- A photographer filmed herself eating with her hands at a wedding she was working at.
- She said she has often not been provided with utensils or space to sit at wedding venues.
A discussion about how to treat people who work in the wedding industry has erupted on TikTok after a photographer said she has had to eat meals with her hands or sitting on the ground due to a lack of provision from the couples or venue where the wedding is held.
A TikToker who goes by Megan Claire, who runs a photography business based in Orange County, California, shared a video on March 31, where she could be seen ripping up a piece of steak with her fingers in order to eat it.
"Another wedding I'm eating dinner with my hands cause the vendors forgot utensils for the photographers," an on-screen caption on the post, which received over 700,000 views, read.
Out of hundreds of comments, some, written by viwers who said they have also worked as wedding photographers, expressed sympathy for Claire's predicament, sharing how important they think it is for couples and venues to ensure the photographers are able to eat comfortably at the event.
"Why do some venues treat us like 'the help' and others like we're on the guest list," wrote one commenter.
@meganmilad The steak made this extra fun #weddingphotographer #weddingstory ♬ Funny Song - Mas Gombal
However, the video sparked a wider discussion as people questioned the need to provide a meal when photographers are already being paid to work for the day, and suggested workers could also bring a meal from home as they might to an office. Several users said they had no idea photographers and other hired workers would expect to be served a meal on the day.
The creator responded to a number of comments of this nature, explaining that in her experience, it is "industry standard" for couples to provide meals, but that sometimes the venue where the wedding is held does not provide adequate utensils or space for her to sit, meaning she has often sat on the floor or against a wall while eating at weddings.
"It's all about the client/planner/venue combo and if you hit all 3 it's a glorious day," she wrote.
On April 3, Claire posted a follow-up video explaining that she thinks it's important that photographers are provided with a meal because there are often no resources at the wedding venue for workers to heat up or store food.
She also said she rarely gets the time to take a break long enough to prepare her food while trying to document all the action happening at the reception.
@meganmilad Replying to @lil_chikn ♬ original sound - Megan
"Most days I don't even use the bathroom for the first eight hours of my wedding, because there's just no time. You're working at capturing every single moment up until you get that small break for dinner, which can be five minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes," she said.
Claire went on to explain that many wedding venues have a "vendor meal" option, where couples can provide their hired workers with food that is cheaper than the food they are serving their guests.
"This just makes the most sense, because we physically don't want your photographers leaving to go get food or spending too much time going to prepare their food," she said.
According to wedding publication Brides.com, it is considered good wedding etiquette to feed key wedding vendors who will be working long hours at the event, including the photographer, DJ, wedding planner, and videographer. Furthermore, meal provision may even be a requirement in the contract when couples hire these vendors. "Vendor meals" are provided by most wedding caterers and are sometimes even included in the catering fee, according to the outlet.
On TikTok, weddings and wedding etiquette are explosively popular topics, with creators sharing their thoughts on some of the most common wedding dos and don'ts, such as how to dress if you're a wedding guest, or whether it is OK to ask for a plus one to the ceremony if you were not given one on the invitation.
Megan Claire has 25,000 followers on TikTok, where she has previously shared photos from her own wedding, as well as tips for other brides based on her own experience getting married.
She did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.