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Tipping

allikl62allikl62
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in Michigan-Detroit
Ok, so I have googled and searched on here and gotten about a million answers to this.  I know that if they own their own business tipping is optional, and to make sure that gratuity is not included in the contract already.  But I was just curious what you guys all did/are doing for tipping.  Who did you tip and what percentage?

I also had a specific question about my reception venue.  Tips are included in our package which includes the dinner, open bar and valet parking.  My question is does that included gratuity go to the bartenders and the valet drivers in addition to the wait staff or should I tip them seperately?
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Re: Tipping

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    boogerbearoriginalboogerbearoriginal member
    First Comment First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    If those items are included in your package along with a gratiutiy charge then IMO its safe to assume they are part of that. You may want to ask the venue to be sure - I don't worry about the bartendars but possible the valet guys might not get any portion.
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    leeshab1982leeshab1982 member
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    edited December 2011
    DJ: Total cost was $770 for ceremony & reception (7 hours).  We tipped the head DJ $50 and the Assistant $30. 

    DOC: Total cost was $325 for 8 hours.  We tipped $50 and yes, she owns her own company.

    Photobooth:  Total cost was $650 for 6 hours.  We tipped her $30 and she owns her own company.

    Wait Staff:  We tipped them each $20 (there were 5 of them).  We also ended up tipping the head waitress an extra $30 at the end of the night for helping us pack up our stuff and saving us an entire pizza to take back to our hotel room.  We also had a buffet style dinner, if that makes a difference.

    Valet:  We tipped him $30 and I'm sure he made tips from guests throughout the night.

    Bartenders:  We tipped them each $30 (there were 2 of them) and they made lots of tips throughout the night, as well. 

    Makeup Lady:  Total cost was $80 for airbrush makeup and I tipped her $20.

    Hair:  My MOH is my hairdresser and wouldn't accept any money from me, but I had my DOC slip her an envelope with $50 in it. 

    Cake:  DH's grandma made our cake, so we bought her a nice gift. No cash tip.

    Florist:  Did not tip.  She owns her own company and it was one of those things where I felt like we were paying for a product, not necessarily a service. 

    Photographer:  He owns his own company, but we still plan to tip him.  We wanted to wait and see how the photos turned out.  They are fab - we will send him something.

    Videographer:  Same thing as photographer. 

    We didn't really base it off of a percentage.  We did what we could afford and what we thought they deserved for their effort.  Our venue did not charge a service/gratuity charge.  They told us that their employees make excellent hourly wages and we could tip if we felt they went above and beyond.  Everything was great, so we felt fine giving them a little something at the end of the night.

    As for your venue specific question...the bartenders and valets usually make some tips from guests throughout the night, but I think it's up to you whether to give them anything extra.  My thinking is that the gratuity you are paying in your package goes to the wait staff, but you could call your venue and ask. 

    Hope this helps!! :)
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