Wedding Budget Tools
Wedding Vendor Tip Calculator
Enter what you’re paying each vendor and get exact, etiquette-backed tip amounts — plus a cash-envelope checklist to hand out on the day.
Your vendors
Check the vendors you’ve booked and enter their total fee. Uncheck anyone who doesn’t apply. If gratuity is already in a contract, leave that vendor unchecked — you’re done with them.
Tip envelopes
Withdraw cash the week before. Label each envelope with the vendor’s name and hand it out at the end of their service — or ask your planner or a trusted family member to do it.
Who you tip — and who you don’t
Tipping at weddings follows one simple rule: tip people for service, not business owners for their product. A salaried banquet captain, a hired bartender or a delivery crew relies on gratuities; the photographer who owns her studio has already priced her work. That said, exceptional service is always worth recognizing regardless of who owns what — and hair and makeup artists expect a salon-style tip even when they own the business.
Most couples spend somewhere between 5% and 15% of their total wedding budget on gratuities. The biggest line is almost always catering staff; the most commonly forgotten are delivery crews and the venue coordinator.
Practical rules that save headaches
- Read every contract first. Many caterers and venues build a 18–22% “service charge” in — that usually (but not always!) covers gratuity. Ask directly: “Does the service charge go to the staff?”
- Cash, in labeled envelopes, prepared in advance. Nobody wants to do mental math or find an ATM in a tux at 11 p.m.
- Delegate the handoff to your planner, best man or a parent. You will be busy.
- Timing: officiant before the ceremony; hair and makeup at the appointment; everyone else at the end of their service.
- Reviews are the tip that keeps giving. For owner-operators (photographer, florist, planner), a glowing public review and referrals often mean more than cash.
Suggested percentages here reflect common U.S. wedding-industry etiquette. Tipping is always discretionary — scale to your budget and the service you actually received.