Gratuity Guide

A NOTE ON tipping

The amount to tip vendors is very subjective, and not all categories are required. The tipping here is across the board, but I will give you an idea of what I usually see
for vendor tips. About half of our client's tip as a percentage of the total bill (usually somewhere between 15% & 20%) for each vendor, and it gets divided among the
total staff that worked on an event. Some of our client’s tip per worker. Both are normal and accepted. Please feel free to tip as you see fit. If they ARE NOT tipped as a percentage, here are the ranges of what we usually see:

Some Notes on Tipping:
• Please feel free to tip as you see fit. These are simply suggestions, solely based on what I normally see vendors getting tipped in this area.
• You are more than welcome to write a check to each vendor, but cash is usually the preferred method of tipping.
• If you would like to tip in cash, you can place each vendor's tip in a separate envelope with their name on it.
• Also, don’t forget to write a review or a handwritten thank you note. Your words of affirmation mean the world to your vendors and reviews allow for business growth, assuring future clients with the same peace of mind you had when booking your vendors. And a review is wort is worth it's weight in gold! 

Floral
Florists are usually tipped as a percentage of the total. I usually see this around the 10% (pre-tax), but sometimes people will tip them by the person as well - generally from $25-$50 per person for all of those that are involved in the setup and tear down.

Photography & Videography
Because photographers and videographers are more skill-trade vendors, they are usually tipped at a higher rate, often as much as 15% of their total. If not tipping as a percent, I typically see the photographer and videographer tipped anywhere from $150-$300, and the second shooter is tipped from $50-$150.

Hair & Makeup- expected
Hair and makeup people are usually tipped like you would tip your stylist at the salon, 20% or so.

Planners and Coordinators
We see a wide range of tipping in our category. Everything from spa gift cards and jewelry to monetary tipping ranging from $100-$1000 or even a percentage. It can also depend on the level of service booked.

Ceremony Musicians
$25-50

DJ
DJ's are usually tipped between $200-$500.

Band
The band members are normally tipped $25-$50 for each member.

Bartender Staff- required
Bartenders are usually tipped $50-$100 per person unless there is a tip jar. If there is a tip jar, there is not usually an additional tip given unless they did an exceptional job.

Cake
If tipped, $20-$50.

Catering Service Staff- required
Catering is typically tipped 18% of the food cost. *Gratuity is different than a service fee. The service fee covers the cost of business and remains with the owner for admin time and  other overhead while gratuity is given to the wedding day staff.