Community› Local Wedding Boards› California-Los Angeles
California-Los Angeles
New Discussion

TIP or not to TIP

dawnbeattydawnbeatty
First Comment
in California-Los Angeles
Okay FI and I just meet with Chris from Cal Sounds (Tom Chandler's partner - LOVE HIM and will book with him BTW) but we got into a discussion about tipping.  FI doesn't think we should tip everyone and if we do tip (DJ, DOC, Photo, Viedo) it should be a flat tip for everyone like $100.00 each.  I thought tips should be like 10-20%, but that could get VERY costly!  So should be tip or what are you going to tip???TIA
My Planning Bio - updated 4/19/10
Our Wedding Teasers
imageWedding Countdown Ticker
243 invited image 170 Said YES image 45 Can't party US image 28 Haven't heard from image Invitations sent out on 4/6/10 - Our RSVP date is 5/15/10 Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
Report Reply to Post

Re: TIP or not to TIP

  • jagore08jagore08 member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We only tipped our DJs (our venue didn't allow tipping so we couldn't tip the wait staff) and we tipped them each $75. Personally I didn't think that we would need to tip the photographer because we were already paying so much for their services.
    Ignorance is a poor defense. Image and video hosting by TinyPic
    Report Reply
  • jagore08jagore08 member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Oh, I forgot to mention that the DJs worked for a company whereas the photographer owned his company.
    Ignorance is a poor defense. Image and video hosting by TinyPic
    Report Reply
  • 23sb23sb member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I was wondering the exact same thing. FI doesn't think we should tip at all because he thinks most wedding vendors overcharge enough as it is
    Report Reply
  • okami.mamiokami.mami
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    ha, 23! i like his thinking :) i think i'll follow the "business owner" guideline. so we won't be tipping those who work for themselves like the photog, our dj, the doc, etc. the reception venue is a different story. we have to add the 18% service charge to our total and then an additional 15% for tip?! that's INSANE in my mind. my parents seem to think that if a service charge is added, a tip is not required. they're a bit old school, but i still don't know how much to tip them. ugh.
    imageimage{Bio} Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • kcliveoutloudkcliveoutloud
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We have the whole service charge at our reception venue too. The service charge essentially is what is used to pay the wait staff and the cooks their base wage for the event. Gratuity is then added on top of that. I am planning a 15%-18% gratuity in our budget depending on how stellar the service is. As others have said the general rule is if the vendor owns their own company then tipping is not required since they get 100% of the profit, unless they go way above and beyond the call of duty. If the vendor works for a bigger company that pays their salary then a tip is a good idea since they only get a percentage of what was paid. In that case you tip based on how good their service is, just like in a restaurant. Good luck!
    Report Reply
  • okami.mamiokami.mami
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    KC, you're so right. That's how it should be done, but it just sucks :p
    imageimage{Bio} Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • kcliveoutloudkcliveoutloud
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Yeah, it does suck! I was really surprised when I realized what service charge is. It makes sense but geesh, the cost is just plain crazy!!
    Report Reply
  • malibu09bridemalibu09bride member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We didn't tip the venue due to the 18% service fee. I think it is really a gratuity, BUT if they call it a service fee then they can legally tax it. Sooooooo...you are really paying close to 28% extra because CA tax is almost 10%. We did tip our vendors. I'm a tipper...I think if someone does excellent service then they deserve to be tipped. We tipped DJ, DOC, and we gave the photog and videographer a little something to thank them because working with them was such a joy.
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards