Tipping, day of or after?

I think tipping should happen after a service has been provided. Like, photographers and videographers wouldn't get tipped until you receive your pictures and videos because that's what will determine how satisfied you are with their service. If I had a DJ worth tipping, he could be tipped the day-of because their service ends that day. We tipped our organist based on the rehearsal because we felt like it was a good evaluation of how it would be on our wedding day.

My plan is to tip day of at the end of the event, after the service has been provided. I can understand how it may be tough to tip photographer until after the pictures get back to you though!

I'm going to pre-prep thank you cards with cash in them to give out. But I'll have extra $$ to adjust up if I need to.

"If I had a DJ worth tipping" scathing hahaha.

I mailed my tips in thank you cards except for the bartenders who I tipped day of.

I recommend tipping before services are provided, at the start of the day. It takes a bit of faith on your part. But if you have an envelope all ready to go and the vendor is going to get a tip at the end of the night anyway, you might as well give it to them in advance and reap the benefit all day.

I like the mailing the thank you cards idea @Staci. Or I may just hand deliver the tip and card the Monday after. For our officiant FH suggested making him a gift basket. He also does our premarital counseling, during which he says every week he takes his wife on a lunch date. So we are going to include gift cards to some of their favorite spots.

@Kress, how does tipping at the beginning of the day allow the bride and groom to "reap the benefit" all day? Are you saying your level of service is worse if they haven't tipped you yet? You don't tip waiters, cab drivers, hair stylists, etc. beforehand so why would it be any different for your wedding vendors?

I don't get how a vendor can add a tip, which is discretionary, to their final price. It's totally inappropriate. AND the fastest way NOT to get one from me!

I think that tipping should be done after the fact, after you've experienced the service and the dust has settled. And I love the TY note idea, in addition to a detailed and glowing review, which is the best tip of all.

And FFW? I love that idea for your officiant. It's brilliant!

Going to disagree with @Kress Productions. You can prep the envelopes at the beginning of the day (and only if you anticipate they will give you amazing, above and beyond service) and give them to your planner, DOC, mom, MIL, MOH, BM with instructions to ask you at the end of the night if you still want to give that person a tip. You don't reap anything if they only provide mediocre service that in hindsight you wouldn't tip. Take Frugal Gator's DJ, he sucked before her wedding day, sucked even worse the day of, but with @Kress's reasoning he should have gotten the envelope on faith that he wouldn't suck as bad because of it.

Also, keep in mind that a tip doesn't have to be cash, it can be a gift card, a bottle of wine, an amazing review (which is worth more than money to most vendors).

Tipping is completely voluntary. I never expect a tip and I certainly don't add a gratuity into my pricing. The concept of gratuity before services are rendered is a concept that I was taught by a wise man who practiced it all his life. I have a deep respect for this individual.

Since learning this practice, I have implemented it personally on a select number of occasions: once with a moving company, once with a cleaning company. And one time, in my capacity as a wedding vendor, I was the recipient of a gratuity at the beginning of the day. I received a sealed envelope and didn't open it until the end of the evening, but I knew it was a gratuity. Receiving this extra, bonus, payment made me feel really good! I felt that my client had a supreme faith in the work I was about to perform.

Are my services "worse" when I don't receive a tip? Of course not. Even suggesting that is absurd. But did I maybe go an extra step that one time when my client had so much faith in my work that she tipped my ahead of time? Maybe. She took a gamble.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of tipping.

I would probably make cards previously and try to give them at the end of the night. I would send a card to the photographer after receiving the pictures.

Yeah, I'm definitely not tipping beforehand. I feel like I communicated my faith in their performance by booking and paying them. The tip is for doing a great job the day of, and I honestly won't know if they did a great job until afterward.

I would say immediately after. What if you tip them and they aren't that great? It sucks to have to write 2 checks for each vendor but maybe you can get cash and prep it in an envelope?