Wedding Etiquette Forum

Tipping Vendors

It is customary to tip all of your vendors like florist, DJ and photographer?
None of the contracts/quotes we received included any gratuity like our venue did.

If so, when do you do it and how much?

Re: Tipping Vendors

  • We did not tip the florist.  We never saw them and they charge a pretty hefty delivery charge. 

    We tipped the DJ.  He did an amazing job under the circumstances.  The dance floor was packed the entire night.  Even in between courses.   This was under a tent in the middle of TS Hannah.  No easy feat.

    I do not believe in tipping the photographer at the wedding.   Seeing him/her every where does not mean the photos are good.   No, we choose to wait until the proofs came back and then bought prints directly from instead of using a less expensive option.  I considered it tip so-to-speak.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • I tipped everyone with the exception of the florist (I paid a huge delivery fee as well) and the photographer, who had their own business.  If you do tip your photog I would suggest waiting until you get the photos back.  If it's a huge mess then there's no taking that tip back.
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  • I will be tipping everyone. The photographer wont get their tip though until I see the pictures. 

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I have been wondering this about the photographer. How could i know the services provided deserve a tip if I cannot see the results for a month(ish). Would you just mail a check for a tip later? 
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • The general rule for tipping is you do not tip if the person owns the business. You have already paid them. Tips are generally for those who WORK on your wedding day. As for the amount? That is really up to you. We will be tipping our band members ($100 each), our Serving Staff (our gratuities are not included in our quoted price), and the shuttle bus driver. Our photographer and Officiant own their own businesses, so they have been paid. They will however be getting a thank you card with a $50 gift certificate to a coffee place....if they do a good job. Remember that tipping is a way of saying "Thank you" so although you can prepare the tips beforehand if someone messes up and you are not happy with their service, you do not need to tip them. On the flip side, if someone does something exceptional, make sure you are generous with your tip. 

    So to recap. Owners do not get tips, everyone else does unless it is already included in the quoted price. A thank you note in lieu of a tip for the owners (or an online review) is sufficient. 
  • The general rule for tipping is you do not tip if the person owns the business. You have already paid them. Tips are generally for those who WORK on your wedding day. As for the amount? That is really up to you. We will be tipping our band members ($100 each), our Serving Staff (our gratuities are not included in our quoted price), and the shuttle bus driver. Our photographer and Officiant own their own businesses, so they have been paid. They will however be getting a thank you card with a $50 gift certificate to a coffee place....if they do a good job. Remember that tipping is a way of saying "Thank you" so although you can prepare the tips beforehand if someone messes up and you are not happy with their service, you do not need to tip them. On the flip side, if someone does something exceptional, make sure you are generous with your tip. 


    So to recap. Owners do not get tips, everyone else does unless it is already included in the quoted price. A thank you note in lieu of a tip for the owners (or an online review) is sufficient. 



    Nonsense. Fun fact - I used to be a radio DJ and two of my coworkers DJ'd weddings on weekends. One ran his own business and the other was a contracted employee of a larger DJ company. After taxes, insurance, equipment, and all other necessary business-related expenses (running a website, advertising, bridal shows, etc), the business owner's take home pay was MUCH lower than the contracted employee's. And no, "just charge more" is not always a realistic solution when you're trying to be competitive and land bookings.

    So to recap. Tip whoever you think deserves it.
  • The general rule for tipping is you do not tip if the person owns the business. You have already paid them. Tips are generally for those who WORK on your wedding day. As for the amount? That is really up to you. We will be tipping our band members ($100 each), our Serving Staff (our gratuities are not included in our quoted price), and the shuttle bus driver. Our photographer and Officiant own their own businesses, so they have been paid. They will however be getting a thank you card with a $50 gift certificate to a coffee place....if they do a good job. Remember that tipping is a way of saying "Thank you" so although you can prepare the tips beforehand if someone messes up and you are not happy with their service, you do not need to tip them. On the flip side, if someone does something exceptional, make sure you are generous with your tip. 


    So to recap. Owners do not get tips, everyone else does unless it is already included in the quoted price. A thank you note in lieu of a tip for the owners (or an online review) is sufficient. 



    Knottie87702627 So you're saying if the photographer who spent 10 hours taking photos at someone's wedding happens to work for themselves and not be an employee of someone, they didn't work compared to the photographer that worked 10 hours but is employed by someone else? Oh and isn't giving your photographer & officiant a $50 gift card a form of a tip?

    To OP, there is a big debate about tipping individuals who work and are the owners of their own business. My personal feeling everyone gets an hourly rate. Tips are a way to say thank you for your service and the amount of it is determined by how much you feel they went above & beyond what they needed to. For example, my limo driver didn't have to get out of the limo & help everyone off the bus, nor did he need bring out the box of flowers at each stop and hand them to the girls (and collect them back up when going back on so they wouldn't have to hold them on the bus & they could drink & eat) and he didn't have to collect their wraps/jackets and hold them while we grabbed a few outdoor photos on unseasonablly cold day and then hand them back to the girls as soon as the photos were done. Because of all of those extras, we tipped him very well. I kind of agree about tipping photographers. If you had a good interaction with him during the day, maybe give them a little something, but hold the bulk of the tip for when you see the photos.

  • Miss Manners on tipping business owners:

    It is not the custom to insult the owner of a business by offering him a tip. Unfortunately, Miss Manners understands that it has indeed become a frequent practice of owners to request being insulted.

    As with other requests for handouts, one need not comply. If you feel an explanation is necessary, you could say, “Of course I tip employees, who make so little, but aren’t you the owner?”


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