The Ultimate Guide To Wedding Tipping
During planning, brides have no way of turning off their brain in terms of thinking of the next thing they have to plan. One topic that constantly comes into question is what to tip your vendors, day-of coordinators, staff, and everyone else involved in your big day. What is the appropriate amount? Who do you even tip?
Tipping is supposed to act as a reward for appreciated service, so you should never consider it a mandatory expense. Before dishing out gratuity, check your contracts. Some vendors, especially venues and catering companies, will include it in their contract to help eliminate confusion and to avoid any issues on the big day. If nothing is written in stone, simply use your judgement.
I spoke with two wedding pros to see what they tell their clients — Kim Gapinski, wedding planner and owner of Bride and Joy Events and Christine Garrison, wedding planner at Events by CMG. Here’s what they told me…
Photographer and videographer: Tipping photographers and videographers is something many go back and forth on. Realistically, you are likely shelling out a large chunk of change for your photos and videos, so are you really supposed to tip on top of that?
Rule of thumb would be $1/person in attendance for each person shooting. For example, for a 150 person wedding, you’ would tip $150 for each photographer. — Gapinski
You are not expected to give your shutterbugs any money beyond their normal fees but if they made your day extra special, you could tip $100 or more. If there is an
assistant, you can tip them $50 to $75. — Garrison
One of the biggest questions brides ask with photographers in terms of tipping is if it’s appropriate to tip after an engagement shoot.
If your photographer is hired for the wedding day as well, a gratuity on your big day is great. If they are only taking your engagement photos, a tip post-shoot is definitely appreciated.- Gapinski
The most standard route is to wait and tip at the wedding. However, if you had an amazing engagement shoot experience, your photographer went above and beyond, shot a bit longer to get that perfect shot, and/or drove to multiple locations, a tip is always appreciated. — Garrison
Wedding planner:
Wedding planners don’t usually expect a tip, so this is totally optional based on service received. If your planner went above and beyond their contracted services, consider a generous way of saying “thank you” for their service.
A wedding planner plays the most important role on your wedding day. However, this one is up to you and depends on how long you’ve been working with them and the level of service they provided for you. — Gapinski
Non-monetary thank-yous like professional photos of the wedding for the planner’s portfolio can go a long way. If your planner has assistants on your wedding day (which most do), she will likely split the tip among them if she is the business owner so consider 10–20 percent. — Garrison
Venue/Ceremony/Reception staff:
It’s not mandatory to tip the ceremony, reception and/or delivery staff, but if you’d like to, offering $20-$50 each is usually a safe bet.
This group includes the on-site coordinator, maître d’ and banquet manager. A service charge (typically 2 percent) is almost always built into the food and drink fee, so check your contract. If the gratuity is not included, you’ll want to give roughly $100-$200 for the catering or banquet manager, $50-$100 each for chefs (and bakers), and $20-$30 each for waiters and kitchen staff, divided into separate envelopes. — Garrison
Bridal attendant: This is someone who will be with you every step of the way throughout your big day. Need a hair pin? It’ll be in his/her pocket. Need to sew a small tear on your dress from boogying on the dance floor? He/she will come to the rescue.
If you have a personal attendant that is with you all night, they will be tending to your every need. This person is so valuable! A $100-$200 tip is well received. — Gapinski
Officiant:
Often times officiants won’t accept tips, but if they are affiliated with a place of worship, you’d often be expected to provide a donation.
If you’re a member of their place of worship, you’ll want to give a larger amount than if you’re not. However, if you’re getting married there and they’re charging you to use the space, feel free to give a smaller amount. Donate $100–$500 to the church or synagogue, and for the non-clergy officiant, an optional tip of $50-$100. — Garrison
If it’s a friend, I suggest a nice gift. If it’s a hired officiant, anywhere between $75-$150 is generous! — Gapinski
Hair and makeup artist:
Of all those you tip day of, hair and makeup are usually a priority given they’re likely traveling to your venue or spending many hours at a specific location. Additionally, these are the hidden warriors when a bridesmaid has a hair meltdown and requires a redo last minute.
Both Gapinski and Garrison agree, “15–25% is a solid gratuity. This is one area where gratuity is expected, just as it would be at your local salon. Tip at the end of your service.”
Band or DJ: As all brides know, entertainment can be the biggest chunk of funds taken for a wedding (outside of your catering/venue) so why is it that many feel you should tip on top of that? Always check your contract to ensure gratuity isn’t automatically included.
You’ll want to tip each musician a range of $50-$100 each. For a DJ, anywhere from $75-$200. Typically this is given after the event, after they’ve filled the dance floor and rocked the party. — Gapinski
Whether you hire a 12-piece swing band or a single DJ, tipping musicians is completely optional, depending on the
quality of the job and how willing they were to follow your ideal playlist. Don’t forget about any sound technicians they bring with them! A standard $20-$25 per musician can go a long way (and wait till the end of your party to hand over the envelope)— Garrison
Parking attendants/Transportation:
A 15 percent tip is optional if it isn’t included in the contract. Treat this as you would any other mode of transportation (i.e. taxi).
This is normally a part of a Valet service. Guests may end up tipping the attendants themselves. If you’d like to cover the tip, I suggest $75-$100 for each attendant. — Gapinski
$1 per car for parking attendants. TIP: Although tips are traditionally passed out at the end of the event, you could distribute them at the beginning of the evening to encourage all the workers to give you great service. — Garrison
Florist:
The florist doesn’t expect a tip given they usually just drop off your flowers and arrangements. However, if they do an excellent job, consider giving them something after they’ve completed the job and drop off.
Typically you aren’t expected to tip anyone providing a product. But florists have one of the most challenging jobs. If you loved your experience and felt the flowers were just as you imagined, a little gratuity is always appreciated. I suggest between $50-$100/designer. — Gapinski
Wedding Delivery and Setup Staff:
This is one that often gets lost in the shuffle but is definitely expected. Slip a few dollars to anyone delivering important items to the site such as the wedding cake, flowers or sound system. If a lot of gear needs to be brought in and set up (tents, chairs or porta-potties), the workers deserve a tip too. Consider $5-$10 per person. — Garrison
Though tipping at weddings has become more customary over the years, it isn’t mandatory or even expected by most wedding professionals. With the exception of the catering staff, especially a maître d’ or bridal attendant, tips are considered an added bonus by most vendors.
If you don’t have the funds to tip after all is said and done, there are other ways to say thank you. Post a thorough review on their page or accompanying wedding website, send a handwritten thank-you note, or offer to refer their services to all your friends getting married in the near future (which you’ll likely do anyway!). Some of these go a long way even though they aren’t a cash tip.
