Best Way To Give Gratuity After Wedding

Write a thank you note and say the service was so great you wanted to give more but didn't have cash on hand the day of. ETA don't send cash through mail. Check or gift card instead. Second edit--thought from title you already had wedding. If you can't swing cash tips for everyone on night of, Tip 20% cash to servers on night of and do follow up tips with others that are more optional after.

Wait until after the wedding so you know what the service was like. Then send a handwritten letter of thanks, mentioning by name anyone who went above and beyond, and enclose a check.

First things first - please review your contracts with all of your vendors because it is very possible that tips have been built in to the pricing. Its common in my area for tip surcharges to be included in the caterer fee.

If you want to tip everyone who made your day special, including those who own their own business, you can send them a thank you card with money included when you return from your honeymoon.

For officiants, servers, bartenders, and other helpers, you can put cash in an envelope with their name and/or job title if name isn't available and entrust your best man to take care of passing out the tips for you.

Also check your venue/catering contracts. A lot of them include 20% tip in the price they quoted you.

Someone gave this to me...

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/etiquette-advice/wedding-tipping-guide

Hope this helps you!

If the fee is not included in the caterers contract and the wedding is Buffett style is tipping still necessary?

Following!

Our tips were included in the venue portion we so only had vendors to tip.

From what I heard, if the vendor owns the company, a tip may not be required.

Our DJ was not the owner and he literally did above and beyond what we could have asked for so we made sure we brought some extra cash to give to him. We thanked him at the end of the night and handed him the tip.

I am in the same boat minus the fact that my venue is a youth center I know that sounds crazy but it is a renovated Church that has a main hall and 4 days out can't tell us how many of the teens are working the wedding for us and they told us when we rented the venue we had to tip them each personally cause they could not give them any money so it's hard to prepare 20% for the unknown

It's totally fine to mail a check later on with a handwritten thank you note - specifically mentioning what they did that you appreciate. The 20% rule would apply for your catering staff and hair and make up people but doesn't work for for your dj or photographer. I think an extra $100-$150 for them is fine. Check your contracts too! My hair and make up person specifies a 18% tip which is built into the total price I'm paying (I'll be sending a check with a little extra for her and a thank you note after the fact), my catering has a tip built in (that I clarified went to servers and set up staff) and my limo has a tip built in.

ETA: don't forget about your officiant and people delivering your flowers/cake (if it's not your florist and baker)