vendor tipping

calliecrea · May 2014

Who do I tip? Do I need to tip? I feel like I'm paying so much already why should I tip? Do I tip the DJ/Photographer/caterer's wait staff?

Maggie0829 · May 2014

For you caterer, check you contract. Sometimes it includes gratuity but sometimes it doesn't.

As far as your photographer, some people wait to tip until they have seen the pictures.

In the end, whether or not you tip is up to you. If you think they went above and beyond what you contracted them for then feel free to tip away. If they sucked a big one, then don't tip.

buddysmom80 · May 2014

Maggie0829 said:

For you caterer, check you contract. Sometimes it includes gratuity but sometimes it doesn't.

As far as your photographer, some people wait to tip until they have seen the pictures.

In the end, whether or not you tip is up to you. If you think they went above and beyond what you contracted them for then feel free to tip away. If they sucked a big one, then don't tip.

To the bolded, this might be a dumb question, but my contract has an 18.25% gratuity in it per guest. Should I tip above and beyond that for the venue coordinator??

Maggie0829 · May 2014

buddysmom80 said:

Maggie0829 said:

For you caterer, check you contract. Sometimes it includes gratuity but sometimes it doesn't.

As far as your photographer, some people wait to tip until they have seen the pictures.

In the end, whether or not you tip is up to you. If you think they went above and beyond what you contracted them for then feel free to tip away. If they sucked a big one, then don't tip.

To the bolded, this might be a dumb question, but my contract has an 18.25% gratuity in it per guest. Should I tip above and beyond that for the venue coordinator??

I would check with your venue to see who that gratuity goes to before you tip anyone. As for your venue coordinator, they most likely won't be getting any of that gratuity (since they are typically salary as opposed to hourly like the wait staff) so if you wish to tip them you can but it isn't necessary.

bananasplit472001 · May 2014

The people who I absolutely would not tip are DJ's,officiants, florist, photographers and ceremony/reception musicians. This is because many times in the contract it is stated that they charge sales tax and gratuity. Where I live that would be 7% sales tax and 21% gratuity. If it is stated in the contract I personally would not give them more of a tip. The people who should be tipped when it is not stated are hair and make-up artists, wedding coordinator, bartender, and drivers.

huskypuppy14 · May 2014

bananasplit472001 said:

The people who I absolutely would not tip are DJ's,officiants, florist, photographers and ceremony/reception musicians. This is because many times in the contract it is stated that they charge sales tax and gratuity. Where I live that would be 7% sales tax and 21% gratuity. If it is stated in the contract I personally would not give them more of a tip. The people who should be tipped when it is not stated are hair and make-up artists, wedding coordinator, bartender, and drivers.

I disagree with DJ, ceremony musicians and photographer. I already have a large delivery charge for the flowers, so I probably won't tip. Where I live there is no sales tax on services (is that legal) nor a gratuity included other than the caterer.

A gratuity is for above and beyond service- if your DJ did a wonderful job, why not tip them?

tammym1001 · May 2014

I just put together tip envelopes for my wedding last night so this is fresh in my mind:

Hair and make up - 25% (these are my regular girls though so I'm giving them a little more)

Musicians - 20%

Cake delivery person - $20.00

DOC - 20% (plus a gas card because she's doing a lot of running around for us that day)

Photographer - we are waiting until we get our pictures back

Officiant - we didn't really tip him because he said his fee was whatever a couple could give and it was usually around $200, but we paid him $400.

Florist - FI's step mom did all our flowers because she is a retired florist. We bought her a nice gift.

Wait staff and bartender - 20% but it was built into our contract

I think that is everyone. Actually, I hope that is everyone and I didn't forget anybody.

ETA: additional info on DOC

buddysmom80 · May 2014

@tammym1001 I just wrote your list down to remember!

I'm such a generous tipper, but I also come from the school of owners don't get tips. Our vendors (florist, DJ, photographer, hair & MUA) own their business, so I think I'll tip based on how well of a job they do regardless if they own their business or not.

Blue & White · May 2014

@buddysmom80 similar ideas to me. We tipped the venue coordinator because he went above and beyond the day of. Tipped the hair person and DJ (he also did amazing and doesn't own his own company). Will tip the photographer once we get our album and disk of pictures back (her pictures were awesome!) I want to say we tipped our officiant, but I don't remember - she was commissioned by the state so it was a little different than a regular officiant.

