This is a complete list of vendors that you should be tipping (and what amount!) on your wedding day.
Catering:
If your contract does not include gratuity, giving a tip of 15 to 20 percent of your cost is recommended. Another option to give information is to provide $50 to $100 per chef and $20 to $50 for each server.
Wedding Planner:
Wedding planners will not ask for a gratuity, so it’s optional, depending on the service. If you’ve been offered an enormous discount or the planner did over and beyond the scope of their contracted services, a gratuity between 10 and 20 percent can be a suitable method of saying “thank you” for the effort.
Video and photographer:
There’s no requirement to pay them a gratuity when they run the studio. If not, providing them with an extra $50-$200 is an ideal gesture. If there are three or more shooters, an amount of $50-$100 to each one (who isn’t the owner of the business) is optional.
The staff of the reception and ceremony staff:
It’s not a requirement to pay the staff at the ceremony, reception employees, or delivery personnel; however, if you’d like, you could offer them between $20 and $50 per person.
Officiant:
Often, officiants will not accept gratuities; however, donating $100 to their church is an excellent method of expressing your appreciation to them. If the officiant’s religion differs from one you can trust, You could give the officiant a $100 tip if they’re not charging for the service.
Makeup artist and hair stylist:
A 15-20 percent tip is recommended, as it is expected for every other salon visit. However, it’s not mandatory.
Band or DJ:
Giving a 10% to 15% tip is an excellent gesture to your DJ or band, particularly if they need to carry lots of equipment and heavy items from one place to another. A $25 – $50 tip per band member is a good idea if you are a musician.
Transportation:
A 15% tip is not required If it’s not part of the agreement.
Florist:
The florist won’t ask for an amount of money. If they perform an excellent job and you are satisfied with their work, consider offering them a 10-15 percent gratuity after completing the services.
Remember this:
While tipping at weddings has become an expected practice across all service areas, it’s not a requirement or even required by many wedding professionals. Besides the catering staff and the venue, gratuities are a nice treat for nearly all vendors.
If you need to be able to pay thousands for tips, a few gestures make a difference to your wedding professionals. Sending an email with reviews and a thank-you note or a testimonial for your review on Yelp and WeddingWire are excellent ways to express appreciation and give the vendor something they can utilize when booking the following clients. Also, you can recommend your vendors to friends, and this goes beyond an extra cash tip!
Guest blogger: Allison Silber, founder, and creative director for engagedandinspired.com. Engaged & Inspired is a wedding publication for creative brides determined to fill your wedding ceremony with plenty of personality. The real brides write about the challenges and highs of planning their weddings and the steps required to plan their wedding day. In addition to running Engaged and Inspiring, Allison also offers planning and design services for those in the Carmel Valley area.
Tipping is intended to be a reward, and you shouldn’t consider it a necessary expense. The idea behind tips is that they are offered for exceptional service or when vendors exceed the scope of their duties. Before you hand out gratuities, be sure to check your contract. Some vendors, such as catering and venues, will add it to their contracts to ensure everything is clear.
