How much to tip at your wedding
“How much to tip at your wedding” is a question many brides and grooms ask themselves when planning their wedding budget and when getting ready to make the final payments to all of their vendors. Truth be told, this can be a very confusing issue and knowing exactly how much to tip at your wedding can save you money and time and it can also show your vendors just how much you appreciate their work too.
How much is appropriate though and which are the cases when you shouldn’t tip your vendors? Read on and find out more.
• In general, most of the vendors are expected to be tipped. However, if someone is the owner of his/her own business, you do not have to tip him/her. For instance, if your DJ is also the owner of his/her business, you can choose not to tip him/her. Furthermore, take into consideration the fact that many vendors include gratuities in their contracts – so make sure to read those before planning your payments.
• Other than that, all the other vendors should be tipped. Waiters are generally tipped with about $20 each and coat check attendants and car parking attendants are tipped with about $1-$2/guest (in case you have opted for a valet parking service, the tip should be about 15% of the total fee).
• Your catering manager should be tipped as well. Most of the times, he/she will expect about $200 (or with a personal gift). The photographer should be tipped with about $100, bartenders should be tipped with about 10% of the total bill, the wedding planner should be tipped with about 15% of the total fee (or, again, with a personal gift) and wedding band members should be tipped with about $25-$50 each (in case they were hired through an agency). Don’t forget to tip your hairstylist and makeup artist too (they are expected to be tipped with about 15-20% of the entire fee).
• If a vendor has gone the extra mile to make sure you are happy on your wedding day, reward him/her with a special gift. It may be a bottle of good wine or a gift certificate worth about $50-$100 – your choice.
If you are still on the lookout for the perfect wedding venue, don’t forget to check out The Mackey House. Our Savannah wedding venue was created for the special moments in people’s lives and it will definitely make for a day to remember forever!
Photo source: Dreamweaver Photos
