This may sound terrible...

VioletRays

On tipping: 

If my venue adds on a 20% gratuity on all their services (valet parking, bar, dinner, coat check) should I still tip? I don't want to sound cheap, I am normally a very generous tipper but 20% already seems very generous. Am I wrong? I am very torn. Would feel terrible not giving them something at the end of the night. 

achiduck

No, if the tip is in the contract no additional gratuities are needed.

lyndausvi

No additional tip is needed if it's already included in the bill.

Loopyseven

If it's listed as a service charge, make sure it's actually going to the staff - sometimes that's just another fee and the wait staff/valet/etc don't actually see any of that as a tip.

phfiely

This is a good question. My venue does something similar-everything that I get through them has a 20% service charge. This includes valet, food, alcohol, linens, etc. (even though some of these things (like valet) are through third parties). When I booked, I specifically asked if this was a gratuity, or if I'd be expected to tip an additional 20%. Obviously I would have gone with a different venue if my bill was going to be 40% higher than the original cost.

The owner explained that their servers/bartenders get paid an actual wage (not $2.13 + tips like i did when i served). I think this fee is totally justified for the servers and other actual people who do the work--however charging me 20% on the rental fee of the venue is a little ridiculous.

I dont plan on tipping my venue an additional 20% on top of the 20% I was already charged; but I did specifically ask her about this when I booked. Individual vendors I will tip 20% based on the rules from The Knot (tipping everyone except those who own their own business). I agree though, it makes me feel weird.

theponz512

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_this-may-sound-terrible?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:780f7e06-9776-4512-b5ee-0b737c70b7b1Post:5e855b56-12a5-47bb-bded-e9500cb0183d">Re: This may sound terrible...</a>:
[QUOTE]In NY, my understanding is that anything labeled service or gratiuties must actually go to the wait staff.   Some places have been sued for not doing this.  In NY, if either service or gratuity is on the bill, I see no need to tip.   Stage manager --<strong> I think these things may vary</strong>. 
Posted by NYUgirl100[/QUOTE] <div>
</div><div>I agree. My florist as well as my caterer charged a service fee, and when I asked what it covered they said it went directly to the staff that would be helping me that night. They most definitely vary depending on the place. :) 

</div>

violet355

if you think that the waitstaff did an excellent job then feel free to give them a little extra at the end of the night.

the gratuity included should be going to the staff, but hey, as a server, it's totally awesome to get a little bit extra when i've done a particularly good job taking care of someone.  just don't feel like you need to give any more if they haven't earned it.

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_this-may-sound-terrible?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:780f7e06-9776-4512-b5ee-0b737c70b7b1Post:5e855b56-12a5-47bb-bded-e9500cb0183d">Re: This may sound terrible...</a>:
[QUOTE]In NY, my understanding is that anything labeled service or gratiuties must actually go to the wait staff.   Some places have been sued for not doing this.  In NY, if either service or gratuity is on the bill, I see no need to tip.   Stage manager -- I think these things may vary. 
Posted by NYUgirl100[/QUOTE]

<div>Anything labeled "gratuity" or "tip" must be paid to servers.  Anything label 'service charge' does not.  </div><div>
</div><div>How they individual company breaks it down varies.</div><div>
</div><div>I've worked for some major hotel companies.  All of them charge a 'service charge'.   A quarter of that amount always went back to the 'house'.  The other 75% went to the staff.  If someone tipped on top of that all of it had to go to the staff.   In banquet situations housemen (the guys who setup up the room) also were part of the tip pull, but they did not get the same percentage.</div>

J&K10910

So, in the interest of straightening this out in my own head, I googled.  I found several sites on the first page (didn't go further than that, it didn't seem warranted) that all said some variation of this about service charges:  "Another type of service charge has many people confused. This is when people at restaurants are told to pay a set percentage of the bill as a service fee in lieu of a tip. Many waiters and waitresses can point to the immediate problems with this scenario. Any fee is not a tip and belongs to the restaurant owner and not to the waiter or waitress. This means the owner can distribute the fee in any manner he sees fit, or can keep all of it"

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-service-charge.htm

J&K10910

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_this-may-sound-terrible?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:780f7e06-9776-4512-b5ee-0b737c70b7b1Post:1d4e09cb-91a5-4315-8c2e-55c40dbec6f5">Re: This may sound terrible...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: This may sound terrible... : The law in NY is that anthing labeled service must go to servers.  See <a href="http://www.foxrothschild.com/newspubs/newspubsArticle.aspx?id=6436" rel="nofollow">http://www.foxrothschild.com/newspubs/newspubsArticle.aspx?id=6436</a> I agree law may be different elsewhere, but in NY, if it says service charge, it goes to service staff. 
Posted by NYUgirl100[/QUOTE]

Well, that's actually pretty cool, and I'm guessing that NY is probably the only (or at least one of the very very few) state that does that.  I mean, it pretty much says right in the article that service charges aren't gratuities.