WEDDING BLOG

photo by Karra Leigh Photography

Imagine this: It’s the end of your wedding night. You’ve just exited the venue and said “goodbye” to all of your guests. A getaway car whisks you away—hopefully headed to a cozy hotel or maybe out to a bar with the closest members of your crew. You did it! Whew!

Back at the venue, your photographer and videographer are packing up their things, the florist scurries around to gather leftover arrangements before everyone has to get out (your vendors will refer to this as the strike time). There’s still a buzz of excitement in their hearts—and, realistically, a bit of relief and exhaustion from the diligent work they’ve done to make your wedding dreams come true. In the middle of the hustle and bustle, your planner hands them an envelope.

What’s in the envelope? A tip. Or, maybe a handwritten note. We’ll get into those details in just a minute.

We Feature Vendors

Before we continue, we wanted to make it clear that Junebug proudly features a carefully selected bunch of the world’s best photographers, planners, florists, DJs, and more. We even talked to a few of them for the purposes of writing this article. So, whether you stumbled upon this blog post wondering about the etiquette of tipping the team responsible for your beautiful day, or you’re genuinely interested in our two cents, we hope you’ll find the—seriously—unbiased answers you’re looking for.

In this article we cover the following questions about tipping your wedding vendors:

• Should I tip my wedding vendors at all?
• Which vendors should we tip?
• How much do we tip each vendor?
• What are some alternatives to cash tips?

You should leave this article feeling confident about tipping—or not tipping—your wedding vendors.

photo by Los Ébano; see more from this real wedding here.

Tipping Wedding Vendors Internationally

When we sat down to write this all-encompassing totally helpful article for you babes, we got to thinking about our international couples and jetsetters who tie the knot abroad. Since Junebug is based in America—Austin, Texas to be precise—we took to our trusted planners around the world to provide their two-cents on tipping. As expected, tipping varies quite a bit by country.

Wherever you choose to get married (have we mentioned we love destination weddings?), make sure to familiarize yourself with the country’s tipping practices. Ask your planner, venue, or other vendors about gratuity expectations. If you’ve chosen your team responsibly, we’re sure they will provide you with all the information you need—without taking advantage of you.

Here’s What Some of Our International Planners Had to Say:

Henny, The Wedding Mood — Bali, Indonesia
The wedding and event industry in Bali doesn’t get tipped at all. As an independent planner, we can’t rely on tips, and since the entire wedding is fully paid off before the event even starts, neither the guests nor the couple carry cash with them.

“Cash and carry” beverage bars on private, high-end events are an almost unheard of thing. The guests of a destination wedding pay so much for their flights and accommodation to celebrate with the couple that it’s an unspoken rule that guests would never be expected to pay for their drinks at the bar, for instance. I could imagine that a guest or couple would tip maybe the wedding singer, DJ or other performers if they were absolutely over-the-top amazing, but again, if it’s an expat I don’t think they would do that.

Mango Weddings — Riviera Maya, Mexico
Tipping is an ambiguous topic here in Mexico. While everyone of course is happy to get tips anytime, it’s not a common practice by local customers. What we tell our international clients usually is that they are welcome to tip anyone they feel provided exceptional service.

Transportation drivers do rely on tips to survive. Tip depends on the distance, but anywhere from $5 to $10 USD per trip is considered generous.

Marie Alsleben Wedding Planning & Design — Düsseldorf, Germany
Well here in Germany, it’s very relaxed. It’s common that you tip the service in the venue. Normally, in Germany it is 10% in a restaurant, but as we are talking of thousands of Euros, it’s common that the couples give about 3-4€ per guest. So, if they have 100 guests, they would tip the service with 300/400€.

A lot of couples invite the photographer, DJ, and wedding planner for the dinner, so that can be seen as a kind of a tip. Also, a lot of couples write a short letter to the vendors and give them a little present.

photo by Madison Katlin Photography; see more of this real wedding here.

Wedding Vendors You Should Always Tip

If you’ve ever gone to a restaurant or enjoyed a drink at a bar, you probably didn’t think twice about tipping your server or bartender. The same should apply for those services at your wedding. Some companies will include gratuity in their bill—be sure to thoroughly read all contracts!

Vendors who expect a tip:

• Hair & Make Up Artist (15-25% per person)
• Officiant (donation up to $300 to their organization or a tip of $50 to $100)
• Caterer (usually tip is included as part of the service fee but if it’s not, 20% of the bill—before tax)
• Wait Staff (15-20% of the total bill)
• Bartenders (10-15% of the pre-tax bill)
• Transportation (15-20% of the bill)
• Band ($25-50 per band member)
• DJ ($50-150)

Some Vendors Aren’t Listed Above

There may be some wedding vendors who don’t require a tip, but would be honored to receive one. Here’s the thing when it comes to tipping your wedding vendors: a tip, or kind gesture of appreciation, is always appreciated.

