Post # 1

Member
266 posts
Helper bee
Another post made me think,
If it weren’t “rude” would you actually tip your vendors?
I just personally feel like I’m already dropping quite a bit of coin and that it is kind of absurd to expect me to give them MORE money than what we agreed upon.
A thank you note, sure but a TIP!! The employees are working for their agreed upon rate and shouldn’t really expect anything else.
AM I CRAZY HERE???
Post # 3

Member
4753 posts
Honey bee
none of those options gave me a chance to vote. There is to many variables to consider.
I tip where called for. Where called for depends drastically. I tip huge 30% if deserving. I will burn you with a tip if you’re not deserving despite ettiquette. To me “it depends” is my answer, so I didn’t vote.
Post # 4

Member
1041 posts
Bumble bee
I would still tip as long as I thought they did a great job. I dont believe tips should just be automatic…they are extra and should be earned. My Fiance and I disagree about this because he always gives a 15% tip no matter what and I refuse to to tip for poor service.
Post # 5

Member
4369 posts
Honey bee
I did not tip independent business owner providers: photographer, florist, wedding planner, and such. My venue included a tip for the servers, that is fine by me, they should be tipped as most servers don’t earn a lot and a tip is part of their income. But why would I tip my photographer 20%? She named her price for a service, I pay it and expect the service. I don’t feel I need to tip her another 20% for it, etiquette or not!
Post # 6

Member
266 posts
Helper bee
@vmec: I made an option for you 🙂
Post # 7

Member
3670 posts
Sugar bee
@vmec: I agree with this. Just as when I go out to eat, I tip depending on the level of service I received. If I didn’t receive good service, I may tip a little but not nearly as much as if someone worked extremely hard while still being able to be friendly and wonderful.
Edit: I will add I did not tip my photographer as she owns her own business but I did make sure she was well fed, treated very well, and received a thank you card.
Post # 8

Hostess
11163 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I agree, I don’t think any of those answers fit how I feel.
I think that the wedding industry practically demanding and expecting a tip for each vendor is ridiculous. My wedding planner has it written into our budget…I would say that is pretty much expected. A tip should be based on performance and I cannot for the life of me understand why a vendor can expect a tip if they don’t perform well. The same goes for table service or any other hospitality industry.
I have done my time in several hospitality positions and I felt the same way then as I do now. If you do your job well you deserve to be well compensated and vice versa…it should never be expected.
Post # 9

Member
1249 posts
Bumble bee
No… they told me how much they want for the job they are doing, and that’s how much we agreed upon. If someone goes above and beyond extraordinarily, then I will send a tip after the wedding with a thank you card.
An exception to this is the minister, who does not have a fee. I am giving him $40.
Post # 11

Member
4369 posts
Honey bee
@rubyred605: I agree that if someone did something above and beyond, that is deserving of a thank you and a tip.
Post # 12

Member
14490 posts
Honey Beekeeper
Most of our vendors were not even tipable, and I am a full believer in tipping when appropriate. We went with a caterer that did not accept tips, as great as the food was they deserved it, but they couldn’t accept it. Since they were corporate, I sent a nice letter to her boss, the corporate office, and also sent them a copy of the post I wrote here.
Post # 13

Member
2849 posts
Sugar bee
I only plan on tipping those who do a really great job and it probably won’t be 20% because that’s a lot of money. My vendors are aware that my fiance and I are on a tight budget, so I don’t think they expect a huge tip on top of their payment. I’m sure they would appreciate it, but it’s not realistic for every bride.
Post # 14

Member
266 posts
Helper bee
I feel like a good review is great too!
If I were to tip anyone it would probably be my poor wedding planner who has gone way above and beyond the terms of the contract, even on her personal time talking me off of many a crazy ledge.
Post # 15

Member
2649 posts
Sugar bee
Allways check to see where the included gratuity is going for your servers. I know at the place I work the servers get shafted really bad. There is a 20% gratuity added, the house gets 18 and the servers get 2% SPLIT by the number of workers. I’m in the kitchen and i helped serve for a 20,000$ new years event. There were a bunch of servers… my tip was 2.00$ I was THRILLED let me tell you.
Post # 16

Member
266 posts
Helper bee
@imalittlebirdie: I used to banquet serve, never got a tip!