Tips for Tipping Your Vendors
One thing our clients always ask us for guidance on is tipping their vendors! We typically send out a Tipping Guide (for years we used one adapted from this 2017 Southern Weddings article) around the one month mark, along with final payments, so our clients have plenty of time to prepare.
While the guide linked above is very helpful, we wanted to create our own concise guide specifically tailored to our clients. A few things to note:
Tipping is always appreciated, but never required. While there are some vendors for whom tipping is more common, there really is no right or wrong way to do this. Often times a handwritten note or gift after the wedding, a Google review, or referrals can be just as nice and are certainly appreciated by your vendors.
For our own clients, we suggest putting tips in sealed, labeled envelopes and handing these off to us at rehearsal or on the morning of the wedding so we may disperse. If you don’t have a planner, you can do the same and designate someone trustworthy to hand them out (a family member, parent, sibling, etc.)
Tips should always be given in cash, not check. A lot of vendors cannot deposit or cash a check without it being classified as income (ie. taxed).
Okay, now that’s out of the way, here are our recommendations for which vendors to tip, and how much:
Photographer or Videographer
As most photographers and videographers own their own small businesses, tipping is not expected, or required in this case. However, if you had a great experience with your photographer, and would like to show your appreciation, a personal gift is always a nice touch.
Tip Amount: $150-$200, or a gift + handwritten thank you card
When: After your honeymoon
Hair & Makeup Artist
We suggest tipping your stylists just as you would a normal hair or beauty appointment.
Tip Amount: $50 - $100 per stylist
When: On the day of your wedding, directly after your HMU service
Wedding Transportation
Be sure to double check your contracts for this one. A lot of transportation companies will include gratuity in their fee. If gratuity is not included, a tip for your drivers would be a very nice touch. When in doubt, you can always check with your planner!
Tip Amount: 15-20% of the total bill or a flat tip per driver of $5-10 per hour of service
When: When the driver drops you off, or have your planner (or designated person) deliver to them towards the end of the night if they are contracted through the end of the event.
Ceremony Officiant
While most religious officiants do not accept cash tips, you can still give a personal gift, or a donation to the house of worship they belong to. If your officiant is a friend or family member, we suggest a gift card to a nice restaurant or something along those lines.
Tip Amount: For an officiant associated with a house of worship, a donation of ~$250 is appropriate if there is no fee for the officiant, or ~$50 if you have already paid them a fee. If your officiant is a friend or family member, $50-150 or a gift, is appropriate.
When: At the rehearsal, or after the ceremony
Wedding Ceremony Musicians
We think tipping musicians is a nice gesture. If you have a string trio, or other independent musician, this is an especially great way to say “thank you” for learning a particular song!
Tip Amount: $25 – $50 per musician
When: After the ceremony, or in the envelope with your final payment. (You can give this one to your planner to disperse after the ceremony.)
Wedding Reception Band or DJ
This is a fairly common one. Although it’s completely optional, we do see people tipping the band quite often, especially if they particularly enjoyed their performance.
Tip Amount: $25-$100 per musician, or $50-$100 for DJ
When: Before they leave the reception, or give to your planner in a separate envelope to disperse.
Catering staff
This is another category that you will want to check your contract for. We rarely see people tip the entire catering staff (it can get quite expensive as often times there are lots of people involved with one catering team). However, if you would like to tip them, think through how high up you would like to go (ie. servers & bartenders only, or chefs, managers, & kitchen staff as well). When in doubt, chat with your planner!
Tip Amount: If a gratuity/service charge is not included, we suggest the following amounts; manager: $50-$100, head chef: $50-$100, kitchen staff, servers, & bartenders: $20-$50 each. Keep in mind you will want an idea of how many servers, staff, etc. will be at your event. You can always check with your planner or your contact with the catering company.
When: Before you leave the reception
Wedding Planner & Team
We always feel awkward talking about tips for ourselves or our team, (as they are neither expected nor required), so we will just say this: we occasionally receive tips from clients and it is always the nicest surprise! Most often we receive a handwritten thank you card or a small gift after the wedding. We love hearing from our couples about their experience with us and how the day went from their perspective. A Google review is another nice gesture that we appreciate, along with recommendations & referrals!
Photos by Firm Anchor Photography
Florals by State & Arrow