Should I Tip My Wedding Vendors?
I am always of the mindset that gratuity and tips should be at the sole discretion of the client.
If you feel a vendor has went over and above for the services that they provided for your wedding, of course you can express that in the form of gratuity or tips! It doesn't even have to be a monetary gift. A lot of times I've gotten phenomenal bottles of wine from couples as thank yous for putting their day together.
I’ve also seen many people write that you shouldn't tip somebody if they're the business owner.
I think that's the wrong way to look at it. I don't care if you are the person busing my table, or if you're the person who put the entire event together. If you, as the client, feel that that wedding vendor, whatever way their business structure is set up, went over and above what they needed to do for your wedding, tip them.
Here is a guide I like to use when helping engaged couples determine how much gratuity they should give their wedding vendors. This is only a guide, and as stated previously, gratuity and tips should be at the discretion of the client.
Catering- 15-20% of the bill, if the bill doesn’t already include a gratuity charge.
Cake and other deliveries- $10-$20 per delivery driver/team member
MHUA (make-up and hair team)- 15-20% of the service(s)
Photographer/Videographer- $50-$100 per shooter
Music Provider- For A DJ or Live Band, 10-15% of their package. For chamber musicians,strings, etc, $25-$50 per musician.
Transportation- 15% of the bill if it isn’t already included in the package.
Any vendor not listed above, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t receive a gift/tip if you feel they exceeded your expectation, it just means that there are too many options to list.
I recently posted a video on my TikTok, answering the question “Should I Tip My Wedding Vendors?”. You can watch the video here and let me know what you think! I hope this helps!
