Other than the bride herself, it’s the wedding vendors that make a wedding truly beautiful and special. For those who wonder why wedding vendors tend to charge quite a bit for their services, we say just look at what brides and grooms receive in return! Do you expect that your wedding vendors will do a great job decorating your ceremony venue, providing food for your reception, and entertaining your guests? Then make room in your wedding budget for tips.
Tipping wedding vendors is more than just good etiquette — it rewards exceptional service, ensuring that those providing the services continue to go above and beyond the call of duty. That said, we know from experience that tipping wedding vendors can be a confusing business. How much to tip is a question we hear a lot. When to tip is another question that comes up fairly frequently. And who to tip is yet another confusing question.
Tips For Tipping Wedding Vendors
- Always tip in cash, and if you’re tipping an employee of a company, the tips should be given separately from the payment.
- Include a thank you card with your tip so your wedding vendors know you appreciated their services.
- Tips should be given just before your wedding vendor leaves the wedding venue — this way, you can tip (or not) according to the service provided.
- Don’t feel obligated to tip if the services provided were not up to par.
- 10-15% tips are the norm, but usually $150 is the max amount of any one tip, regardless of how much the total bill was.
- Business owners are typically not given tips, even if they’re the ones providing the service directly. Tips are reserved for wait staff and other employees.
- Before you tip, check your vendor contracts to see if gratuities have already been added to your bill (which they frequently are).
- Designate a tipper (like the best man or MOH) so you don’t have to worry about finding your vendors during the ceremony or reception.
Who to Tip and How Much
- Stylist: 15% if you go to the salon; if the stylist comes to you, tip them at your discretion
- Wedding Limo Drivers: 10-15%
- Valet Parking Attendants: $.50-$1 per car
- Alter Boys and Girls: May be given $10 each
- Waiters and Waitresses: $15 of the total bill
- Bartenders: 10% of the total bar bill
- DJ and musicians: For employees of an entertainment company, $50-$100 is standard
- Photographers and videographers: $50-$100, if they’re working for a company
- Florists: For those performing delivery and set up, consider tipping $10-$20 per staff member
- Baker: You can tip the delivery person $10 if you so choose
As you can see, tipping wedding vendors isn’t so complicated as it seems once a bride knows what she’s doing. Good luck, and good tipping!
Visit USABRIDE.COM for an incredible selection of wedding jewelry, wedding accessories, bridal headbands, wedding veils, and now bridesmaids dresses at the best prices you’ll find on the Internet.
Best Price on Sandals All-inclusive Honeymoons
Get the guaranteed best prices on Sandals all-inclusive or best price on Beaches all-inclusive luxury honeymoons from Paradise Getaways! No one can beat their prices – not even the big Internet travel sites! Sandals is offering some of the best prices on honeymoon and destination wedding packages right now. Call Tami Santini, destination wedding planning expert, today at (877) 686-0397 or visit Getaways in Paradise online.
Wedding Reception Entertainment
iShare Spots is the perfect wedding reception entertainment solution for your wedding. iShare Spots allows you to share special memories with your wedding guests. Standing almost 7 feet tall, it’s a dazzling alternative to the old “projector and screen multi-media presentation.” Visit their website to see it in action.
Convenient online shopping for wedding favors, wedding cake toppers, and all types of bridal accessories is just a click away at Crazy for Weddings (.com). You will find some really special and fun things for the bride and groom at Crazy for Weddings. Take a look at our "Just Married" signs that will help you decorate a car, or find the perfect wedding gift to personalize and give to a bride and groom on their special day.
Wedding Contract Advice from The Wedding Professor
Known across the matrimonial world as The Wedding Professor, Richard Cadieux has been a certified wedding consultant since 2002 and has lent his expertise at more than 500 weddings. Most brides-to-be have little to no experience negotiating contracts, which means much of what is promised to them by wedding vendors never gets put into writing. Consequently, those brides-to-be risk not only being taken advantage of, but also being left without any legal recourse. But The Wedding Professor’s new eBook changes all that and puts the power of negotiation into the hands of brides and grooms, who are the customer and who, in most cases, are making quite significant investments. If you’re a bride or groom looking for wedding contract advice, and think it’s a smart idea to protect yourself and your money, visit his blog today.
