How Much To Tip Every Wedding Vendor
Below, we cover how much money you should dole out to everyone from photographers to caterers. Before we continue, however, it’s worth noting that there are no set-in-stone rules in the realm of gratuities. “It is hard to say what to tip exactly, as it may vary based on budget, the financial means of each client, or their desire to tip,” says Newman.
When in doubt, heed Newman’s general rule of thumb: At a minimum, tip between $20 to $100 per person for service staff and between $50 to $500 per person for higher-tier vendorsor take a lump-sum approach and base your tips on 20% of the overall contract, delivering a single amount to the manager of each respective team. “You may end up tipping more to a vendor when the wedding installation is more than one day,” she adds, stressing that these are recommendations and not rules. “You don’t need to feel the pressure to tip, especially if the suggestions below are more than what you can afford.”
Showing Appreciation Doesn’t Always Have To Be Cash
Tipping isn’t always the most appropriate way to show appreciation. Referrals are the “tip” that keep on coming. If you know of any friends or family planning a wedding in the near future, be sure to recommend them to your photographer. If you don’t have the financial means to directly tip your favourite shop owners, you can still show your appreciation in other ways.
What To Tip By Vendor Type
* indicates tip is generally expected. Always check your contract for pre-included gratuity.
Wedding Planner/Coordinator10-20% of their total, up to $500. Planners assistant: $50 When: End of reception, or sent with a thank you note within 2 weeks of the wedding.
Hairstylist *15-25% of the service total based on quality and/or difficulty When: At the end of the service
Makeup Artist *15-25% of the service total based on quality and/or difficulty When: At the end of the service
Delivery & Set Up Staff *$5-15 per person. Youll need to confirm this total before your wedding day. When: Upon delivery of your items for your wedding
Officiant *$50-100 depending on the amount of time theyve spent working with you on your event . When: Upon their arrival to the wedding or at the marriage license signing
Musicians *$15-20 per person for ceremony $25-35 per person for reception. When: Upon completion of their performance
Videographer$50-200 per person on the team When: Upon completion of their day
$50-200 per person on the team When: Upon completion of their day
Event Staff *10-20% of the total bill ORCatering and Banquet Manager $100-300/eaHead Chef and Head Bartender: $50-100/eaWaitstaff and Kitchen Staff: $20/ppValets/Coat Staff: $1-2/guest When: Sometimes this is written into your bill and paid prior to your event. If not, this can be done at the beginning or end of your event.
DJ$50-150 per person on the team When: Upon completion of the reception
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How Much Should You Tip Your Wedding Vendor Dream Team
You’ve itemized your wedding budget down to the last cent. But with all the numbers tallied up you might be forgetting a costly, but necessary, expense: Tips!
Your wedding vendors are instrumental to the success of your big day, and if they meetor exceedyour expectations you’re going to want to reward them! But which vendors should you tip? And how much? And when? We know it’s confusing, so we’ve put together a handy-dandy guide to tipping your vendors.
A few things before we dive in:
1. First take a good, hard look at your wedding contracts.Read through them to see if a gratuity is included. It’s pretty standard for it to be covered in your venue, catering, and even transportation contracts. When it is, no additional tipping is required.
2. A “service charge” is not necessarily a gratuity.Whyyy are contracts so confusing? Okay, here’s the deal: A “service charge” is a mandatory fee that gets added to your venue and/or catering contract. Service charges don’t necessarily go directly to employees, so you’ll need to ask how that money is being used. This extra fee can be applied to anything from venue maintenance to administrative costs, so unless you see the word “gratuity” spelled out on your final bill, you may still need to tip.
Now without further ado… Behold our Wedding Vendor Tipping Guide organized by whether tips are expected, included, or optional, and then in alphabetical order by vendor.
Why Is Tipping Important
Tipping is an important part of the service industry, and it’s something that should not be taken lightly – especially when it comes to those who helped make your wedding day unforgettable. Tipping your wedding photographer is a great way to show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication. It’s also a tangible way of saying “thank you” for a job well done.
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Do I Tip A Food Truck At A Wedding
If youve hired an independent food truck as part of your catering team, a tip really isnt required, as you are already paying them for their services directly.
If, however, said food truck has been hired via one of the many specialist catering companies, then you should check your contract. It may well be that the employees are already receiving gratuities as part of your final bill.
If not, consider tipping the wedding caterer and delivery staff individually, or offer 10% 20% of the bill to the team.
Check Your Contract First Tips:
BartendersIf your bartenders are a package deal with your venue, then the gratuity will most likely be included. If you’re using a bartending company, see if they require an additional gratuity for their staff. Note: wedding guests shouldn’t be asked to tip, so just say no to bar tip jars.
