You’re counting the days until your wedding, but you still need to figure out one important thing: How much should I tip my vendors?
To get a clear picture of the industry standard when it comes to tipping wedding vendors, we talked with event planner Stacey Sainato, owner of Peony Events in Morristown.
She notes that questions about tipping are common among her clients. “You want to take care of the people who are assisting you and making this the most memorable and enjoyable day,” she explains. “It’s the one day when you have everyone you love in one room. So, you want your vendor team to be extremely strong. You want them to feel appreciated.”
“It’s not mandatory,” she notes about tipping, “but it’s customary to take care of your vendors…It’s a way to show your appreciation for their services.”
One thing to keep in mind is your budget. “Not everyone has the same budget,” she says, “so giving gratuities that fit within your means varies to each individual.”
She always recommends that her clients figure out how much they want to tip vendors in advance. “It’s not something that you want to be managing the day of.” Put the cash in sealed and labeled envelopes, and either have a plan to distribute them yourself, designate someone else to do it or have your wedding planner handle it.
Stacey also advises clients to distribute tips at the beginning of the wedding rather than at the end. “It’s a nice way to kick off the day,” she says.
Lastly, she notes that a wedding is a long day for everyone. Some vendors, like planners, photographers, videographers, hair stylists and makeup artists, are with you for eight to 12 hours, so providing vendor meals is customary in addition to tipping, she says. “Everybody involved is making sure that your day is perfect. So, it’s [another way of] showing your gratitude to them.”
Here are Stacey’s tipping recommendations, broken down by vendor.
Venue
Some venues have a mandatory fee for the maître d’ that will be stated in the contract. Stacey and her team always ask for a list of servers, bartenders and other banquet staff, such as the bridal attendants, who will be working the wedding. Then, usually servers are each given $50-$200 and bartenders are given $250-$400. Bridal attendant gratuity can range from $200-$500.
Photo & Video
A common tipping range is $200-$500 per person. “Typically, the second shooter would be on the lower end, and then the main photographer would be higher,” she says.
Hair & Makeup
Typically 20% is given to each hair stylist and makeup artist.
Event Planner
For wedding planners, 15-20% is customary.
Music
If there’s a band, couples often give anywhere from $100-$200 per band member. For DJs, tipping starts at $250 and can go up to $1,000 if they’re doing the whole day, including the ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and after party.
Florist
Stacey notes that tipping for florists varies the most depending on what your flower budget is and how elaborate your displays are. She’s had clients give $100 each to the staffers doing the setup and then $500 to the florist who was assisting them with their vision along the way. But she’s also seen couples tip up to 10%.
Transportation
Couples typically give 18-20% to the transportation drivers. Sometimes, gratuity is included, “so you really want to make sure that you’re checking all of your contracts,” she says.
Officiant
If your ceremony is taking place at a religious institution, a donation amount is usually suggested. But if you hire an officiant, Stacey has seen people give $100-$300.
Other Vendors (photo booth, live painter, cigar roller, etc.)
For more specialized vendors, $100 each is typical.
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