Figuring out how much to tip wedding pros can be tricky, but tipping wedding vendors is an important way to show your appreciation for their hard work. To avoid scrambling on the day of, we recommend creating a list of who you tip at your wedding and organizing the cash tips into envelopes well in advance of your big day. While it’s extra-nice if you are able to hand the tips to your vendors on your wedding day, it might not be possible (you’re going to be super-busy!). Instead, have your wedding planner or a member of your wedding party be responsible for handing out the tips, which should be handed out after the service is rendered. Another great way to thank your vendors? Write them a review on a site like WeddingWire! Check out this wedding tipping guide to make the process of tipping wedding vendors a breeze (note that not all wedding vendors traditionally receive tips!).
Tip Your Bartender. 2,950 likes 17 talking about this. Big tips, little tips, & much more for the bartending world! They either tip $.25-$.50 per drink or don’t tip at all thinking they’ll just tip at the end of the night. A bartender will pick the hot chick who deosn’t tip at all over the person who tips okay. First impressions are everything. Tip on your first drink exactly the way you want to be treated the rest of the night.
Hair and Makeup Pros: Tip Required
Your hair and makeup pros work hard to ensure that you and your crew look their best—so knowing how much to tip these wedding vendors is important! Hair and makeup pros should receive 15 to 20 percent of their fee.
Caterer: Tip Required (if not included in service fee)
This is that tip is not required, and paying Homekeepers more. At TIDY, we take this last approach, but you should adjust your tipping to your circumstance. Tipping has now become an important part of our everyday life in the US. Most of us know how much to tip a wait staff or a bartender. But there is no ground rule on how much to tip the maid. Tip Your Bartender. Big tips, little tips, & much more for the bartending world! Send a few bucks to your favourite bartenders during this unprecedented shutdown of the entire bar industry. May, Sarah, Kevin, Matt, Charlotte, and Mike really appreciate it!
If you’re wondering about tipping wedding vendors, your caterer will likely be at the top of the list—food will be a super-important part of your wedding! Usually a caterer's tip is included in their service fee, but if not, tip 15 to 20 percent of the food bill.
Wait Staff: Tip Required
The servers at your wedding will ensure that your guests receive their meals in a timely and efficient fashion. Each server should receive about $20 or more. Tabview flutter.
Bartenders: Tip Required
Bartenders keep the drinks flowing all night long—how much do you tip these wedding vendors? Turns out each bartender should receive 10 to 15 percent of the total bar tab.
Wedding Planner: Tip Optional
Your wedding planner may not expect a tip, but a gratuity of 10 to 20 percent is certainly appreciated if you feel yours went above and beyond the call of duty. If your planner had an assistant or assistants on hand at your event, we do recommend tipping them $50 to $100 each.
Photographer and Videographer: Tip Recommended (if pro is part of a larger company)
Tip Your Bartender Svg
If a photographer or videographer owns their business, no tip is necessary. If that’s not the case and your photographer or videographer works for a larger company, tipping these wedding vendors $100 to $200 is a nice gesture.
Officiant: Tip or Donation Recommended
Whether your officiant is affiliated with a house of worship (church, synagogue, etc.) will determine your tipping of these wedding vendors. If your officiant is affiliated with a house of worship, give an additional donation of $100 to $300 to his/her institution. For a civil officiant, you may tip $50 to $100.
Ceremony Musicians and/or Wedding Band Members: Tip Required
If you’ve hired live musicians to perform during your ceremony or reception, each player should be tipped $25 to $50.
DJ: Tip Required
Your wedding DJ not only plays music, but often serves as the emcee for the evening—a big role to be sure. When deciding how much you're tipping this wedding vendor, the rule of thumb is that he or she should receive 10 to 15 percent of the total bill.
Attire Alterations: Tip Recommended
If you’re working with a seamstress, tailor, or other attire fitter for your wedding dress or suit, tipping these wedding vendors is usually optional. However, if you feel that your fitter went above and beyond and their place of business allows tipping, you may give between $20 and $40 for a job well done.
Transportation: Tip Recommended (if not included in fee)
Couples may hire a transportation company to shuttle themselves, their family members, and/or guests. Oftentimes, the gratuity is included in their fee, but if not, tipping these wedding vendors 15 to 20 percent is appropriate.
Delivery Staff: Tip Required
It’s important to show appreciation to those who transport important wedding-related items to your venue—it’s definitely a hard job. For those who deliver floral arrangements, rentals, cake, etc., give $5 to $20 per person.
Other Attendants: Tip Required
When thinking about who to tip at your wedding, remember those who are assisting your guests. Give $1 to $2 per guest for restroom and coatroom attendants. For example, if you’re hosting 100 guests, your restroom and coatroom attendants should receive $100 each.
