Tipping Vendors

Tipping in general is out of control and people give them out like water and often they are not deserved. Contrary to popular belief, do not tip anyone the day of the wedding. You are not in the objective mindset to be alert to or aware of how your vendors are performing. A tip should only be given to those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty after the fact, and not all vendors are top notch. That’s why there are horror stories among guests and other vendors of having to step in to fix a vendor’s mess and that vendor is given a generous tip before the couple heads out because they are told to no matter what. That is also why it is strongly recommended to wait until after the honeymoon or a week or 2 after the wedding if there is no honeymoon, so you and new spouse can assess performances and give tips to only those who earned them.


If you feel the vendor went above and beyond the call of duty, and they own the business, you are allowed to give a tip as a thank you, in addition to a glowing review on Yelp and Google. No one will come after you if you choose to tip a stellar business owner.
Do not tip dress vendors who work on commission.

Here's a helpful tipping guide you can check out that breaks everything down:

Exactly How Much To Tip Wedding Vendors!

View Quoted Comment Hi Lonnie,


I respectfully disagree with the absence of gratuity for photographers that own their own business! I think that if the coat room attendants are receiving a gracious tip, the vendors who are capturing your most precious moments deserve an excellent tip as well. Most photographers (specifically ones who own their own business/work for themselves) often have to change their prices dependent on the current market to be more affordable - even if this means lowering prices well beyond their worth in an attempt to stay in competition with other vendors. This causes fluctuations in their take home pay. It does not account for any additional travel fees, paying second photographers, editing overtime, or any other specific costs associated with the day that may also need to be adjusted. This merely means that the photographer is making even less than what they deserve if they have to pay out someone else at that lower adjusted rate. These vendors work incredibly hard and I believe this article is a bit biased. It sets an unrealistic comfort for brides that they do not need to tip their small business photographers for creating one of the most important pieces of the wedding. Please reconsider that piece of advice for brides so we can show the love and support for our small business owners. Respectfully and thank you!