Photographer and Videographers

When thinking about whether or not you should tip wedding vendors, you likely thought about the vendors who are with you the entire day—the ones who you likely spend the most time getting to know. Depending on the size of your wedding, they might have hired staff to shoot the wedding with them. They put in effort to be physically present on your big day and then do more work after to ensure the images they captured reflect the beauty of it. Their work is reflected in their invoices, but tips or other gestures are always appreciated.

Wedding Planner

Your wedding planner and team are also likely to be your saving grace throughout the entire wedding planning process. They are there to make your lives easier, and we hope they exceed your expectations with flying colors. Again, they would greatly appreciate a tip or kind gesture of appreciation of their hard work—especially if you feel they went above and beyond to make your day special.

Florist

If you’ve invested in florals, especially large floral installations, your floral team will be hard at work to make sure they look picture-perfect for your day. In some areas, it’s expected to tip the installation crew (the people who load everything in and out). However, your florist likely covered that in your bill. A tip would surely be appreciated, as would a “thank you” letter or small gift.

photo by Catalina Jean Photography; see more of this real wedding here.

Cash Tip Alternatives for Wedding Vendors

For other vendors, sometimes a cash tip just isn’t in the budget. That’s okay! We get it, and so do they. After years of talking to thousands of wedding vendors, we can confidently say there are things that can mean even more than a tip. For example, a handwritten thank you note.

You’d be surprised how many wedding vendors—especially those who own their own small business—will hang on to these notes and revisit them often. Expressing gratitude and appreciation truly does go a long way.

If you’re trying to think of a few other ideas, here are ways to show appreciation for your wedding team:

• Reserve a seat for them at your reception.
• Send them a thoughtful thank you note.
• Leave a review on their website or vendor profile.
• Gift a spa day or your favorite relaxation candle.
• Recommend their services to family and friends.
• Share about their business on your social media accounts.
• Tag them in social media posts about your wedding.

While we’re on the topic of showing appreciation, it’s always great to learn about common wedding vendor etiquette before the big day.

When and How to Tip Your Wedding Vendors

Prepare your tips in advance! Trust us, you don’t want to be scrambling around for cash at the end of your wedding night. Grab a few envelopes—we really love these compostable options—and label them according to each vendor. You could choose to include a note with the money or simply stash the cash and seal the envelope! Some vendors might also have an option to tip on your final invoice (if they use a system like Honeybook), however, it’s not required to add the tip there. Feel free to wait until the night-of to hand them a cash tip.

While we like to assume every boss is a responsible one, we have heard stories of tips not making it to the appropriate person. If you’d prefer to tip your vendors at the end of the night, we recommend having someone you highly trust hand the envelopes to each vendor. This could be a parent or your wedding planner—just make sure you trust them with delivering the tips accordingly and simply remembering to do so.

photo by Daniela Nizzoli

Junebug Reader Questions about Tipping Wedding Vendors

Question: Do I need to tip my wedding vendors who offer small specialty services (bar rental, coffee car, photo booth)?
Answer: For services such as bar rentals or coffee cars, we recommend you tip as you would if you were a patreon of their establishment. So, yes.
It’s also important to inform your guests if there will be a cash bar and tip jar. If you don’t want your family and friends to worry about tipping for their beverages, make sure you take care of the vendors directly. For photo booths and other small, specialty vendors, use your discretion. If they totally knocked your socks off and provide an exceptional service, a tip or kind gesture is going to be appreciated.

Question: Do the bridesmaids tip the makeup/hair people or is that the bride’s job?
Answer: This depends on who’s paying for the services. Have you asked your bridesmaids to pay for their own hair and makeup? If so, they’re responsible for tipping. It might be nice to remind them that’s common practice—especially if they haven’t been a part of a wedding before!

Question: Should independent vendors be tipped differently than those who work for an owner of a company?
Answer: Follow the guidelines based on the vendor category for this one. For example, if the vendors are working for a large catering company, it’s likely more appropriate to tip each member of the wait/catering staff versus the owner of the company. Use this same rule-of-thumb for the other vendor categories, keeping in mind the size of the business. Small businesses may have employees working for them, but the owner of the company likely contributes just as much to the day as their staff. 

We hope you’re feeling confident about tipping your wedding vendors appropriately. As always, feel free to reach out to us on social media with more questions, and be sure to stay tuned for our weekly wedding advice posts!

photo by Karra Leigh Photography

Image by Rachel Black. See more of this real wedding here.

