How to Determine Gratuity for a Wedding

Wedding deejays can make up to $150 in tips for one party.

Every bride has a long checklist of details to get in order before her big day. Weddings are extremely expensive, and part of hiring vendors is tipping them when all is said and done. From the live band to the limo driver, just about everyone who has a hand in pulling together the wedding day gets rewarded with a tip. Plan ahead and work gratuity into the wedding budget, so that money doesn’t have to be pulled together last-minute at the wedding reception.

Instructions

1. Read each vendor’s contract to check for included gratuity. The reception venue’s on-site coordinator, banquet manager and maitre d’ typically have a gratuity clause in the contract.

2. Ask each vendor who is included in the gratuity required by the contract. Determine who falls outside the contract requirements, and decide if they should be tipped anyway.

3. Determine how much should be tipped, depending on the level of service received. When in doubt, gratuity should fall in the 15 percent to 20 percent range. However, better service deserves a higher tip, and worse service calls for a lower one.

4. Tip hairstylists, makeup artists and transportation vendors 20 percent of the total bill.

5. Give delivery people and setup crews $5 to $10. Tip a setup crew only if there's a lot of gear to set up.

6. Donate to the church or synagogue where the ceremony is held. If the bride and groom are being charged to use the location, a smaller donation is fine. Wedding officiants don’t need to be tipped directly.

7. Tip each musician $20 to $25. Deejays should be tipped $50 to $150 each. It’s not necessary to tip the organ player at the church or synagogue.

8. Give each bartender and server $20 to $25. While bartenders traditionally work on tips, and they may be tipped throughout the night by guests, it’s never appropriate for a tip jar to be placed on the bar at a formal event.

9. Tip photographers who don’t own the studio where they're shooting. It’s not necessary to tip the photographer who owns the studio.

10. Give the wedding planner a gift instead of a tip. For example, professional photos of the wedding can be used in the planner’s work portfolio.

Tips & Warnings

• Tip employees, but never business owners -- unless the owner has gone above and beyond his required job.

References

• The Knot: Wedding Vendors Tipping Cheat Sheet
• Martha Stewart Weddings: Tipping Wedding Vendors
• Bridal Buzz: Who to Tip? A Wedding Planner Breaks it Down