(Closed) vendor tips?

• lauren810c
• 10 years ago

• Wedding: August 2010

I am wondering the same thing…i asked a friend who recently got married and this is what she sent me she tipped…guess it depends on what they cost too as well!

TIPS

Maitre’d (@$3pp for 100ppl) = 300

Bridal Attendant = 100

Day of Coordinator (she is the owner)= 100

Photographer = 100

Photographer’s Assistant = 75

Videographer = 75

DJ = 75

MC (owner of the company) = 75

CH musician = 50

Florist = 50

ceremony musicians (2pp) = 50

Hair & Makeup (2 ppl) = 150

• March2011BrideLA
• 9 years ago

Do you tip the assistants of your coordinator, photographer, videographer, etc. directly? Don’t you just add that amount to the tip for the head person, and they will disburse amongst any assistants?

And do you really tip the florist?

• CoffeeHound
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: January 1991

@March2011BrideLA:  The best man tips the vendors.  You give the best man envelopes with people’s names on them and he distributes.

Etiquette says that you do not need to tip the proprietor of the business – only employees.  So if the florist owns the shop and delivers/sets up, she does not need to be tipped.  If a delivery person who is not the owner drops off and sets up the flowers, that person can be tipped (though that person should be in and out before the best man can get there to tip). For something like delivery – $5 to $10 is fine, depending on how long the person is there (over an hour, tip more).  For everyone else (DJ, photographer, etc), $50-$100 is fine. 

You tip everyone involved individually, not one large tip that’s distributed.

• mwitter80
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: December 2010

Agreed with CoffeeHound. Our photographers assistant though was her husband so no tip. The florists helper is the co-owner, so make sure you know who is who if you can 🙂

• ClairDarling
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: August 2010

i had so many vendors who were just amazing, so we deicded to tip them.  they made our planning process  so much easier becuase they were so awesome.

coordinator/designer (full service, not just day of). we tipped her $150, and my mom wanted to give her more, so i think she ended up with $300

photog: $100

florist: spa package at the Grand Del Mar

band leader: $100

hair and makeup: $120 each

catering manager: wine club for she and her husband (HUGE wine people, which we learned as we worked with her)

venue manager: $150

bartenders: (No tip jar) $200 for 2

• ClairDarling
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: August 2010

PS i disagree with the whole business owner thing.  i feel that the owners work harder than anyone else and deserve to get tipped.  i dont feel like that rule should apply to the wedding world, a restaurant, yes, but not a florist or coordinator. they work their tails off to make sure your day is perfect. 

now, on the same tokin, if they do a marginal job, no tip for them.  tips are not required and are for those who go above and beyond

• Miss Tattoo
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: September 2012

Aren’t they charging enough anyway? Why does everyone expect a tip nowadays? Servers get tipped because they LIVE off of tips. The $3500 I’m paying for photography is enough. And that goes for other large vendors. 

We plan on tipping the servers and bar tenders and any delivery people. Everyone else who is charging thousands aren’t getting tipped for doing their jobs. ^_^ I will write them a thank you note and refer other people to them. 

• CoffeeHound
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: January 1991

@ClairDarling:  You can tip anyone you want, but you don’t have to tip the owner.  It’s like a tip cup at a sub shop – you can leave some cash if you want but you don’t have to.

This is different than tipping an employee.  Each employee has a “working wage” that they’re worth.  In a field where tipping is expected (say, a waiter) the owner pays that employee less with the expectation that tips will cover the difference.  So you basically have to tip to get that employee to their working wage.  An owner, on the other hand, doesn’t have that expectation so they bid at their working wage.

Why has society evolved to tip employees and not owners?  Because an employee on a salary (theoretically) has no incentive to make you happy – they’re paid either way.  The idea of a tip is a counterbalance to that where a portion of their salary does depend on customer satisfaction and performance, which incentivizes them to give you good service.  An owner’s salary (i.e. business profits), on the other hand, is entirely dependent on customer satisfaction and overall business performance, so they’re inherently incentivized to give good service.