- How much? 1020% of the alcohol bill , if a gratuity was not included.
- When? At the end of the reception, when you know just how much liquor your wedding guests were able to throw down.
Catering StaffTheir gratuity should be included in your venue and/or catering contract, but if not:
- How much? 1520% of the food & beverage bill. You can also opt for cash tips as follows:
- Catering/Banquet Manager and Head Waiter: $100$300 each
- Head Chef: $50$100
- Wait Staff and Kitchen Staff: $20 each
TransportationOftentimes transportation companies will include the gratuity in their contract. But if yours doesn’t, here’s what you can tip for an on-time arrival for the bridal party transportation, as well as any guest shuttles!
- How much? 1520%
- When? Upon pickup or after the last ride.
Venue AttendantsThis could include parking valets, coat check attendants, or restroom attendants. Again, a gratuity should be included, but if it isn’t:
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An Awesome Alternative To Tipping Wedding Photographers
So what should you do instead of tipping your wedding photographer? Express your gratitude with a word of thanks, whether the work was good, great, or exceptional. It lets us know that were succeeding in our chosen path. To express gratefulness for work that youre incredibly delighted by, considering writing a glowing recommendation of your wedding photographer on , Yelp, and . Not only is this better than tipping for your bottom line, but its also better for your wedding photographers. Instead of receiving a $100, $200, $300 tip, your wedding photographer receives a positive review that could influence the hiring decision of many future clients. Its the ultimate way of saying thanks.
Graphy Gear Is Very Expensive
Photography is a very expensive career to maintain because it requires the photographer to work with a lot of high-tech cameras, lights, tripods, and other materials to capture the perfect shot.
At the low end, the average photographer has around $4,000 in equipment between their computer, camera gear, and photo editing software.
Professional photographers have even more because they purchase specialized equipment like strobes, additional lenses, hard drives, and more.
Improvements are constantly being made to cameras, and photographers must keep up with those trends to garner more customers.
It is expensive to keep up with all the latest trends in photographic technology, and a tip can go a long way in helping a photographer keep their career afloat.
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What Advice Would You Give To A New Wedding Photographer
One of the crucial wedding photography tips is to figure out precisely what your clients want. Show them examples of your portfolio, pinpoint which specific moments are to be covered fully, the picture quantity they expect, how the photos should be delivered . Take time to settle all technical aspects and the total price. 10.
So, ask your potential wedding videographer about how they store and back-up your photos should something happen to, for example, SD cards or hard drives storing them. Many photographers shoot with two cards that simultaneously copy the images, ensuring that if one fails or disaster befalls it, your precious wedding photos wont be lost.
Guilt Trips Vs Education
Lets get one thing clear from the very beginning this article is not meant as a guilt trip by any means. If youve been my client or are currently my client and youre reading this I promise this isnt some kind of super passive-aggressive way of guilt-tripping you. This article is meant to be educational and since being totally transparent is part of what my business strives to be, sometimes we have to talk about slightly awkward topics like tipping your wedding photographer!
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Graphy Is A Skilled Trade And An Art
Not everyone can do it as it requires great skill.
Lots of elements go into capturing the perfect photo such as symmetry, lighting, foreground, background, focus, and so much more.
Many people go to art school to study photography while others need to prove themselves with an extensive portfolio.
Most commercial photographers did not start out photographing peoples headshots and engagement parties.
They likely came from landscape photography, still life, or other forms of the art.
They have spent time mastering their craft and then transitioned into photographing people to earn income.
Even if it may look easy, photography is a skilled trade and should be treated as such.
Tips show an added appreciation for your photographers artistic abilities.
Attire Alterations: Tip Recommended
If youre working with a seamstress, tailor, or other attire fitter for your wedding dress or suit, tipping these wedding vendors is usually optional. However, if you feel that your fitter went above and beyond and their place of business allows tipping, you may give between $20 and $40 for a job well done.
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How Much Do I Tip My Wedding Makeup Artist
On your wedding day, you should treat the members of your glam squad the same as you normally would, and tip them accordingly.
This should be around 15-20% for both wedding hairstylists and makeup artists.
Also, dont forget any other beauty stylists who help put together your look, such as shampooers and blow driers! These secondary tasks should be given a small tip too, but not above $5-$10 each.
Graphy Requires Much More Time And Effort Beyond Camera Work
Taking pictures is a very small portion of the photographers job.
In fact, most of the time is spent at the computer, editing photos.
Pictures require a great deal of editing to achieve the perfect image.
