Let’s face it, it takes a lot of people and a lot of work to pull off a wedding. You may spend a lot of money on rentals, decor or catering, but in most cases, the people doing the real work on-site setting up your beautiful day aren’t the ones receiving your investment. If you happen to have a little wiggle room in your budget, you should consider providing gratuity for those on-site individuals for making the magic happen. Typical etiquette rules suggest the following:
Hair Stylist 15%
Makeup Artist 15%
Band/Musicians $25 - $50/person
Officiant $50 or a donation to the associate place of worship
Photographer/Videographer Agency Owner: $0
First Shooter: $100 - $150
Second Shooter: $50 - $75
Restroom Attendant $1/guest
Valet Attendant $1 - $2/vehicle
DJ $50
Catering Manager $200
Catering Waitstaff $20 - $50/person
Bartender 10%
Chauffeur 20%
Setup/Delivery Staff $10/person
Florist Personal Preference
Wedding Planner Personal Preference
Regardless of the amount, just remember the gesture in itself is really the most important thing. To make this process easier, you should put each gratuity in a sealed enveloped with the vendor’s name on it and have a trusted person (i.e. day of coordinator, maid or honor, parent) to distribute. A lot of times vendors are not expecting anything so the gratuity you provide may mean more than they can ever express!
