Which other vendors should we tip?
Ceremony musicians
If you've used a larger choir for the service and they haven't charged you a large fee, we'd recommend making a donation to their church for a small amount (around $100 is good) and giving them some cupcakes or cookies when the ceremony ends.
Definitely plan to tip anyone playing an instrument for the ceremony. Whether they're playing as a group or a soloist, we suggest between $50-100 per person.
Catering
Check directly with the caterer when it comes to tipping the catering staff. They typically have their gratuity and/or service fees built into the contract so ask them if that goes to the staff. If the gratuity isn't given right to the staff, we recommend tipping each of them. We suggest 2-5% of the total bill, and have your wedding planner give it to the banquet captain or catering manager at the end of the night.
Bartenders should be tipped if they didn't have a tip jar out for the guests to tip them. We suggest $150-200 each.
Transportation
Another person that will expect a tip is the transportation driver. We suggest 15-20% of the total.
Reception musicians and/or DJ
The band or DJ are technically optional tips, but usually recommended. If they've done an especially good job and really kept the party on its feet, we suggest $50-100 per musician and at least $200 for a great DJ.
Rental staff
We always suggest tipping the rental delivery/set up staff. Usually about $20-30+ per person is perfect for them. They don't expect it, but if they're delivering a ton of stuff, moving things multiple times or coming back for a super late pick-up it's a very nice touch.
Miscellaneous vendors
We suggest generously tipping anyone who falls into one of the more specialized categories below:
- Cake or specialty dessert vendor
- Photo booth operators
- Live wedding painters
- Henna artists
- Performers
We hope this helped clear up the great tipping questions we're sure you all have!