Wedding Vendor Tips: How Much To Tip And When
When working on your wedding budget, its important to think about the small details that could have a big effect. One line item that a lot of couples tend to forget about is gratuity. While gratuity is not expected by everybody you work with for your wedding, it is customary to tip select vendors either 15-20% of their services or a suggest amount, outlined below. As a general rule of thumb, be sure to check your wedding contracts BEFORE tipping to make sure services dont already include gratuity . Also, dont feel obliged to tip business owners who own their companies. Instead, consider these guidelines when it comes to wedding vendor tips.
Unless otherwise noted, most tips should be given after receiving the service or at the end of the ceremony or reception with a cash envelope handed out by your wedding planner, best man/maid of honor, or your parents if they are paying for the wedding. You may also choose to tip your vendors before the event if its more convenient for you or if you wont see them at the end of the wedding.
Wedding Tipping Guide
Wedding Planner: 15% of their fee is a nice gesture, or a personal gift. If theyve brought along junior, less-experienced professionals, we suggest $50+ each. You can tip at the end of the wedding or with a Thank You note after your honeymoon.
Hair & Makeup: Pretend youve just gone to the salon. We suggest 15-20% on all services , which should be tipped at the end of your service.
Valet: $1-$2 per car .
Other Wedding Vendors To Tip
There are a handful of other vendors you should consider tipping, including:
- Tailor at the final fitting $25.
- Valet attendants at the end of the reception. $50 per person if there were a lot of cars.
- Limo driver at your drop off. $100 for rides that last more than 30 minutes. $50 for under 30 minutes.
- . An extra five percent is a nice gesture.
- Rental crew after they drop off chairs and anything else. $20 per person.
Figure Out Your Djs Preferred Form Of Communication
Cant get that Justin Bieber remix you just heard on Pandora out of your head? Siegel wants you shoot him an email right then and there if you want to add it to your wedding rotation. Ive always told prospective brides, my phones always open. Call me, email me. If you heard a song on the radio and love that song, call right now, he says. For me to write it down in my notes is no big deal, but you could forget about it in five hours. I like to keep the line of communication open.
But Allstar DJs Paul Groh prefers his clients to compile their requests and notes in one email or Word document and send it to him no later than two weeks before the wedding. We recommend they do not text or email bits and pieces of what they want for their wedding, he says. We get bombarded with online stuff and it gets lost. Everything should just be in one document. Get the DJ all of the information two weeks before because if theyre working Friday night and you have a wedding Saturday morning, they have no time to plan it out.
So find out which method your DJ would prefer and make sure not to annoy them with 1 a.m. texts from the bar when you hear a Lizzo jam you just have to dedicate to your former roommate if theyre not into it.
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Tip The Dj At Your Wedding
December 9, 2018 by
There are many factors to consider when deciding how much to tip the DJ at your wedding. It is possible you may not want to tip them at all.
Furthermore, a wedding DJs upfront chargecan be very expensive and they should never assume they are going to get a tip without working for it.
On that note, your wedding DJ should appreciate a tip as a GIFT that was earned.
If you wish to tip the DJ at your wedding, here are the top 10 DJ qualities to assess
Getting / Throwing The Garter
The Getting and Throwing of the Garter happens in two parts. First the bride will sit on a chair while the groom gets on his knees and tries to locate the garter, which is on the brides thigh, and collect it with his teeth. A fantastic song I like to play here is Cream Prince as its a little raunchy and gets everyone hyped and in a cheery vibe.
Once the garter has been collected by the groom, he will then throw it to all the single guys in the room. Another great song to play at this time is Thunderstruck AC/DC or anything else to get all the guys in the room pumped up!
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No You Dont Have To Tip
When it comes to your wedding, you have enough to worry about, so dont lose sleep over tipping etiquette. Remember, everyone tips differently and vendors know this too. To who and how much you tip is always up to you. And frankly, sometimes its just not in the wedding budget. However, if you cant tip wedding vendors, or all of your wedding vendors, be sure to show appreciation for their work in other ways.
Officiant: Tip Or Donation Recommended
Whether your officiant is affiliated with a house of worship will determine your tipping of these wedding vendors. If your officiant is affiliated with a house of worship, give an additional donation of $100 to $300 to his/her institution. For a civil officiant, you may tip $50 to $100.
Also Check: How Much Is The Average Wedding Photographer Cost
Heres What Some Of Our International Planners Had To Say:
Henny, The Wedding Mood Bali, IndonesiaThe wedding and event industry in Bali doesnt get tipped at all. As an independent planner, we cant rely on tips, and since the entire wedding is fully paid off before the event even starts, neither the guests nor the couple carry cash with them.
Cash and carry beverage bars on private, high-end events are an almost unheard of thing. The guests of a destination wedding pay so much for their flights and accommodation to celebrate with the couple that its an unspoken rule that guests would never be expected to pay for their drinks at the bar, for instance. I could imagine that a guest or couple would tip maybe the wedding singer, DJ or other performers if they were absolutely over-the-top amazing, but again, if its an expat I dont think they would do that.
Mango Weddings Riviera Maya, MexicoTipping is an ambiguous topic here in Mexico. While everyone of course is happy to get tips anytime, its not a common practice by local customers. What we tell our international clients usually is that they are welcome to tip anyone they feel provided exceptional service.
Transportation drivers do rely on tips to survive. Tip depends on the distance, but anywhere from $5 to $10 USD per trip is considered generous.
A lot of couples invite the photographer, DJ, and wedding planner for the dinner, so that can be seen as a kind of a tip. Also, a lot of couples write a short letter to the vendors and give them a little present.