Between family, friends, and wedding vendors there’s a lot of people involved in bringing to life your dream wedding. That’s why your guest-list and wedding vendor choices shouldn’t be taken lightly. And lucky for you, we know a thing or two about wedding vendors—being one of the top resources for finding wedding professionals from all around the world. 

If you’re currently in the process of hiring your wedding vendors, we’re here to help. From costs to expect and red flags to look out for, here’s everything you need to know about hiring your wedding vendors with as little stress as possible. 

Wedding Vendor Costs 

Before searching the internet for your dream wedding vendors, it’s crucial to finalize your wedding day budget. Sit down with your significant other and figure out a number that’s comfortable for you both. With that number in mind you can better understand how much money you should set aside for each wedding day element. If vendors are a top priority for you—hint: they should be—you’ll want to allocate more money to that area. 

Junebug Tip: 

You should discuss your budget with any potential wedding vendors but don’t try to negotiate pricing with them. If you’ve found an industry pro you want to work with, be prepared to pay for their time, expertise, and the value they bring to your wedding. 

Recommended reading: Wedding Photographer Cost, Hiring Schedule, And…Everything Else and How Much Does A Wedding Videographer Cost 

Image by Eastlyn & Joshua. See more of this real wedding here.

When Should You Start Looking For Wedding Vendors? 

After finalizing your wedding budget, selecting a date, and booking a venue it’s time to start assembling your dream team. Every wedding planning timeline is different from person to person. But, a good rule of thumb is to kickstart your vendor search ten to thirteen months before your wedding. We think you deserve the best and the best book up quickly. 

Getting an early head start in your vendor search is also a great way to reduce your wedding planning stress and avoid having to make any rash decisions.  

How Do You Find Trusted Wedding Vendors? 

If you’re searching for top-notch wedding vendors, congratulations you’ve made it to the right place. Junebug Weddings is your first stop along your vendor search. Whether you’re looking for a photographer you just click with, a planner fit to bring your vision to life, or a videographer that’ll turn moments into memories—we take pride in connecting you with trusted professionals in our vendor directory.

On top of our vendor directory, we recommend sourcing vendors on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. All of the images you save for inspiration didn’t come out of thin air. A group of talented vendors worked together to bring every element—the table setting, bouquets, wedding cake, and ceremony backdrop—together. When you find details you appreciate, take the time to visit the professional’s websites. 

What To Look For In Vendors 

When starting your vendor search, you might be surprised by the amount of options you have. With endless choices this wedding planning task can quickly become overwhelming. On top of trusting your gut instinct, here are a few things to look out for when sifting through wedding vendors. 

The first thing is, do they have a website? If the professional doesn’t have a website they may lack experience or professionalism. Once you’re on that website, there are a couple of important pages you should browse—their portfolio and About Me page. Their portfolio gives you an idea of the types of weddings they capture, as well as a feel for their overall style. You may notice a consistency in their work, and if it resonates with you keep them on your list. 

There are a lot of red flags to look out for when hiring your wedding vendors. A few of those being poor communication, no reviews, and not having galleries of their work online. To avoid hiring vendors you’ll later regret, check out these red flags to look out for. 

Image by The Family Films. See more of this real wedding here.

Interviewing Potential Wedding Vendors 

Once you’ve officially narrowed down your list to just a few top vendor prospects the next step is reaching out for an interview. While you don’t need a sit down with every one of your wedding vendors, meeting the key players you’ve chosen to prioritize—like your photographer, planner, or videographer—is crucial. 

Meeting face to face will give you a space to clearly communicate expectations and figure out logistics. But, it’s also a great way to gauge your comfort levels with the person behind the business. Much like any interview, the vibe you get from the person is just as important as the questions you ask. Hiring vendors you trust and feel comfortable with is the best way to eliminate wedding day stress. 

When meeting with potential wedding vendors, “winging it” simply won’t do. Come prepared with a list of questions you and your significant other want to ask. In addition to questions, it’s also a great idea to bring along a mood board complete with details you want to incorporate on your day. This leaves no room for miscommunication—and during your wedding planning process that’s exactly what you want!

Recommended reading: What to Ask your Potential Wedding Photographer (And What Not to Ask)

You’ve hunted down, interviewed, and hired your wedding vendors—congrats! Now that you’ve assembled your dream team, it’s time to think ahead to your big day. From tipping your vendors to providing a catered meal, there’s still a lot of behind-the-scenes details that have to be prepped. Lucky for you, we’ve created a guide filled with the wedding vendor etiquette you need to know.

Image by Amber Vickery Photography. See more of this real wedding here.