When you hire a wedding vendor, you agree on a set price for a service. But that's not typically what you end up paying your vendor. It is respectable and often expected that brides and grooms throw in a little bit extra cash when paying their vendors to thank them for a great job. Never heard of this? Not sure how much to give? Follow these suggestions on how to tip wedding vendors.
STEP 2:
Get your tips ready ahead of time. Your wedding day is not the time that you want to be thinking about how to tip your wedding vendors. (And you
certainly don't want to assume that your wedding cash gifts will cover the tips--yikes!) Instead, gather up an envelope for each vendor you plan on tipping on the day of your wedding. Place a cash tip inside of the envelope (along with your payment, if necessary) and seal the envelope. Then you can simply hand the tip envelope to the wedding vendor discreetly on your wedding day. If you don't want to be burdened with this little task on the day of your nuptials, entrust the best man or maid of honor with the task. Fancier wedding venues have wedding consultants who will also look after this task for you. Just be sure to get the tips to her before the day of your wedding so that they aren't forgotten.
STEP 3:
Tip properly. Tipping too little can offend someone. So it's important to put a little thought into your tip. Granted, this can be hard if you're preparing the tip prior to receiving the service of the vendor. But you'll manage, and it's always possible to alter a tip if you feel the vendor deserves more or less money. In general, the tipping of wedding vendors is based on performance. Sometimes it is a percentage of the entire bill, and sometimes the tip is just a number. Here are some suggested guidelines for tipping wedding vendors:
- Head wedding consultant: 20% of entire bill
- Kitchen (chef / waitresses / waiters / etc.): $25 each
- Disc jockeys / musicians: $25 each
- Bartenders: 10% of total liquor bill, to be split among all bartenders
- Delivery people (florists / cake): $10 each
- Limo driver: 10% of entire bill
- Parking / coatroom attendants: $1 per guest or car, to be split equally
This is just a basic list of those vendors typically working at a wedding. If you are paying anyone else for services on the day of your wedding, ensure that you tip those vendors appropriately by considering the suggested amounts above.
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