Ah, the sweet sound of wedding bells is in the air! As you embark on the journey of planning your dream wedding, there’s one crucial aspect that often confuses the heck out of couples–tipping etiquette.

Tipping isn’t just reserved for your morning barista or friendly UberEats driver. It’s also a dance of dollars that can leave even the most seasoned couples scratching their heads, especially when it comes down to who to tip, when to tip and how much to tip. But don’t worry, Well-Dressed Events has the inside scoop to make tipping a breeze. 

If you’re new around here, we’re Well-Dressed Events, New Jersey’s premier style-centric wedding, party, and event planning company. We specialize in high-end, unique events for modern, bold, standout clients and we pride ourselves on cutting-edge, creative design, styling, and event management.

Why Do I Need To Tip My Wedding Vendors?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of tipping dos and don’ts, let’s tackle a question many couples ask: “why do I need to tip my vendors if I am already paying them a lot of money for their service?”. It’s a fair question, and we get it. But there’s more to tipping than meets the eye.

When it comes to business owners, sure, those vendor fees might seem hefty, but running a wedding business isn’t all glitz and glam. There are tons of behind-the-scenes costs—equipment, insurance, advertising, staff—that eat into those fees faster than you can say ‘I do.’ So, what seems like a fat paycheck for business owners often ends up being more like covering their basic expenses.

Then there’s the army of hardworking staff behind the scenes for all of these business owners—the servers weaving through tables with trays held high, the designers meticulously arranging floral masterpieces, the tech and sound teams ensuring every note and lighting cue is spot-on. Many of these folks are hourly workers, hustling to make ends meet. They’re the backbone of your wedding day, putting in tireless effort to make everything run smoothly.

Tipping is also about saying ‘thanks’ for a job well done. The wedding industry is an incredibly personal business. These are the folks who don’t just punch a clock—they pour their hearts into making your wedding day magical, because they care. Showing them some love with a tip not only boosts their spirits but also encourages them to keep delivering top-notch service for future couples.

So now that we got that out of the way, here is our NJ wedding vendor tipping cheat sheet for 2024. We polled all of our favorite NJ wedding vendors to get you an average tip amount for each category, so you know it’s up-to-date and accurate!

Wedding Vendor Tipping Cheat Sheet

• DJ: $75-$100 per member
• Band : $50-$100 per band member or 10-15% of the total bill
• Photographer/Videographer: 
  • Main photographer: $100-$200
  • Assistant photographer/second shooter: $75-$125
• Florist
  • Main Florist/Owner: $150-$200
  • Assistant: $50-$75
  • Delivery drop-off: $10-$20 or 5-6% of the total bill
• Hair/Makeup: 20-25% per stylist, per person getting service
• String/Ceremony Musicians: $40-$50 each musician
• Ceremony Officiant: $75-$150
• Cake Delivery:$25-$30 for delivery driver
• Transportation: 15-20% (check your contract first to see if tip is built in)
• Photo Booth: $50-$100 each attendant
• Wedding Planner: 10-15% of their total fee, up to $1,000
• Venue Staff: You can choose to tip 15-20% of the total bill but some couples opt to do cash tips for individuals. For those who choose to tip in cash check out down below our wedding staff and catering cheat sheet.
  • Event Manager: $300-$500
  • Maitre D: $300-$500
  • Bridal Attendant: $150-$200
  • Bartenders: 10-20% of the bar bill, to be split, or $50 each
  • Waitstaff: $30-$50 each (there is typically one per table)

To Put A Bow On It!

Tipping in the wedding industry is never expected, but always appreciated. At the end of the day, who you tip and what you tip is always up to your discretion. This is just a guide, but we hope it gives you a great starting point!

For more wedding tips and information, contact us and check out our Pinterest! Happy planning!