How Much Should You Tip Wedding Vendors?

Do you tip wedding vendors? Yes! But not all of them. If you want to know the appropriate wedding tip amount and who to tip, our tipping guide will show you exactly how much to give vendors at your wedding as gratuity and why. Subscribe here for the latest to your inbox!

Do you want to tip wedding vendors for a job well done, but you have no idea what an appropriate amount is, or the average wedding tip really is in 2024?

No problem! We’ll swoop in to help: in this blog post, we’re tackling how much to tip wedding vendors for 2024 and what the average gratuity is per vendor. We also made an easy wedding tipping chart for your convenience.

Do you have to tip all wedding vendors? Do you tip your wedding photographer? And how do you tip your bartender with a virtual tipjar? Ahh, so many questions — all with answers below!

Let’s discuss it!

Here’s a guide to tipping wedding vendors including how much tip to give vendors — and which tips are optional.

Now that you know who gets a tip, let’s dive in a bit deeper to figure out why they expect — or do not expect — a gratuity.

Do you tip wedding photographer?

Many couples want to know if you tip your wedding photographer. You can — but it is not required. As a rule of thumb, most photographers work the full rate into their price. However, if he or she offered great service then a tip is appreciated. An average cost of a tip for a wedding photographer is $50 to $100 each.

Wedding Coordinator

You do not have to tip your wedding planner, but you can if they offered a great service.

How Much to Tip Your Wedding Planner: 15%-20% of their total cost

Wedding Florist

It is optional. If they provided exceptional service, a typical tip is 10-15% of the total bill.

Wedding Cake Baker / Designer

Tipping is optional. However, cakes are delivered very carefully and it’s nice to tip $10 to $20 on delivery if you’d like.

Hairstylist and Makeup Artist

Yes! Always tip your wedding hairstylist and makeup artist.

How Much to Tip: Tip 18% to 25% of your total bill.

Caterer

The gratuity for the caterer is usually built into your overall bill.

How Much to Tip: It is usually pre-billed at 20% of your total bill.

Transporation

Renting a limo, limo bus, or other transportation for your wedding? Be sure to tip!

Total Tip Amount: It is usually 15% to 20% of the total bill.

Bartender

If you plan to give a tip, make sure it’s not already worked into your caterer’s contract AND you don’t have a separate tipping jar on the bar. If you wish to tip ahead for guest drinks, you can get one of these signs to display instead.

How Much to Tip: 10% of the total bill on drinks/alcohol.

Wedding DJ or Band

Yes! You should always tip your wedding DJ or band. The disc jockey or emcee is the person who keeps the wedding flowing, the music pumping, and gets your guests out on the dance floor. Be sure to tip generously.

How Much: $100-$150 is the standard for a DJ; for tipping a band, the standard is $20 per musician.

Ceremony Musician

Yes! You should give a nice tip to your musicians at your wedding.

Amount to Tip: $15 to $20 per musician.

Officiant

Do you tip your wedding officiant? Yes!

How Much to Tip: The typical amount to tip your officiant is anywhere from 15% to 20% of the overall service fee.

If you are getting married at a church or other place of worship, there is typically a donation given (and this amount may be increased if you wish to donate more). A typical amount to tip your wedding officiant is $75 to $100.

Wedding Reception Attendants

Is a tip expected for venue attendants? Absolutely: they do a lot of heavy lifting to ensure the wedding goes off without a hitch including but not limited to set up, take down, linens, preparing and serving food, drinks, and more. It may already be worked into your contract, so check first.

How Much to Tip: A typical tip for wedding vendors at your venue is around 15% of the total bill.

How Are Wedding Tips Factored In?

Do your vendors expect a tip? Not necessarily. While some tips are standard, others are optional and you may base yours more on the following guidelines.

The Size of Your Wedding and/or Number of Guests

If you invite more guests to your wedding, the workload is even larger. Keep this in mind when you’re planning an extremely large celebration.

Location of Wedding

A luxury ballroom may require a higher gratuity vs. a more affordable venue space; gratuities also vary depending on the location

Quality of Service

This is the most important part of tipping wedding vendors. Did they go above and beyond? If so, be generous and tip accordingly.

You know who to tip at your wedding and how much to give. Now, when do you give their gratuity? Before or after the wedding?

As a rule of thumb, you should give wedding tips when services are rendered, for instance, before the end of the reception. Most couples offer a tip to a wedding DJ around dinnertime; you may give a photographer’s tip during the reception in the evening.

On the other hand, the officiant should receive his or her tip upon completion of the ceremony service after signing the marriage license.

Don’t wait until the last minute to give a tip, or you risk misplacing or forgetting to give one at all.

Now, how exactly do you tip vendors at a wedding?

How to Tip Wedding Vendors

The week before your wedding, finalize exactly how much you are tipping your wedding vendors and write checks or give cash in an envelope, clearly labeled with his or her name on the front of each.

Many couples opt to give the vendor envelopes to the Maid of Honor or Best Man to handle at the wedding so there’s one less thing to think about. :) Make sure it is a trusted individual with whom will handle the task in a timely manner.

It doesn’t have to be fancy: get these cheap tipping envelopes from PipiloPress on Amazon, only $11.99 for a huge pack of them.

Or go with nice greeting cards that are customized for each vendor in a huge pack, like these by KismetWeddingsCo. You can write a message inside and include their tip.

Can you tip wedding vendors with a check?

Tipping wedding vendors in cash or check? Which one is better?

If in doubt, just ask how the vendor prefers payment.

You can always give a tip in check or cash. If writing a check, be sure it is written out properly to the vendor’s business name.

Not Tipping Wedding Vendors

If you experience poor service with a vendor, that stinks. If you’re planning on not tipping wedding vendors who do not provide good service, I understand; however, attempt to discuss your dissatisfaction with the vendor directly rather than omitting the tip.

By doing so, he or she may be able to rectify the situation and provide exemplary work.

If not, giving a gratuity is up to your own discretion: it ought to be a reflection of the quality of his or her work leading up to or on the wedding day.

If you’re not tipping solely because you do not want to… that’s an entirely different situation. Some wedding vendors rely on tips as additional income; it is important to consider this before you decide on not to tip wedding vendors completely.

A Tip on… Tipping!

And here’s a fun pro tip: after the wedding, send a thank you note and write a nice recommendation or review on their website or Facebook page. It goes a long way to earning future referrals and they’ll be sure to appreciate it.

You can get these cards, shown below, from CCPaperDesigns.

P.S. If you’re a vendor that can display a tip jar, e.g. a bartender or a DJ, be sure to use these virtual tip jar stickers with a QR code! Guests love the convenience of Venmo, PayPal, or other online payment processes for tipping. You can get them here from HeartsOfPrints. Get a free QR code here.

Now that you know everything you need to know about wedding gratuity, do you have any questions or suggestions? Share them in the comment box below!

Happy Planning!

xo
Emma