One topic many of our clients come to us about is tipping wedding vendors. How much is enough? Am I expected to tip all of vendors? 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?

To say tipping wedding vendors is expected would be the same as stating a Thank You is required after an act of kindness. 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.

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. This is why I say to always check your contracts. Your vendor could’ve very well already added their tip into their final bill to you. You wouldn’t want to double tip them in the event they are awful, however it 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 I think that if you can tip at least $20 per person, that would be 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 staff for your wedding so that you can have an accurate number. Cash is best for this vendor as they’ll usually hand out to these funds at the end of the evening.
• Photographer/Videographer: If they’ve gone above and beyond for you, a generous tip of $50-$200 per vendor is appreciated!
• DJ/Musicians: An optional vendor, but preferred if they were exceptional! Typically an allotment of $50-$150 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: If your transportation schedule requires more than a quick round-trip stop, 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 is generous. 

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