Do we need to feed the photographer and videographer?

Yes, feed your vendors. It's in most photographer contracts as an explicit clause. Here's why it matters in practice.

A wedding photographer is on her feet for 8-10 hours, lugging 20+ pounds of gear, eating the granola bar in her bag at 4pm and otherwise not eating until 11pm. The quality of work in hour 10 vs hour 4 depends on whether she's had real food.

Vendor meals are cheaper than guest meals (catering pricing) and are usually plated in a back area so vendors can eat without leaving the venue. Cost is real but it's in the day-of budget category, not optional.

What to ask the caterer:

• "When do you serve vendor meals relative to the bride and groom?" Ideally, vendors eat WHEN you eat — so they're free to shoot while you're served, and they eat while you eat.
• If your caterer charges full guest pricing for vendor meals, push back. Most have a vendor meal rate that's 30-50% of guest pricing.

What NOT to do: serve vendors after dessert. By 9pm half the day is done and the vendors who fueled it haven't eaten in 11 hours.