#WeddingWednesday: Do I tip my vendors?
Happy #WEDDINGWEDNESDAY, friends!! =) Yesterday was such a fun but busy day! Lane and I had our very own adventure of fulfilling our registry (which was kind of overwhelming, tbh) and finishing up some details for the wedding. We also bought/ordered our wedding bands, eeeekkkk! Time is just flying by... this wedding will be here before we know it *cue the excitement*!!So this weeks #WW post is all about the importance of tipping your vendors and who expect tips vs whose tips are optional. I just want to throw it out there that I have done a lot of research for this post, and read tons of articles and reviews and these are 100% my thoughts and what I think is appropriate. =)So to start off....Wedding Planner - typically, your wedding planner will not expect much because you are paying them for a service and it is usually their company or they are working for a larger company. About 50% of people do tip their planner 10-20%, while others will send them a thank you card with a few photos from the wedding or a nice appreciation gift. The choice is yours and it always depends on how great of a job they did!Wedding Hairstylist or Make-Up Artist - Tip is expected. Always always always tip for this service just like you would a regular salon appointment. Most times they are going out of their way to doll you and your girls up. About 15-25% is the expected amount to tip for them!Wedding Videographer/Photographer - This is where it gets tricky. My work had a discussion about this recently and it shed some light on the subject. If your day-of photographer or videographer does NOT own the company, then you should definitely tip them. If the person is the owner, it is definitely optional being that they are already going to receive all of the money anyways. Standard tip for this service is about $50-$200 depending on how long they were there and how well they did.Wedding DJ - Completely options - again, if they are working for the company, it is nice to tip the DJ about $50-$150 is standard. If they are the owner, the choice is yours! It is a nice gesture especially since they are the emcee for the night! They could make or break your wedding day! Choose wisely. ;)Ceremony Officiant - Depending on your officiant, the tip is usually expected. If you are getting married in a church, they usually want you to donate the money and then tipping the officiant is optional.Wedding Delivery & Staff - Definitely recommend slipping a few extra dollars to anyone who is delivering items for your big day whether it be cake, florals, decor, etc. Usually $10-$20 per person does the trick! Tipping is one of those things that you sometimes forget to factor into the wedding expenses, but honestly it is important. These vendors work hard to make your day run as smoothly as possible and they deserve it more than not especially the vendors that are there throughout the entire day (planner, DJ, photographer, videographer, etc.). I hope this post was extremely helpful for some of you!Happy Wednesday & Happy Planning!