Vendor Gratuities... Who Do You Need to Tip, and Which Ones to Skip!

Photo by Ester Knowlen Photography

Dos Goats here with some more wedding planning advice, this one has been one of our most asked questions lately, so we thought we would write a blog on it! Over the years, we have updated this, as weddings are always evolving, the topic is a fun one… Tipping your vendors!

We get it, weddings are hella expensive (We are in the middle of planning ours, so we feel the pain!) When you have already spent so much money, it is hard to believe you are expected to shelve out even more! So we want to get into this and say, you are not required to give any of your vendors a tip, but there are some vendors where it is pretty standard, as well as some, that you can decide on later.

It takes a village to pull off a wedding, and that village is a team of professional wedding vendors who put their hearts into their work, so we thought we would give a little run down on what is customary when it comes to tipping your wedding vendors!

For starters, gratuities doesn’t always have to mean cash money… There are other ways to show your appreciation. Reviews on Google, and other wedding websites is the best, and if you are tight on money towards the end of planning, don’t feel bad if that is your form or gratitude.

Small gifts are a great way to show your appreciation, when couples get us crystals, it is so kind hearted! Find out what your vendor loves and get them something nice!

The best way to hand out gratuities to your vendors, put it in envelopes, labeled, and make sure your coordinator has them at the beginning of the day!

People you should always tip!

Delivery set-up and tear-down crews

Chairs, tables, linens, decor, lounge furniture, lighting, arches - If someone is coming out and delivering these items to you, you typically would want to leave them a tip.

How much?

$25-$50 For them to divvy up is standard.

Floral delivery that includes set-up / tear-down

If your florist is delivering, setting up your ceremony space, reception space, as well as coming back at the end of the night, you would typically leave them something.

How much?

$35 - $75 per person

Note - If they are charging you extra to do the set up and tear down, you might want to opt out of giving them cash, and give them a gift card or small gift instead?

Officiant

If you are getting married in a church, it is custom to leave a donation to the church, we typically see it around $350 - $500.

If it is a friend or if you hired and they need to get ordained, pay for those fees. If it is a professional service, it is custom to give them a cash tip.

How much?

$75 - $100 is standard

Dessert delivery & set-up

If you have your dessert company coming out and setting up the stands, and desserts, it is always nice to leave them a little tip!

How much?

$25 is standard

Hair & Makeup

Always tip your hair and makeup team! They are keeping you looking freshy fresh through out your wedding day! P.S. check to make sure it’s not already built into their invoice!

Photo https://esterknowlen.com/ | Hair http://hair-by-theresa.com/ | Makeup https://www.makeupbymindie.com/

How much?

$25-$30 per person is standard

Bartender

Tipping your bartender will depend on the type of bar you envision having. If you have an open bar, but they have tip jars, then you don’t have to worry about an extra tip, but if they do not have a tip jar, then it is standard to tip $150 per bartender.

Optional Tips

We call these optional because they tend to be the more expensive vendors, but again, if you had a wonderful experience with them and they went above and beyond to make your day special, you might want to give them something!

Band or DJ

If they kept your party high vibe and hopping, consider leaving them a small tip - $30-50 per person is standard for a band… DJ’s we would say $150-$200 is standard!

If you have a band and they have a sound guy or someone that works the Emceeing for you, you should leave that person a small tip, typically $50 - $75

Photographer & Videographer

This section is a total edit because over the years, we have seen a shift in what people consider standard and we feel it’s important to keep things up to date.

We think that a small gift or Cash is great for your photographer, especially if they kept the timeline on track in terms of photos, and were a joy to work with… We also think it’s ok to save the tip until after you get your photos back, so keep that in mind.

$100-$150 per photographer

If your photographer comes with a second shooter, it is always nice to leave them something. - $75 - $100 is standard for a second shooter.

Photobooth Attendant

If your photobooth person is awesome, lively, and is able to get people over to take photos, you should definitely consider giving them something.

Photographer https://alexandrarobyn.com/ | Photo booth https://thesnapshotphotocamper.com/

How Much?

$25

Coordinator / Planner

As planners, we don’t like to boast that tips are standard, we have seen some companies have a set gratuity that they build in… We don’t believe in built in tips, we are all about working for them, so if you loved working with your planner, they made the planning process easy and stress free, and you just loved us, then we are always so dang grateful to get a tip from you! Standard is $100-$125 per person.

Catering staff

This is a hard one because every catering company is different. Some use the service charge and part of that goes to the serving staff as a built in gratuity… We always say that it’s never a bad idea to make envelopes with catering staff in mind, and if they went above and beyond, leave them one to divvy up between the staff. - Typically $25 per staff member, or just give it to the ones that stood out the most to you.

Venue coordinator

We again leave this up to you, if you feel like your venue coordinator went above and beyond, a small gift is nice!

Photographer Lindsey White Photography

We hope this list brought you a sense of calmness and answered some of your big tipping questions! We are always here to help as well, so if you have any questions about who you should be tipping, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Stay Weird!

