How much do we tip the wedding coordinator?

[meBonidie2be]

I kinda feel bad for the ppl on the "do not tip list". However, we are spending more than enough money on everything so this list is extremely helpful.

[Pucca]

The list was helpful. Thanks for sharing that info. Where did you find it? 

 

I was prepared to tip everyone too!! I'll have to discuss with fiance and see what he thinks. But the point about the photographer makes sense! 

 

 

Originally Posted by Sllefebvr 

I know.. I would of tipped everybody.. but obv. we don't need to which is nice to know!! I can keep that money in my own pocket!!

 

[JBean]

Very helpful - thank you!

[jennaba3]

Thanks for the help.. I will set ahead budgets for tipping xxx

[lucy<3woody]

Fantastic. Thank you so much!!

 

I am still wondering how much to tip our Event Planner. She works for the resort...I really have no idea how much her fee is. She will be on site during the wedding and has been phenomenal at working with me via email.

 

Anyone have any ideas on how much to tip her??

[dshane]

This is very informative.  What about a travel agent who helps with the travel arrangements for you and your guests?
 

Originally Posted by Sllefebvr 

Here girls I did some research on destination weddings and here was the best result

 

• You do not need to tip your florist unless he/she does something spectacular or really out-of-the-floral-realm for you. If he tracks down the filling for your goody bags, or she blows your mind with something you weren’t expecting, by all means, feel free to tip the florist. But it isn’t something you need to build into your budget.
• You don’t need to tip your caterer, but you will need to tip the servers and bartenders. If you don’t have a wedding planner to guide you, ask the caterer what’s appropriate per person.
• Don’t tip the photographer. If you adored her, order more prints!
• Don’t tip the wedding cake baker.
• Don’t tip a band, unless they stay extra time and don’t bill you for it.
• Tip a DJ if he’s really, really good. $50 is more than enough.
• If you’re staying in a small hotel and you’ve taken over the whole place for your wedding, be sure to tip the hotel manager/concierge who has helped you with everything. You should also tip the breakfast or housekeeping staff, but you don’t need to do it individually. Give a tip to the person in charge of that staff and ask them to split it with the people who worked during your wedding.
• If you’re staying at a villa or private property with a house manager or caretaker, tip if you’re having the reception on the property and the person is being very helpful. Remember, the property owners made money on you. The caretaker or property manager is on salary and had to put up with you because it’s part of his job. If they do a great job, acknowledge it. If you have daily maid service, it’s appropriate to leave a tip of $2-$5 per day in your room. If you have a 5-bedroom house, you should tip $10 per day at the end of your stay if they did a good job.
• Do not tip your wedding officiant.
• Do not tip your rental equipment delivery guys — you paid a delivery fee already.
• Finally, do tip your wedding planner. As self-serving as this may sound, I get asked this question a lot so I’m going to tackle it openly and honestly.

If you have a good wedding planner who is charging you a reasonable fee and isn’t marking up your services, you should tip her at the end of your wedding if you are happy with her services. When deciding how much to tip, think about how much her total fee was, and think about how much money she saved you (there will be items that stick out when you think about it), and how challenging you may have been as a client. If you know you drove her nuts or were very demanding (and she was nice about it), compensate her for the extra time and effort she had to put in to your big day. Tip between 15 and 20 percent of her wedding fee. To some extend it’s like a restaurant, if you were satisfied, go 15 percent. If you were thrilled and she did a great job for you, go 20 percent or more. If you felt like she dropped the ball, give her 10 percent, or don’t tip her at all. A tip is supposed to be a gratuity for a job well done, whether it’s a waitress, a hairdresser or a wedding planner.

The exception to the rule is the wedding planner who asks for a tip. That is just so gauche. Sometimes I’ll make a joke about it to my clients when they’re really super impressed with something I’ve done. When they’re telling me how great I am or how much money I’ve saved them, I’ll make some joke like “remember that when it’s time to tip me,†or something like that. But I’ve never ever told a bride up front that a tip was required, or asked a bride for a gratuity after the wedding. Some brides are just thoughtful. I’ve received lovely thank-you gifts and even sweeter notes — and those can be very rewarding as well.

If you don’t use a wedding planner and a banquet manager or someone else from the hotel steps into that role for your wedding, be prepared to tip her at the end of the event as long as everything has gone smoothly. She is your de facto wedding planner and you should thank her for executing that role well. It doesn’t need to be as much as you would tip a wedding planner, but a token to let her know her work was appreciated is more than appropriate.

So when your wedding planner gives you the list of tips you’ll need for your wedding a few weeks before the big day, take a moment to think about whether you’ll want to have some extra on hand to tip your planner too, assuming she delivers all that she promised on your wedding day. If in the end she doesn’t deserve it, spend it on a spa day on your honeymoon.

 

[sxcT]

I know some ladies have had great experiences with their travel agents but mine on the other hand...not so much.  I have two people working on my wedding group contract and they seem to mess up so much stuff, don't get things right, contact the wrong people, never contact me with updates or deadlines, I always have to ask for a re-cap and then tell them where they messed up and so much more.  There is no way they are getting anything but a thank you card with a wedding picture in it. 
 

Originally Posted by dshane 

This is very informative.  What about a travel agent who helps with the travel arrangements for you and your guests? 

 

 

[Sharon99]

I know what you mean...I wouldn't even send that to them! 
 

Originally Posted by sxcT 

I know some ladies have had great experiences with their travel agents but mine on the other hand...not so much.  I have two people working on my wedding group contract and they seem to mess up so much stuff, don't get things right, contact the wrong people, never contact me with updates or deadlines, I always have to ask for a re-cap and then tell them where they messed up and so much more.  There is no way they are getting anything but a thank you card with a wedding picture in it.  

 

 

[FranticBride2be]

Hey,

 

Thanks for the post.  I hadn't even thought about tipping, but it completely makes sense.  It's just something that slipped my mind.

 

I read the bottom part, about tipping the wedding planner.  Our hotel is providing a wedding planner for us, but correspondence with her is minimal.  How much should we tip her?

 

Thanks,

[all the love]

I have a bit of a different guideline for tipping - if someone is running their own business (ie. the florist is the owner of the shop, or the person who does your hair runs their own business) you don't tip them, since they have set their own prices to incorporate this. If they are working for someone else and being paid a salary or hourly wage, then it is appropriate to consider tipping. Sometimes it might be hard to tell, especially at a DW, but that's my general rule for tips. The lady who does my nails works out of her home and sets her own prices, so no tipping. If I get them done at a salon or spa, I do tip though.

 

Hope that helps some people!