Sometimes, red-eye needs to be edited out, or the background comes out too dark.
They only send you the ones that are suitable for approval.
It takes time to sift through those thousands of photos to find the ones that are worthy of the customers time and attention.
After you, the customer, choose the photos you like, the photographer needs to spend additional time collating them in a file or photo book for you.
If you tip your photographer, you are showing appreciation for what they have done already, and the work they are about to do going forward.
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Do You Tip A Wedding Photographer
Tipping wedding vendors can get a little confusing. And pricey! Besides, everything wedding screams expensive, before all the tips are considered! And whether to tip the photographer is a particularly tricky one. Do people generally do this? Is it expected or even necessary? Lets find out.
So, do you tip a wedding photographer? Most people will agree that it is unnecessary to tip either the wedding photographer or their assistant generally, the tip is built into the price. However, tipping is an option for showing appreciation to photographers who go the extra mile or do an outstanding job you are delighted with.
Lets get into the situations in which you may or may not tip, and if you do, what is an appropriate amount.
Contents
How Much Should I Tip A Wedding Venue
The wedding venue is usually the most significant expense in any couples wedding budget.
Within the contract of your chosen wedding venue, you will typically find all the charges, taxes, and gratuities listed in a helpful breakdown. Be sure to read this, fully understand it and use this information when dividing up your tips for wedding suppliers. Youll end up tipping people twice if you dont!
If you worked with a wedding venue coordinator, and you feel they went above and beyond for you, then they deserve a generous gesture of thanks. A good rule of thumb is 15-20% of the total food and drinks bill.
Do check that the gratuity for the coordinator, or any other prominent wedding reception staff, is not already included in the contract!
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Under What Circumstances Should You Tip And Not Tip Your Photographer
Theres no need to work a tip for your photographer into your wedding budget, unless you feel strongly about it or theyve gone above and beyond. Unlike many other service professionals, photographers are paid what they need to make a living without the addition of a tip.
If you feel a photographer has gone above and beyond, however, then a tip recognizes that extra level of service.
For example, a photographer throws in an extra 15 minutes on your wedding day without charging overage fees ? A tip recognizes this, and the extra hours of work associated with that additional shooting time.
A photographer lends you and sets up equipment that is beyond whats stated in their contract, so that you could stream your wedding? Obviously, they have saved you a lot of money, so tip them!
You have asked for multiple phone calls, venue visits and extra meetings that are above and beyond whats usually offered ? A tip compensates them for the extra time they ungrudgingly gave to you.
The photographer accommodated multiple date changes? That could have cost them a lot in lost revenue while you were parked on different dates!
In this post above, I explain how wedding photography pricing is designed to take into account differing levels of client needs. So, even if you asked for more than standard, a tip is still a nice-to-have, not a necessity that the photographer is dependent upon.
How Much Should You Tip A Photographer
If you tip a wedding photographer, you should tip what you can afford and something reasonable. Generally, between $25-$100 is a good range to consider.
Again this becomes a judgment call because being too cheap is no good, but neither is breaking your bank.
If any of the above applies, we can look into a number of different incidents and situations that may alter how much you tip.
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Are You Obliged To Tip Your Wedding Suppliers
In a nutshell, no!
Tipping is quite a cultural phenomenon, so while our American readers might be wincing at this, in Ireland or the UK, there’s no obligation to tip on your wedding day. It is appreciated, particularly by waiters and bar staff, but for many couples, even those who may have intended to tip, there’s simply not enough left in the pot by the time their wedding day rolls around, and suppliers are keenly away of this.
Photo by Ivana Patarcic via One Fab Day
Do You Tip A Photographer For Headshots
Headshot photography is usually a much more formal interaction between a client and photographer. These often take place in a studio, and the photographer prices these so there is a lot of room for upselling prints, high resolution downloads, and other things.
Because of how portrait photography like this is structured, we dont see tipping as a necessary thing. Of course, the same rules apply if you really got a lot out of the service or felt they want above-and-beyond, then a few bucks tip wont hurt anyone!
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Best Practices For Tipping Your Wedding Photographer
If you do decide that it’s necessary to tip your wedding photographer, there are some best practices when doing so:
- Do not wait until the end of the night to do it! Have the tip in cash and ready to go beforehand, so you don’t have any issues when it comes time for your photographer to collect.
- Keep a list of who gets what amount . This will make things much easier for both parties involved – especially if they’re working with a team of photographers.
- Be sure to thank them for their hard work! A simple verbal “thank you” is always appreciated, but write a handwritten note expressing your gratitude if you want to go the extra mile. This will be something they remember and appreciate long after your wedding day has passed.
