Creating your perfect wedding day is a team effort delivered by a diverse group of wedding professionals. From the florist to the photographer and everyone else in between, there’s so many who play a part in making your day so special!
To show appreciation for all their talent and hard work many couples choose to tip their vendors.
Tipping is in no way mandatory- but it is one of the best ways to show how thankful you are for the hard work each vendor has given to make you big day so special!
To help, we’ve put together some recommendations to take away the confusion on how much and who to give and how to make the process as easy as possible.
Use Cash Envelopes
Cash Envelopes help keep you organized and are a great way to determine ahead of time who gets what.
And if you have hired a wedding coordinator , a plus is that they can be given the cash envelopes ahead of time to hand out to the assigned vendors.
Planning this allows you to have another task taken off your already full plate and helps keep you in check with staying in your budget.
One less thing for you and your spouse to stress about on your wedding day!
Photo by Christie’s Photography
Photo by Christie’s Photography
Photo by Christie’s Photography
Photo by Christie’s Photography
Photo by Honey Bee Memory Photography
Photo by Rebecca Ashley Photography
Photo by That First Moment
Photo by That First Moment
Double Check your contracts
Some vendors may have already included gratuity into your final bill. This is normally the case with catering. We recommend you take some time to read over your contracts to see if gratuity is already included in the fine print.
If you find that you are already being charged a 10-15% fee then there is no need to double tip. Unless you find that they went above and beyond on your special day!
On the other hand, if you see that your contract does not have a gratuity included please feel free to show catering staff a little extra love and tip them accordingly.
Vendor Tipping Cheat Sheet
As promised, here’s an easy breakdown for you to have on tipping your wedding staff. We have included the standard protocol of what is expected for each wedding industry professional.
While this may not be an exhaustive list of all the vendors who may be involved in your event we hope it gives you an idea of how tipping etiquette works for weddings.
Photographer/ Videographer:
$50-$200 per photographer
DJ:
$50-$150
Musicians:
$25- $50 per band member
Florist:
10-15% of the total bill
Hair and Makeup:
15-20% of the total bill
Wedding Planner:
10%-20% of the total bill
Catering Staff:
$20-$50 per server
Officiants:
$50-$150 Donation
Photo by That First Moment
Conclusion
Many wedding vendors are committed to going above and beyond to make your wedding day truly special.
Tipping is a great way to show your gratitude. If you can’t budget for tips please note that it’s completely fine. We understand that gratuities tend to add up! Instead, consider showing your appreciation in another way by reviews or referrals or any other gesture you think show’s just how much their hard work meant to you!
Gratitude is priceless!
