Tipping?

jme35 · May 2010

What is customary to tip the servers & bartenders at your wedding? I have seen that if your DJ, photog, etc. owns his/her own business, they should not receive gratuity. In our venue contract, it indicates that the service charges is NOT gratuity for the servers, etc. - but they are compensated by being paid a higher hourly wage.

What are you planning to tip, or did you tip? Do you give one lump sum to one person for all the servers?

bbyckes · May 2010

I'm applying the standard 15-20% service tip. I am not tipping those who own their own business (like our florist), save for our photogs and DOC.

I am tipping:
Photog
Servers - these are independent contractors, so I will give the money to my contact and have her disperse the money evenly.
DJ

aerinpegadrak · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_tipping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:5dd1507f-2e1b-44d2-abde-bcb223f5400fPost:fbae60d1-9660-4dc8-97b9-65675e4bb509">Re: Tipping?</a>:
[QUOTE]15% is standard, 20% is nice if you really like the service. To answer aerin, you tip based on the total paid for THAT service. So, the bartender would be based on the bar tab, servers based on the cost of the actual dinner and non-alcoholic drinks (not the price including rental of diningware and linens, wages for waitstaff or cooks, etc). Understand that tipping and gratuity are not one and the same exactly. If your contract says something about gratuity not being included, you need to make sure that it is actually a completely optional tip, as some (shadier) vendors will actually require a minimum percentage but have it buried in the fine print.
Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]
Our problem was that I didn't know off-hand what the bar tab was. When I spoke with the caterer in the morning to finalize details, I asked him what the tip should be; he told me "15-20% is standard" (which everyone should know), but he wouldn't tell me which number I needed to tip 15% on. It was a bit frustrating.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · May 2010

I'm tipping the servers, bartender, valet, limo driver, shuttle driver, DJ, and probably the photographer. Even if someone owns their own business, if you like their work, go ahead and tip them.

For servers and bartenders, it will probably be x-amount or x-amount per hour.

noodle_oo · May 2010

I found this resource helpful:

http://www.frugalbride.com/tipping.html

unplainjane · May 2010

my venue is adding 15% tip to our total food and drink bill. for my photographer if they do a great job then i prefer to send a gift then give a tip. i'll have a violinist for our ceremony but i won't tip them.

for your venue, if the service charges are not tips for the servers/bartenders then what is it for?

jme35 · May 2010

should there be a difference in the tip for your servers if you are doing buffet vs. a plated & served meal? We are doing appetizer stations (nothing passed), then our dinner is buffet - so I am just wondering.

Tipping?

Re: Tipping?

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