Do you tip at hair/make up trial?

It seems like most people are saying you should in fact tip at the trial.

The reason I am torn about it is because it's a trial. It's not the actual service that was booked but a practice run of the actual service and it's likely not going to be as perfect as it will be on the actual wedding day. The manager of the company in her email about my trial even said "we won't use as much product on your hair as we would on the day of" and the time alotted is 1/2 hour for hair and 1/2 for makeup but on the day of they say my hair and makeup will take 1.5-2 hours.

It throws me off because the trial will obviously not be of the same exact quality as the day of so I didn't know if you are supposed to tip. But I guess it is still seen as a "service" and should be tipped accordingly.

@Nicole A. - This is where I differ greatly. The trials I provide are an exact work for what could be done on the wedding day. Full makeup, lashes, primer, sealer, etc. This is also why my price for a trial is the same as for the wedding day.

I also find the trial lasts much longer than the wedding day service. A trial can be anywhere from an hour to two hours. We try out different lokos, colors, options, etc. It's all abotu getting comfortable with each other and knowing what the bride wants and what she can expect from me.

By the time of the wedding, I should know my client and have her look ready to go and it averages a half hour per person on the wedding day.

I also don't understand why they wouldn't "use as much product on your hair as we would on the day of" - How are you to determine whether your hair will hold up if you can't try it out exactly as it is to be done?

I encourage all my brides to have their makeup and hair trials done early in the morning so they can know what it looks like by 11pm. Did the makeup fade, is the skin shiny, how did it hold up under sweat, etc.??

@Airbrush Great advice! Thank you!

I didn't know I was supposed to tip at the trial. Oops! I plan on tipping on the wedding day. My hair/MUA owns her own company. The trial was $150 & the wedding day is $300. I plan on giving her $60 tip & a great review.

@Stephanie- your version of a trial makes soooooo much more sense. They said they don't use as much product so that they can more easily manipulate the style if I don't like something and so if I want to try more than one style I can. They also only offer trials in the evening, which now that you mentioned doing it in the morning, I am questioning! I don't doubt their work though. The company is highly rated and is used throughout my whole state, so there must be a reason for the high ratings even if the trial isn't so fab. I hope!!!

But seeing the difference in what is done for a full blown all out trial and something that sounds like its just practicing to see how it could potentially look.... do I tip? It's clearly not as much work/time/effort as the above artists have stated they spend :-/

First, I would ask if they can finalize your hair style once you've got it the way you want it. Ask them to give it a good shot of hairspray so you can see how well it holds. Then, depending upon how they react to this request, it can provide you with the decision to tip or not. If you feel they addressed all of your concerns, you weren't rushed through the trial, you adore the style created and you feel comfortable knowing they will provide you with the best wedding day service possible, then if that answers the "above and beyond expectations" I would suggest offering a tip.

Please be up front with the stylist. Mention your concerns. You need to be able to know beyond a doubt that this is the vendor for you.

I was JUST talking about tipping etiquette today with mom and moh. We weren't even sure about tipping day of. But after reading this we will definitely tip day of. Still confused about trial. Understand tipping like you were getting your hair done, but what if trail run is included in price? What would you base the 20% off of? Great post!!!

Great advice, Stephanie!

@Julianna, you could tip anywhere from $5 to $25 and I am sure it would be greatly appreciated by your makeup artist/hair stylist.

If the artist went out of her way to make sure I was satisfied, listened to my concerns, reacted accordingly and if I felt that she was the perfect vendor for the job, I would definitely tip at the trial. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and know that they did a stellar job.

If I were tipping someone in this situation where the trial is included, I would base it on the service I received taking into consideration the time spent. For an hour's worth of service, I would tip between $10 to $20 depending upon how well the consultation went. For two hours, maybe double that.

Thanks Stephanie!!!

I will not tip at the trial, but I will tip at the wedding.... She's getting paid to do a practice service, and when the real thing happens then i'll tip... I mean I don't see why I would tip twice, unless I tip her based on how much the trial is, and don't include that amount in the percentage I tip her for the day of.

Yes you should tip! You're having your hair and makeup done which is a service, and it's keeping the stylist from booking with another client at that time!

Check out WeddingWire's Tipping Guide for more information on who to tip!

If 18% gratuity is already included in hair/makeup price, do I still tip?

View Quoted Comment The gratuity is the tip, so if you planned on tipping x%, tip the difference between 18% and x%. Or, stick with the 18% but yes that is the tip