Should I Tip My Wedding Vendors?
A common question asked by brides, grooms, parents and anyone else who may be involved in planning a budget wedding is ”Is it necessary to tip my wedding vendors?” Often this is something most people don’t think about until the day of the wedding, and then they panic. You’ll want to be prepared ahead of time to avoid confusion and make sure your wedding goes smoothly. This article will help you determine who gets a tip and how you should tip them.
Wedding vendors know that collecting payment on the wedding day is bad idea. There is a lot going on and trying to coordinate payments just adds to the confusion. For this reason, most wedding vendors provide set prices ahead of time and do not expect any additional gratuity on top of that price. Payments are made in advance so that the people planning and participating in the wedding don’t need to worry about who gets paid, how much, etc. If gratuity is expected, it is usually included in the price and specified in the contract. You are usually not expected to tip your wedding vendors on top of the contract price unless it is otherwise specified in the contract.
Often caterers or hotels will include the gratuity for the waitstaff, bartenders, etc. in their contract. This means that you pay a pre-determined amount for the number of guests that you have, and you are under no obligation to tip at the event unless you feel so inclined. Be sure to ask your vendors ahead of time if gratuity is included in their price before signing a contract. You certainly wouldn’t want to sign your contract for catering and then find out later that you owe an additional 20% gratuity on top of the vendor’s contract price. Read about negotiating with wedding vendors>
If gratuity is not included, plan to tip 15-20% of the total bill for food and beverage. Limousine drivers should also be tipped 15-20% of the total price, however most car services include the tip in their contract. You should also count on tipping $5-$10 for any drivers or delivery people such as floral delivery, wedding cake delivery, etc., These tips are usually not included in the contract price, so plan accordingly.
Also include some room in your budget to tip the parking valet, coat check attendant and, bathroom attendants if applicable. It is customary for the host to take care of these tips, so plan to tip $1 for each guest in attendance. Tip these providers ahead of time and ask that any tip jars or baskets are put away. Also let you guest know that you’ve taken care of everything so that they will not feel obligated to tip.
The majority of tips will be given on the day of the wedding, so even if you don’t anticipate having a lot of people to tip, it’s a good idea to have some extra cash on hand just in case. Tipping your vendors can be done at the end of the reception or even mailed after the wedding. If a tip is not required, a sincere thank you note also goes a long way.
