One topic many of our clients come to us about is tipping wedding vendors. How much is enough and who should I be tipping? Is my paid in full balance not enough? Have no fear, because today we’ll be breaking it all down for you.

Is Tipping Expected?

No, you are not “expected” to tip your vendors at your wedding. However it is very much appreciated in the event your vendor goes above and beyond for you, or has been an exceptional vendor since your initial consultation – a little something extra to let them know you’ve very much appreciated all the work they’ve put into this special day for you. Many of our vendor partners are on site 10-12+ hours making all of your dreams come alive. A small token of appreciation to say thank you sets you apart from the rest.

That leads me to my next tipping wedding vendors topic….

Check Your Contracts!

Whether we are your day-of coordinators or you’ve hired SBE the day after you said YES, checking your contracts is apart of our job. Although very seldom, there are some companies that will include gratuity into their contracts. Check em once, check em twice! Your vendor could’ve very well already added their tip into their final bill to you. Though seldom, you wouldn’t want to double tip an awful vendor, however if they were beyond exceptional you might feel inclined to show them how great they were by providing an extra Thank You.

How Much?

Now for the part you all have been waiting for – How much should I tip each vendor? We’ve created a general list for you below, but you can use some of these same practices for vendors you’ve hired that we may not have listed:

• Hair & Makeup: A 18-20% tip, just like when going to a salon. This will be reflected based upon the amount of your overall Hair & Makeup Services. If you are providing this cost for your bridesmaids, it is not bad form that you ask if they can kindly tip their stylist.
• Catering Wait & Kitchen Staff: If you don’t tip this staff, it’s very similar to going out to eat and not tipping your waiter or waitress, which I suspect is something you would never consider doing, right? Typically, wait staff is tipped in the $30-60 per person range. If this seems overwhelming to you, at minimum $20 per person will go a long way and greatly appreciated by the staff. As the time comes closer have your Wedding Planner ask your catering point of contact how many people will be on site for your wedding day so that you can have an accurate count. Cash is best for this vendor as they’ll usually hand out to these funds at the end of the evening to their team.
• Photographer/Videographer: If they’ve gone above and beyond for you, a generous tip of $100-$250 per vendor is appreciated!
• DJ/Musicians/Band: An optional vendor, but preferred if they were exceptional! Typically an allotment of $100-$250 is right on the money.
• Florist: Another optional vendor, but preferred if they were exceptional! An allotment also of $50-$150 is right on the money.
• Transportation/Valet: If your transportation schedule requires more than a quick one-way trip, providing a tip per driver is appreciated. Double check with your planning team to ensure they were where they needed to be and on time prior to handing it over, but typically if you’ve used one of our preferred vendors, chances are they were. $50-$100 per driver/attendant is generous. 

Am I Missing Anyone?

We kindly request our couples to have a separate “petty cash” envelope for any vendors we may have missed. These extra 5’s, 10’s and 20’s will cover the bellmen at your host hotel that assist us with bringing up and down any packaged items, cake delivery, or rental delivery drivers to name a few. A suggested amount is $100-$500.

Tiffany Rivera is a WEDDING PLANNER & EVENT PLANNER serving DC, Maryland, Virginia and beyond!