We didn't have a florist, cake deliverer, or make up people. If we had, I would have tipped them also.

rsbloom · May 2014

huskypuppy14 said:

bananasplit472001 said:

The people who I absolutely would not tip are DJ's,officiants, florist, photographers and ceremony/reception musicians. This is because many times in the contract it is stated that they charge sales tax and gratuity. Where I live that would be 7% sales tax and 21% gratuity. If it is stated in the contract I personally would not give them more of a tip. The people who should be tipped when it is not stated are hair and make-up artists, wedding coordinator, bartender, and drivers.

I disagree with DJ, ceremony musicians and photographer. I already have a large delivery charge for the flowers, so I probably won't tip. Where I live there is no sales tax on services (is that legal) nor a gratuity included other than the caterer.

A gratuity is for above and beyond service- if your DJ did a wonderful job, why not tip them?

to the highlighted: sales tax is by state, some don't have a sales tax, so lucky you! Your state probably has property or income tax instead, CA has all three :[

As to the other question: I'm tipping: DOC, photographer assistant (they're working for free for experience), and makeup/hair for sure, around 20% each. Our officiant is traveling to our location, so we're going to tip since his fee is a donation to the church, and it doesn't go to him. My venue doesn't have a mandatory tip included, and says no tip is necessary, so I will have it ready and see how they do, probably only 15% because it's buffet, not plated, and I'm not having passed hours d'oeuvres.

Also, my DJ is included in my venue, and i'm not sure what he's getting paid, so I will have a tip ready for him, but not sure how much yet.

melbenso · May 2014

We plan on tipping the servers and bar tenders (not included in contract price) and I will tip my hair/makeup stylist.

Photographer owns her own business, but if the pics are amazing, we might tip her.

Our florist delivers for free, so I will tip the delivery person (about $20, probably).

Our DJ is us, but a friend is letting us use/setting up his speaker equipment for us, so we will get him a nice thank you gift.

Though we don't have to tip her, our DOC from the venue has been awesome, so we will likely get her a thank you gift too (she recently moved to our city and we have given her all sorts of restaraunt suggestions that she has liked, so we will probably get her a gift certificate to one of them.)

winelover123 · May 2014

We tipped the DJ, bartender, servers and venue coordinator since she did a lot for us and officiant. We didn't have a florist or baker. I also tipped my hair stylist.

melbenso · May 2014

Not to thread-jack, but I'm trying to figure out how much to tip my individual servers. We will have a plated meal, but no passed apps. There will likely be 4-5 servers, per our DOC and between 110 and 120 guests (best estimate based on RSVPs so far). Tables of 8, so other than our King's Table there will likely be 12ish tables being served and cleared - a salad, main, and dessert courses. Average meal cost is about $21 per person.

Edit: More info -
When I asked our DOC how many servers to expect for tipping purposes, she told me that tipping isn't necessary, as all servers (and bartenders) receive a standard hourly wage $2-$3 over our state's minimum wage rather than the state's waiter/waitress hourly wage, but it is allowed. Assuming they do a good job, I do want to tip them. (I'm a compulsive over-tipper.)

Maggie0829 · May 2014

melbenso said:

Not to thread-jack, but I'm trying to figure out how much to tip my individual servers. We will have a plated meal, but no passed apps. There will likely be 4-5 servers, per our DOC and between 110 and 120 guests (best estimate based on RSVPs so far). Tables of 8, so other than our King's Table there will likely be 12ish tables being served and cleared - a salad, main, and dessert courses. Average meal cost is about $21 per person.

Edit: More info -
When I asked our DOC how many servers to expect for tipping purposes, she told me that tipping isn't necessary, as all servers (and bartenders) receive a standard hourly wage $2-$3 over our state's minimum wage rather than the state's waiter/waitress hourly wage, but it is allowed. Assuming they do a good job, I do want to tip them. (I'm a compulsive over-tipper.)

Then I would tip them whatever you feel comfortable with. Since they get an hourly wage then the typical 20% or whatever that you tip a waitress/waiter isn't necessary in this instance. So just use your best judgement and tip them whatever you want or like.

bananasplit472001 · May 2014

huskypuppy14 said:

bananasplit472001 said:

The people who I absolutely would not tip are DJ's,officiants, florist, photographers and ceremony/reception musicians. This is because many times in the contract it is stated that they charge sales tax and gratuity. Where I live that would be 7% sales tax and 21% gratuity. If it is stated in the contract I personally would not give them more of a tip. The people who should be tipped when it is not stated are hair and make-up artists, wedding coordinator, bartender, and drivers.

