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.