Parking Attendants: Tip Required
When it comes to tipping the parking attendants at your venue, estimate how many cars you’re expecting (probably about half the number of guests), and tip the attendants $1 to $2 per car. Guests should not be permitted to give cash tips to parking attendants, since you’ll be covering the gratuity.
Florist and Cake Baker: Tips Not Expected
Your florist and cake baker do not expect, nor do they require, tips. However, as mentioned, the delivery people who are delivering and setting up your cake and flower arrangements should be tipped.
Note on Tipping Destination Wedding Vendors
If you’re hosting a destination wedding in a foreign country, know that tipping customs may be different in your event locale. In most countries, you should try to make an effort to tip in the local currency whenever possible (though in some areas, American currency is okay) to make things easier for your vendors. Be sure to talk to your venue coordinator or planner to ensure you’re following proper local traditions when it comes to tipping.
In this guide, we are going to review etiquette for tipping your help around the house. There are different schools of thought here, so the answer is 'It Depends'.
- First, the traditional approach. This is hiring someone directly and paying them a tip at Christmas.
- Second, the agency approach, where tipping is generally accepted.
- Finally, the 'Uber' approach. This is that tip is not required, and paying Homekeepers more.
At TIDY, we take this last approach, but you should adjust your tipping to your circumstance. Tipping has now become an important part of our everyday life in the US. Most of us know how much to tip a wait staff or a bartender. But there is no ground rule on how much to tip the maid.
TIPPING ETIQUETTE FOR TRADITIONAL OR AGENCY MODELS
Hiring a professional house cleaning service can be daunting sometimes. It can be awkward to figure out how much to tip a professional house cleaner. Although most house cleaners charge by the hour for the job, you may have to tip them for the service. Is there a hard rule? No. Some agencies and individuals live off tips.
Tip Your Bartender Online
Most often, tipping is not as necessary as tipping your waitor or waitress. However, many agencies pay only minimum wage, and their Home Cleaners rely on tips to make a bit extra. If using an agency, go ahead and ask them. They should provide information about how much to tip. Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to tip $10-$20 per service. Most services rely on tips to pay their workers over minimum wage.
HOW MUCH TO TIP IF I HIRE A HOUSE CLEANER DIRECTLY?
If you hire someone directly for a one time or infrequent cleaning, most etiqueete professionals say you should tip. $10 to $20 per cleaning is a good ballpark range.
If you have a home cleaner year round, it is probably not necessary to tip each time. Instead, you can give a cash bonus or gift at the end of the year. This is a nice way to show your appreciation and make the house cleaner feel good about his or her service. Again, it is always up to you whether you want to give some cash or gift to the maid or not.
THE UBER MODEL OF TIPPING
Some newer companies explicitly say 'Tip is not required.' They take the approach of making sure home cleaners make more money per hour. This allows home cleaners to feel more comfortable that they will make a living wage. It allows clients avoid awkward interactions and fumbling for cash.
ALTERNATIVES TO CASH
Some homeowners prefer to give something other than cash to the housekeeper. In such cases, you can choose a gift or a gift card instead of cash. If not, you could also choose a thoughtful present to show appreciation to your house cleaner as well. We've heard of people giving fresh-baked cookies, hand-knitted scarves, or even a nice bottle of wine. If you know your maid really well, you can choose a gift based on her personal taste too. Tickets to a theme park or event are nice because they help the home cleaner splurge on a fun event for themselves. A handwritten thank you note is also an inexpensive way to show your appreciation.
The final word, when could you tip a house cleaner?
If you really want a number, here are some recommendations. The bottom line is:
- If you've hired them directly, $10-$20 per service OR $100 during the holidays.
- If you are working with the agency, ask them. $10-$20 per service is probably appropriate.
- If you are working with a newer service, like Uber or TIDY, there is no need to tip.
WHY DON'T I NEED TO TIP AT TIDY?
At TIDY, tipping is not required. Homekeepers make significantly more than traditional home cleaners. Although we don't ban tipping, the vast majority of clients do not tip.
Is tipping the right thing?
It isn't exactly right and wrong, but cultural norms are shifting. Many people are moving to a simpler model where you don't tip. Here are some articles that highlight some of the debate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBTfj2lN6sQ
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/opinion/why-tipping-is-wrong.html?_r=0
Tip Your Bartender Signs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/18/i-dare-you-to-read-this-and-still-feel-ok-about-tipping-in-the-united-states/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-22/tipping-is-coming-to-uber-and-it-s-going-to-be-awkward
What do you think? Do you like tipping? Is it awkward?