Guide to Tipping Wedding Vendors (Updated)
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This blog post is all about tipping wedding vendors.
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We all know that it really takes a village to plan a wedding. It is so important to show your appreciation by tipping those who help make your special day come to life. When developing your wedding budget, please account the tips for your vendors.
When planning a wedding some people tend to forget about their vendors. When we say “forget” we don’t mean about booking them or paying for them.
Couples often forget that vendors are REAL people who try their hardest to make your day better by providing their service.
SO many things to consider when wedding planning like wedding venues, service fees, and deposits. The last thing that is on your mind is tipping vendors. We are here to help you figure this out.
Who do you tip on your wedding day?
You should tip a variety of vendors on your wedding day. You should tip catering companies, ceremony musicians or DJ, wedding coordinator, wedding planner, florist, hair and makeup etc.
This may seem like an endless list of of people and you may be thinking “How am I going to tip all of these vendors?” In this blog post we will cover the common questions on tipping wedding vendors.
Is it rude not to tip wedding vendors?
It is not considered rude if you don’t leave a tip. But if you do, it makes all the difference to the wedding vendor. Most will not expect a tip but they are accepted. Most vendors are happy with the nice gesture rather than the actual amount of money you tip with.
True they do provide a service and they do the job they pay you to do. You should definitely tip if you feel like they went above and beyond.
How much to tip wedding vendors?
For every expense you pay take an save an extra 10%-25% for gratuity. Tips are often paid in cash.
First get thank you cards personalized each card with the vendors title do this way before so that the vendor gets the gift they deserve.
Here is a list for tipping wedding vendors
- DJ or live music- $50- $150
- Catering or banquet manager- 15%-20%. An alternative to this is tipping waitstaff directly.
- Florist- around $50
- Wedding planner (if not included with wedding venue package)- $100-$500
- Day of wedding coordinator- $50-$100
- Hair and makeup- 15%-25%
Do you tip your wedding officiant?
If it is a preacher or priest from your church, you could always do a donation to the church in their name. Typically, the donation is around $100 to $150, you could always do more.
Should you tip your wedding photographer?
Yes, you should tip them. When tipping your photographer and videographer it is suggested that you tip $50- $200.
This is a common question in wedding groups. Most people pay thousands of dollars for their photographer and it may be a little much to tip. Someone even compared it to tipping their dentist.
The photographer are likely to get a meal and access to open bar so if that is the case then you do not have to consider tipping
On the other hand, they have one of the MOST important jobs in capturing your special day. You should show your recognition of this. They will not be expecting a tip, but it will be much appreciated.
Steps for tipping wedding vendors?
- Draft up a list of wedding vendors.
- Get some blank thank you cards. Here are some cute ones on Etsy.
- Personalize and address each one separately.
- Include your venue tips. Determine tip amount by using our vendor tipping guide.
- Prepare this early then deliver them (or assign someone) to deliver them the day of.
Who is responsible for passing out the tips?
One thing to take into consideration is who is going to give the vendors their tips. Tips should be given the day of the wedding after the service is completed.
Ultimately, the couple is responsible for passing out tips to wedding vendors. The bride and the groom may be busy (it is their wedding day) and may not have time to search for every wedding vendor and offer their cash tip.
So what do you do? You could assign a trusted person this task. If you follow the steps mentioned above, there should be tips from you labeled envelopes for each vendor. That way it will be an easy task for someone to hand them out at the end.
The person who hands them out could be a trusted family member, or someone from the wedding party. Please send the vendors an email for who will be checking in on them (besides coordinator) the day of the wedding.
You could say something like “If you need anything from us the day of the wedding, feel free to check in with Jane Smith.” That person could also deliver tips to the vendors.
Best thing to do for wedding vendors (Update)
The biggest thing that you need to do is write their reviews online. Any online platform where you could review your vendor, you should do it. Their online presence is so important and this goes for you wedding venue as well. This could get them more business by word of mouth and that is so valuable to vendors.
You could leave them reviews on The Knot, Facebook, Google, Yelp and so many other platforms.
