Church alter arrangement

Spray rose pomander

Post your questions 6/14/2009

Have a question about your wedding? Just ask and we will answer. One question will be chosen and answered in detail.

Question of the week

This week's question is from Anya. This is a great question, I get a lot of brides who are just unsure of who and how much to tip. Below are some tips on tipping ;-)

Question-
"I have some questions about tipping. Is it true that it's not necessary to tip a vendor if he/she owns the business? Do they still expect tips? Also, do you wait until you see photos/video before tipping the photographer and videographer? Or do you do it the day of the wedding? And what is the proper amount to tip the following: photographer videographer dj florist DOC venue coordinator priest"

Tipping can be tricky. Some vendors include gratuity in their pricing but most of us know this such as limos. It is clear that a tip is being given. A simple thank you card at or after the wedding is always a nice idea. It is important to show those who helped make your day so special your appreciation.

A few things to remember:

1. Tip should never exceed $150
2. A good guideline is 15% for most vendors

Vendors who own their own business often add tip into their prices but many do not. So it is best not to assume this is added in. Check your invoices. If all our fees add up with no tipped added in the vendor even if they own the business is not adding in a tip. Tips for business owners are never required and are a personal choice.

Below are guideline and generally standard tips for vendors, of course they are not set in stone.
If you feel a vendor did a poor or exceptional job base tip amount of that as well. It is a good idea to assign tipping to someone you trust. Have an envelope for each vendor. Make sure there is someone you can trust with the envelopes, a coordinator is best for this job as they will be attending to the vendors for the night and no guest at the wedding as to be concerned with remembering to see each vendor at the end of the night.
As a coordinator I often receive gift cards after an event rather than a tip. This is a very nice gesture and thank you. Personally I always love getting a thank you note after the event in the mail from my brides.

Photogaphers/Videographers- should be tipped based on day of. If for some reason you are not happy with their work once you receive their work back that is something you can take up with them later. Typically $50 and this would be split with an assistant but that is something the photographer or videographer would handle on their own.

Officiant- again not required but always a nice idea. Another idea would be to make a donation. Amount varies, but should account for any travel time they have made. Typically $75-$100.

DJ- DJ's keep the night going. When your guests leave and say how much fun they had you can thank the DJ. A good tip amount is typically $50 per DJ.

Florist- for the florist doing your work a tip is not required however delivery is a different situation. As with any delivery $5 per location. If your flowers have to be dropped at your location for the bridal party guys and girls, church, and venue location $5 x 4= $20.

DOC (outside or provided by the venue)- this is the person handling the other vendors for the night and attending to anything that may come up. They can be hired by you or provided by your venue $50.

Let's hear it!

I so often receive questions from soon to be brides on small little things then need a professional opinion for but don't quite need to hire a coordinator for.


Do you have a question regarding your wedding? Etiquette? Design? DIY's? Each week we will accept questions from brides that they would like answered. Sunday nights one question will be chosen to be answered in detail by RCH Designs.

You can leave a comment or feel free to email your question. Be sure to check back each week to see your question answered! Soon to be brides are welcome to comment and give their feedback and opinions as well. Remember there are no stupid questions, if you are having doubt it is always better to ask.

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RCH Designs

Mock Ups

Mock Ups are a great idea for you to get an idea of what
you're wedding flowers are going to look like. Most florists will provide them for you free of charge. RCH Designs does charge for mock ups as we do not have inventory on a daily basis and need to place a special order for one arrangement. Mock ups allow you to get a visual of what you and your florist are designing. This is perfect for those who have trouble seeing a description on paper come to life. This example is a mock up using pink and ivory roses and spray roses. This is on the more pricey end of arrangements but could easily be done using carnations or other inexpensive flower to create the same look. This centerpeice will also have crystal accents as well.

Tips

Great work ladies with the money saving tips. They are really useful so far, make sure you read others comments to get ideas on how to save for your wedding. Be sure to check back for RCH Designs on a Budget Ideas next week!

Once we hit 20 on the followers count the winner will be chosen, so tell your soon to be bride friends about RCH Designs wedding blog!

Keep the tips coming!

Welcome to RCH Designs Blog

Our blog will be a place for money saving tips and tricks of the trade for the bride on a budget. We will share ideas, photos, answer questions and help you plan the wedding of your dreams.

The first 20 brides to join and follow the blog will be entered to win a restroom necessity basket for their wedding!

Simply include your name, email address and wedding date as a comment to enter!

Contest 2009

This year RCH Designs is looking for your best money saving tips for planning your wedding. Share with us your best tip to save you money. All tips will be reviewed, posted on our blog for readers to vote for the best tip.

The winner will receive FREE Day Of Coordination for their wedding!!!

Enter your tip as a comment (click comments tab below) and be sure to include the following information or your entry will not be valid. You must be a follower of RCH Wedding Design blog to enter. Entries will be accepted 5/5 until 6/5. Voting will begin 6/8 until 6/10, winner will be announced 6/10 via email.

Name:
Wedding date:
Budget(optional):
Email:
Tip:


Entry Rules:

• Must be a useful money saving tip
• One entry per bride
• All necessary information MUST be provided at time of entry
  
• Brides MUST be a follower of RCH Designs Blog

All valid entries will be posted to the blog for voting, final list of entries will be used by RCH Designs on our web site and blog to help other brides save money on their wedding.

April 25th 2009 Wedding