I disagree with DJ, ceremony musicians and photographer. I already have a large delivery charge for the flowers, so I probably won't tip. Where I live there is no sales tax on services (is that legal) nor a gratuity included other than the caterer.

A gratuity is for above and beyond service- if your DJ did a wonderful job, why not tip them?

The reason why I would not tip is because my contracts already include tax and gratuity. Of course if your contracts did not I would tip for a good job. I live in a high tax state where weddings are generally expensive. Most vendors in my area actually build-in gratuity in their service prices so giving above and beyond would get extremely expensive. Most vendors are already making almost pure profit from doing your event or the mark-up on their services is very high. Even if they did an amazing job you are paying them for their services to begin with so you expect them to do the job that you paid them for.

singinchick13 · May 2014

I still would probably give them 15-20% of the total cost to divide equally between them. If they do a good job, of course. Keep in mind they will likely also be setting up the event and tearing it down (tables, cutlery, glassware, etc.) so they will be working outside of just the hours that they are serving the meal.

lyndausvi · May 2014

melbenso said:

Not to thread-jack, but I'm trying to figure out how much to tip my individual servers. We will have a plated meal, but no passed apps. There will likely be 4-5 servers, per our DOC and between 110 and 120 guests (best estimate based on RSVPs so far). Tables of 8, so other than our King's Table there will likely be 12ish tables being served and cleared - a salad, main, and dessert courses. Average meal cost is about $21 per person.

Edit: More info -
When I asked our DOC how many servers to expect for tipping purposes, she told me that tipping isn't necessary, as all servers (and bartenders) receive a standard hourly wage $2-$3 over our state's minimum wage rather than the state's waiter/waitress hourly wage, but it is allowed. Assuming they do a good job, I do want to tip them. (I'm a compulsive over-tipper.)

** SIB **

What is your state minimum wage? I use to make more than $20 an hour waiting tables over $25 an hour bartending in tips. $2-3 over doesn't seem like a lot for waitstaff. Although I know some states have higher min wages than others.

Cookie Pusher · May 2014

I asked our caterer about tipping the staff, and he said that we didn't have to do 15-20% of the total bill because the staff is paid like $22/hour or something. We will likely put $20 per person into an envelope and give it to them. The reception is 5 hours long, so that comes out to just under 20% of their wage.

lyndausvi · May 2014

I do not understand what tax has to do with gratuities So because you have to pay 7% tax you should have to tip someone or at a lower rate? I get tax adds up but it should not be a factor in giving a tip.

singinchick13 · May 2014

Cookie Pusher said:

I asked our caterer about tipping the staff, and he said that we didn't have to do 15-20% of the total bill because the staff is paid like $22/hour or something. We will likely put $20 per person into an envelope and give it to them. The reception is 5 hours long, so that comes out to just under 20% of their wage.

They are also probably working many hours before and after the event, which can be much more tedious and physically challenging than the service itself. The 20% is not supposed to pertain to their wage it pertains to the cost of the food/beverage total.

Cookie Pusher · May 2014

singinchick13 said:

Cookie Pusher said:

I asked our caterer about tipping the staff, and he said that we didn't have to do 15-20% of the total bill because the staff is paid like $22/hour or something. We will likely put $20 per person into an envelope and give it to them. The reception is 5 hours long, so that comes out to just under 20% of their wage.

They are also probably working many hours before and after the event, which can be much more tedious and physically challenging than the service itself. The 20% is not supposed to pertain to their wage it pertains to the cost of the food/beverage total.

No, the waitstaff is just there for serving. They have a separate kitchen and set-up/break-down staff as well. We made sure to check that because we wanted to make sure every single person who is working at our wedding will get properly tipped.

lyndausvi · May 2014

Cookie Pusher said:

I asked our caterer about tipping the staff, and he said that we didn't have to do 15-20% of the total bill because the staff is paid like $22/hour or something. We will likely put $20 per person into an envelope and give it to them. The reception is 5 hours long, so that comes out to just under 20% of their wage.

*** we paid $30 per hour per person for a minimum of 8 hours. I knew they were not getting that whole amount so we tipped on top of that. $75 per server, $150 per bartender (we had a heavy drinking crowed).

