Tipping is tricky! Especially in the case of weddings, the 15-20% rule is hardly applicable. In most cases that’s really good news because your standard wedding services sure aren’t in the restaurant or hair salon price-range.
From me to you: A (fairly) Comprehensive Guide in A-to-Z Order
Banquet Manager/Venue Coordinator – $100+ Depending on the size and complexity of the wedding and on their involvement (more without a wedding planner, less with one) a personal gift or $100-$200 is custom
Bartender – $50+ Like Catering Staff, this may be included in the contract, but if not, $50-$75 is appropriate (depending on the size of the wedding and the hours worked)
Catering Staff – 0-20% This is usually INCLUDED in your contract, so do read it; however, if you feel certain staff members have gone above and beyond, feel free to tip those an extra $20-50 dollars at the end of the night. IF gratuity is NOT included in your bill it may be safe to calculate 20% of the total to be split between all staff.
Chef – $100+ Again, if the chef is not part of the catering contract or company, a gratuity of $100 is appropriate, especially if this is a specialty chef performing for an intimate party or cooking something very unique to the event
Coat-room Attendant – $0-$2 per guest Most of the time if an attendant is provided by your venue or catering staff his gratuity is included in his hourly pay; if not, then a flat fee of $2 per guest is accurate
DJ – $50+ Tipping between $50 is customary but if they blow your socks off or end up DJ-ing the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, you may want to tip more
Hair, Makeup, Nails – 18%
Musicians – 15% Tipping 15% of the total fee is customary to split between musicians; however, if there were many requests or you were blown away by the performance you may want to tip $25 per member of the group
Parking Attendants – $2 per car Check to be sure that your parking contract does not already include this fee, most do
Photographer – $100 For extraordinary service if they are offering you a flat rate and no overtime fees
Tailor – 10% This is often overlooked, as your tailor is usually long gone by the time your wedding day rolls around, but feel free to reward their hard work on your dress or tux if they’ve been awesome to work with
Transportation – $25 or 18% For van or shuttle drivers this is standard, but for limo drivers 18% is appropriate
Wedding Planner – $50+ Depending on how involved your planner was, or how great the service, $50-$150 is customary
Please remember that gratuity shows gratitude – If you feel like your vendors deserve a little extra love, feel free to pile it on…BUT, if you were underwhelmed, don’t feel obligated to tip on poor service!