Delivering The Latest In Style Inspiration Helpful Tips And Tricks And Everything Else You Need To Know To Plan The Perfect New England Wedding
Transfer of money from hand to hand via Shutterstock
Its no secret that wedding expenses add up. But unless you want to get a side-eye and stink face from certain wedding vendors, youll also have to add on a tip or two.
Be sure to designate trusted peoplewere looking at you, best manto pass along the envelopes, so you dont have to carry around a wad of cash during the party. Heres whats customary for each vendor.
Wedding Planner
Protocol: Optional.
How much: Theyve been your go-to since the beginning, so if you want, thank them with a gesture that says I couldnt have done it without you. Give a nice gift or a few hundred dollars. An added thank you: give them the OK to use a few shots from your wedding for their event portfolio.
When: This should come from the bride herself, either at the end of the reception or via snail mail.
Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist
Protocol: Expected.
When: At the end of your services.
Ceremony Officiant
Protocol: If the person doing your ceremony is affiliated with a church or synagogue, youre expected to make a donation to the institution. If he or she is nondenominational, like a Justice of the Peace, no tip is expected.
How much: Donate $500+ to the church or synagogue, or, for a nondenominational officiant, give an optional tip of $50 to $100.
When: The best man should deliver an envelope at the end of the ceremony.
Delivery Staff for Flowers, Cake, Linens, etc.
Protocol: Expected.
How much: $5 to $10 per person.
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Did Your Dj Shake Your Entire Wedding
Lastly, the most important one of all is how the DJs music impacted the weddings overall outcome. Did the DJ excite everyone with the music that he/she provided? As we already know, music has a big impact on our mood as it triggers specific parts of our brain to release some of the stress that we feel. Its the DJs job to do that and provide entertainment at the same time. If you think about it, its a hard job because you can never really please everyone!
So do you tip the wedding DJ or not? The answer is yes, if your DJ has some or all of these traits, then you should give them a tip right away! Find out more about wedding guides.
What If A Service Fee Is Already Included
While this is more common in restaurant wedding venues than hotels or exclusive hires, always check if a service fee is included before you tip. If you’re already paying 12.5% on top of your bill, there’s no need to add a tip on top of that!
We hope this helps with any tipping dilemmas – if you’ve got any other thoughts and suggestions, hit us up on and !
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Wedding Dressers Or Stylists Should Be Tipped Extra If Something Goes Wrong And They Handle It
“If a couple has hired someone from a bridal salon or styling agency to help with dressing, to make sure everyones dress and suit are pressed to perfection, and to handle any day-of emergencies, such as a button popping or zipper getting stuck, a cash tip of about $50 to $150 is appropriate, especially if there is a true emergency and they go above and beyond to ensure your gown fits perfectly,” Chertoff said.
“Write a glowing review on their WeddingWire vendor profile page, letting future engaged couples know how wonderful their service was,” Chertoff said. This is easy, wont take up a lot of your time, and could really help them get future customers, which is ultimately their goal.
Are You Supposed To Tip The Florist
Yes, tipping the florist is a generous idea and a nice way to thank them for their hard work. Tipping the florist is a nice touch since many florists not only arrange all of the flowers but deliver them, set them up, and sometimes have dozens of locations they need to make sure are perfect for your wedding day. A tip between $50-$100 is perfectly acceptable.Oftentimes a florist will come with a team to help set up and deliver all of the florals so make sure you have an extra $25 or for each additional helper.
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How Much To Tip Wedding Vendors
Confused on how much to tip wedding vendors, which vendors to tip, and when to distribute tips? Fear not: explore our guide for tipping wedding vendors.
Youve signed the last check, paid the last deposit, purchased the final items, and settled up all the remaining balancesyour wedding has been paid for! Orhas it? In the grand scheme of budgeting for your wedding, dont forget to factor in funds for tipping wedding vendors. While not all vendors expect to be tipped for their servicesinstead choosing to make their prices reflect all the payment they feel they needfor some its an expectation to follow tipping etiquette in the wedding industry. Confused on which vendors to tip, how much you should tip each type of vendor, and when to distribute tips? Fear not: heres a guide on tipping vendors.
Tipping An Officiant Can Get Confusing
This one is a little confusing. “Many officiants wont accept a tip on top of the fee a couple is paying them. Instead, the couple can make a donation to their church, synagogue or house of worship,” Chertoff said.
“If the officiant isnt charging a fee for their services, a $100 to $200 tip is a nice gesture. For officiants who are not clergy, a $50 to $100 is acceptable, but not necessary on top of their fee. Officiants who work for the government, such as a judge or civil service employee, may be legally prohibited from accepting a tip. To think him or her, a couple can send a thank you note after the wedding. If youve asked a friend or relative to officiate, a couple can purchase them a gift to say thank you.”
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Is Your Dj Supportive
This is how well your DJ collaborated with the people you hired, especially the wedding planner. A well-executed program always has a dedicated team behind it! Things will only go as planned if every part and aspect of your wedding is properly connected and well-thought of. Communication is the key when it comes to that!
Wedding Vendor Tipping Cheat Sheet & Guide
- https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-vendor-tipping-cheat-sheet
- May 15, 2008 ·The Standard: $25$35 per musician $50$150 for DJs. When to Tip: An attendant should tip the musicians or DJ at the end of the reception. Wedding Transportation. Again, check your contract, as gratuity is usually included. If it isn’t, plan to tip provided they show up on time, provide a smooth ride and don’t get lost. Protocol: ExpectedEstimated Reading Time: 5 mins
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