Sabol Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8061532