Food/Drink Requirements

[ppentertainments]

Those of you who require food and drink as part of your contract - what exactly do you require (meal, buffet, sandwich) and is this for evening functions or just all-day weddings ?

My weddings seem to be getting longer (6pm starts, 1am finishes) so am going to start asking to be fed as part of the contract. Usually couples do offer, but I tend to find it is those that you do more for that do not offer - probably not intentionally just keep forgetting.

Any advise welcome as always

[rth_discos]

For evening only I don't require anything.

I can have a hot meal before I leave and take food for the evening.

For all day events I require a hot meal to be provided whilst the wedding breakfast is being served.

Whilst it may be in the contract most don't read the contract so make sure where you need feeding that you confirm what is being provided well in advance.

[yourdj]

I never ask and always bring a sandwich with me on an all day or evening. I don't eat much when I am working (usually nothing on an evening only), but will inevitably get a spare meal or order one from the hotel bar menu for all days. For venues that don't have that then i would buy a few sandwiches, which keeps me through the day. I tend to buy food anyway just in case. I eat it the next day or on the way home quite often.

[DJ Jules]

Last night I thought about this again as I was eating my cold KFC in the van while I watched the three photographers dig into a hot meal in a private room through a window that faced the venue car park... Last night was "just" an evening gig, but it required me to be on site at 4pm to be ready to start rigging for the 8pm start and I then had a 1am finish.

For evening functions I don't ask for food. For all day jobs I absolutely do. I need to be fed often and I don't function well without it I have to plan meals in and around deliveries and gigs and I'll usually have a lunchbox of food with me on evening gigs to snack on when it's quieter and for when I finish.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I don't do all day functions. If I did, I would make sure I took something to eat with me, probably a sandwich or something.
Evening functions, I don't tend to have anything. If offered any food, I will politely refuse. I will generally grab something when I get home, which isn't the best time to eat, but I'd rather do that.

I remember an occasion a few years ago when I was a guest at a friends wedding (She asked me if I wanted to DJ and I said I'd rather have the night off as I had done the whole 'DJ at a friends wedding' thing far too many times over the years).
I was sat a table, chatting to the father of the bride (a friend too), when I could see he was distracted......"Everything ok?" I asked....
He sat there, looking in the direction of the (very large) buffet with his mouth opened wide in dis-belief.... "What's up!?" I asked..... "I don't bloody believe it!" he said, and got up from the table and made his way over to the buffet to a guy who was piling food from the buffet on to his plate.

Some strong words were exchanged, the plate was put down and the guy walked away............................................ba ck behind the Disco!
Yes, it was the DJ who had taken it upon himself to visit the buffet BEFORE anybody else. As soon as he was back behind the Disco, he was on the microphone announcing that the buffet was now open.

I thought that was taking the proverbial beyond belief. The father of the Bride was not impressed at all. He was usually a chilled out guy, but this had wound him up big time. Neither of us could believe that someone would have the nads to do something like that and I guess a lot of people saw it happen too.
"I would have offered him some food" said the father of the Bride.........."Now the can starve!" he continued. "I paid for a DJ to entertain everybody, not scoff his face!".

We sat there for a while and eventually he calmed down. I would never have done anything like that EVER and even when I have been asked if I want some food in the past, and on the very rare occasion I have visited the buffet (usually for a sausage roll as I may have been really hungry), I have been paranoid about what people may think when they see me picking from the buffet....That's just me though.

Lastly, I don't think it looks very professional when somebody is scoffing their face behind the decks. Unless you have help and can nip off and have something to eat, or you can sit down with the guests....I think you should either not do it, or go elsewhere out of view............or just wait until later.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I don't do all day functions. If I did, I would make sure I took something to eat with me, probably a sandwich or something.
Evening functions, I don't tend to have anything. If offered any food, I will politely refuse. I will generally grab something when I get home, which isn't the best time to eat, but I'd rather do that.

I remember an occasion a few years ago when I was a guest at a friends wedding (She asked me if I wanted to DJ and I said I'd rather have the night off as I had done the whole 'DJ at a friends wedding' thing far too many times over the years).
I was sat a table, chatting to the father of the bride (a friend too), when I could see he was distracted......"Everything ok?" I asked....
He sat there, looking in the direction of the (very large) buffet with his mouth opened wide in dis-belief.... "What's up!?" I asked..... "I don't bloody believe it!" he said, and got up from the table and made his way over to the buffet to a guy who was piling food from the buffet on to his plate.

Some strong words were exchanged, the plate was put down and the guy walked away............................................ba ck behind the Disco!
Yes, it was the DJ who had taken it upon himself to visit the buffet BEFORE anybody else. As soon as he was back behind the Disco, he was on the microphone announcing that the buffet was now open.

I thought that was taking the proverbial beyond belief. The father of the Bride was not impressed at all. He was usually a chilled out guy, but this had wound him up big time. Neither of us could believe that someone would have the nads to do something like that and I guess a lot of people saw it happen too.
"I would have offered him some food" said the father of the Bride.........."Now the can starve!" he continued. "I paid for a DJ to entertain everybody, not scoff his face!".

We sat there for a while and eventually he calmed down. I would never have done anything like that EVER and even when I have been asked if I want some food in the past, and on the very rare occasion I have visited the buffet (usually for a sausage roll as I may have been really hungry), I have been paranoid about what people may think when they see me picking from the buffet....That's just me though.

Lastly, I don't think it looks very professional when somebody is scoffing their face behind the decks. Unless you have help and can nip off and have something to eat, or you can sit down with the guests....I think you should either not do it, or go elsewhere out of view............or just wait until later.

I attended a friends wedding a few years back and had to announce the buffet was opened. How I knew this - I only went and walked past the 4 piece band ramming their gobs with food, entered the ballroom and wondered why there was no queue at the food station!

My pal was pretty laid back about it but I thought it was a complete fecking liberty they took.

For all day shots I take food with me - nuts / grazing stuff, crisps, sandwiches etc... so I can nibble throughout the day. If I'm offered a full meal happy days.

Evenings I don't eat, even after the gig I've maybe had a McD's twice in all the years of doing this. If I'm starving and someone hands me a plate then I'll find somewhere discreet to eat it but I'll never go up and help myself even when told to - it just doesn't seem kosher when you're working and being paid well to be getting fed too when you could have eaten before the gig.