Tips on Tipping for Your Wedding!

Who do you tip, and how much?!? With so many vendors, all the numbers can get confusing. Don’t worry! We are here to help!

Before your wedding day, prepare all your tips in envelopes with cash or checks and put the vendor’s names on them. Pass them off to your coordinator at the rehearsal the night before or first thing when you arrive. They will pass them out to all of your vendors so you don’t have to worry about it!

Keep in mind tipping is generally not required but always appreciated! Your vendors know that this is one of the most important days for you and your family. They work hard to make sure it’s perfect. If you do choose to tip your vendors, below are the amounts they most commonly get:

Catering: The standard for tipping full service catering staff is to give 10-20% of the total food cost of the bill. Make sure to look at your itemized total to find this number, you don’t need to tip off service fees and/or staff numbers. If you have a less full service catering option, we typically see $50 – $100 per staff member working that night.

Bar: Bar services will typically give you the option of allowing them to have a tip jar out on the bar. If a tip jar is out, an additional tip is not expected. If you choose not to allow a tip jar, $150-$200 per bartender is standard.

Photographer and Videographer: Giving them an extra $100 to $300 is a nice gesture. If there are two or three shooters, giving a $50 to $100 tip to each person who is not the main shooter is optional.

Officiant: Oftentimes officiants won’t accept tips, but a $100 donation to their church is a great way to thank them. If the officiant is non-denominational, consider giving them a $100 tip; especially if they aren’t charging for your service. If you are having a friend or family member officiate the wedding, it is standard to get them a gift as a thank you instead of a tip.

Hair and Makeup Artist: A 20% tip is expected, just like it would be for any other regular salon visit.

Band or DJ: For bands, we typically see $25-$100 per musician. DJ’s typically get anywhere from $50-$200 or 15% of the overall bill.

Transportation: A Transportation is the only vendor where we have seen required tips and they will be included in your contract. Be sure to clarify if you are paying a “driver fee” which is not a tip, or an actual tip on your invoice. Most transportation companies expect 10-20% of the cost of the charter itself per driver.

Florist: The florist doesn’t always expect a tip, but you can consider giving them a $50 – $200 tip especially if they are there for setup or breakdown. If you have a large floral order with installation work, we have also seen tips as large at 10-20% of the total bill.

Wedding Planner: Offering a tip of $100-$250 is a nice way of saying “thank you” for the efforts, but isn’t required. If you have a full planning or design package, we sometimes receive 10% of the total bill. $50-$100 is nice for assistants who are there to help with anything on your day.

Rentals: It is not very common for rental staff to get a tip. If they are delivering a large amount of items or doing a tent setup, it can be nice to give $20-$100 per person.

Bakers: It is not very common for bakers to get a tip at the event. If a tip is given, it is usually done on the invoice or at the tasting. If they are delivering a large amount of items it can be nice to give $20-$100.

If you can’t give a monetary tip:

Flowers, a thank you note, a small gift and possibly the most important… A REVIEW! Leaving your vendors a review on their website, or other wedding service websites like The Knot is a great way to show your vendor how much you appreciate them. Your positive review will help them book future clients and allow them to keep doing the work that they love to do!