We also tipped the dishwasher and cooks $50. Our situation was unique as it was an offsite location for the catered (cooked on site) and there was a tropical storm. Everyone worked hard together to make our wedding fantastic. I think there was a total of 9-10 staff members. Seems wrong to tip 70% of the staff and leave out the cooks and dishwasher who worked just as hard. Again, unique situation, not necessary for your average wedding.

singinchick13 · May 2014

Oy.......I pay 13% sales tax on EVERYthing here. Also extra liquor tax on alcohol. I'm on maternity leave and don't make a lot of money right now, but still tip 20% the majority of the time. Even if the service is not great/mistakes are made/things are forgotten I will never go below 15%. Maybe that's just me, though.

Cookie Pusher · May 2014

lyndausvi said:
*** we paid $30 per hour per person for a minimum of 8 hours. I knew they were not getting that whole amount so we tipped on top of that. $75 per server, $150 per bartender (we had a heavy drinking crowed).
We also tipped the dishwasher and cooks $50. Our situation was unique as it was an offsite location for the catered (cooked on site) and there was a tropical storm. Everyone worked hard together to make our wedding fantastic. I think there was a total of 9-10 staff members. Seems wrong to tip 70% of the staff and leave out the cooks and dishwasher who worked just as hard. Again, unique situation, not necessary for your average wedding.

We're tipping the bussers, the cooks, and set-up/clean-up crew, the guys driving the truck with all the stuff, and our bartender in addition to the servers.

lyndausvi · May 2014

Cookie Pusher said:

lyndausvi said:
*** we paid $30 per hour per person for a minimum of 8 hours. I knew they were not getting that whole amount so we tipped on top of that. $75 per server, $150 per bartender (we had a heavy drinking crowed).
We also tipped the dishwasher and cooks $50. Our situation was unique as it was an offsite location for the catered (cooked on site) and there was a tropical storm. Everyone worked hard together to make our wedding fantastic. I think there was a total of 9-10 staff members. Seems wrong to tip 70% of the staff and leave out the cooks and dishwasher who worked just as hard. Again, unique situation, not necessary for your average wedding.

We're tipping the bussers, the cooks, and set-up/clean-up crew, the guys driving the truck with all the stuff, and our bartender in addition to the servers.

cooks, bussers and the setup crew will love you. They do not get tipped often.

Sometimes DH would get a fat tip from a guest and he always shared the pot with his guys.

We tipped the tent guys too. They had to give up their Sat night due to the storm. A couple of our guests also gave them tips (that is what happens when you have service industry guests). I sure we are up there in best weddings they have setup for.

bananasplit472001 · May 2014

lyndausvi said:

I do not understand what tax has to do with gratuities So because you have to pay 7% tax you should have to tip someone or at a lower rate? I get tax adds up but it should not be a factor in giving a tip.

My point is that certain people you are paying strictly for a an exchange of goods of some kind (ie: florist, DJ, officiant, photographer). Those people you typically do not tip. The other people are for a service so you include a tip (ie: servers, wedding,coordinator,bartenders, hair stylist, make-up artist). Everything is charged sales tax but that does not mean you should tip lower it just means that there are certain vendors you really do not need to tip. My entire reception was actually charged a 21% gratuity fee plus a bartender fee included in my contract so I do not have to tip them anymore because they are already getting the tip. I have to tip everyone else I mentioned as they are not getting gratuity built in. It all depends on the individual vendor and there is no "right" way to tip. The fact is you are paying them to do a job. You do your job and do not expect a tip for doing your job well. Why should you overpay someone just for doing their job?

singinchick13 · May 2014

Actually, most people expect a raise for doing a job well. Tips are gifts, not required, they are a thank-you for a job well done. Just because, let's say, my photographer owns her own business, I'm not going to use that as a reason not to tip her. If she does beautiful photos for us then she will get a nice tip. You never HAVE to tip unless it is built into your contract. You don't HAVE to tip a hairstylist (they make a lot more per hour than servers and bartenders) but you do because that is what you do to say thank you and let them know you appreciate their effort and the job they have done. By all means if you are not pleased with the work, don't tip. Just know that many before you have and many after you will because that is the custom/courtesy for these types of services.

lyndausvi · May 2014

After my brothers wedding I am VERY anti-tipping photographers. How do you tip when you haven't seen the final product? My brother's photographer was very nice, very accommodating, but sucked big time. Nope, I believe in the best tip for a photographer is to buy their overpriced prints after the fact and write nice reviews.

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