Dos Goats Plans

REAL Wedding Budgeting Tips & Tricks

We like to create our blogs to give you advice in the places where it is sometimes needed most. Budgets are one of those things that some people are rock-stars at, and others, need a little help. So lets talk about the subject that makes everyone want to hide under a rock when it comes to wedding planning, drum-roll… Lets talk budget!

There are the basic questions that we ask our couples to help them layout their budget as well as their payment schedules. Who is paying for this, who is paying for that? How are you keeping track of your budget? Do you have money now to start making deposits, or are you saving up? (this will determine when you should start booking your vendors, because all vendors will require a deposit to secure their services for your big day.)

1. As a couple, come up with 3 of your TOP priorities and 3 of your least important priorities. Some people want to spend money on a really high end photographer, some want floral and decor, others could care less about flowers, but they really want a band or a really awesome DJ. We try to get couples to pick 3 or 4 things that are at the top of the priority list for them, this will help when we allocate funds to certain vendors.

2.      Who is contributing – Gone are the days of tradition where the brides parents pay for everything. I hate using terms like “Average cost of wedding” because the average can vary depending on the location, and the time of year, and we have seen costs of vendors going up lately, so what may have been average a year or two ago, is not. One thing is for sure, couples are getting creative when it comes to paying for there wedding. Older couples might be paying for a majority of it themselves, While some have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles that pitch in. Sometimes, the groom’s parents are more financially stable, and they pitch in more. So first thing first, once you are engaged, start talking to your family and see who is going to contribute.

3. Being intentional with your guests count!

Your guest count will be the biggest impact on your budget. 8 guests can be an extra $1000 dollars if factor in everything that goes into having those 8 guests there.

8 people is 1 more table, which is 1 more linen, 8 place settings, 8 dinners, drinks, desserts, that can add up quickly!

4.  Getting advice from people who have been there! Asking friends, siblings, and co-workers for their advice, how they came up with their budget. Ask them what things WISH they had spent money on, and what they REGRET spending money on. Asking people who have been through this before will give you a great perspective on what you need to prioritize when it comes to determining your budget.

5.     Hiring a planner – Yes, I know, hiring a planner when we are talking budgets? Wedding planners offer a wide variety of packages, each of them offer a little more service then the other, so while you might not be able to afford a full blown wedding planner, there is also partial planning and wedding management that you could look in to, the most important part of a planner, they run your wedding on your day so that you don’t have to!

Some other perks of wedding planners, they often come with a vendor recommendation, they are super organized and can make a very detailed timeline for you, they are professionals and they can help when shit might hit the fan!

Pixel Dust Photography | Muse Event Center | Crave Catering

6.  Researching your venues: Venue & Catering will take up a ridiculous percentage of your budget. We always suggest looking at the catering list before booking with that venue. We all have those dream venues in mind, and I know that the venue to some is the most important part of planning, but we would argue that the most important part is being happy that you get to marry your best friend and spend the day with your friends and family. Sometimes choosing a less expensive venue, can leave more room in your budget for decor, and any venue can be gussied up with some nice decor!

Food is a huge portion of your budget and if you have a strict one to keep, you might not be able to get that dream venue you desire unless you up your budget. We never discourage our couples from touring these venues and getting to know the catering list, but we do like to be somewhat realistic when the budget is in play.

7.     Have a timeline of when payments are due. This is where an organized spreadsheet comes in hand. You will know what payments are due when. Keeping track of when the big payments are due. Always ask if you get a discount for paying in full. Again, hiring a planner will help you keep this all organized!

8.      Liquor Budgets!!! This can sometimes be such a touchy subject that it requires some booze at the meetings just to talk about it. No lie, I have had parents get in full blown arguments over if the alcohol was going to be hosted or cash. As a planner, we always want our couples to be happy, but if you are the ones that are going to end up paying for all of this, we also don’t want you to have to take out a credit card just for liquor bill at your wedding. Things to keep in mind when you are putting together your liquor budget

a.      Does your venue have a beverage minimum? In our last blog (click here) you can read all about food and beverage minimums.

b.      Pricing out kegs and bottles of wine vs. hosting per hour

c.      Consider your crowd. You know your guests best… Are they beer and wind drinkers? Or are they vodka & whiskey drinkers? Would you benefit from hosting beer and wine while having your guests pay for liquor or is your guest list small enough that hosting the whole thing won’t break the bank.

Photo by Alyssa Pearl

9.     Lastly, Pro Tip: Don’t just go with the flow and think that you will just come up with the money as time goes by. Figuring out a clear and accurate budget, prior to starting your wedding planning will save you heartbreak and stress!

Hopefully this gives you some starting points when it comes to coming up with your budget. As always, we are available for consultations and advice anytime! Click here to read more of our blogs and stay tuned for next week when we are back with the third installment of our catering series!

Namaste!