Do I Need to Tip my Utah Wedding Vendors?
By DJ Cam Reeve
Your wedding team is made up of a whole host of hard-working professionals. Many of these individuals and teams spend dozens of hours preparing for and performing their unique talents on your special day. Being a service-based industry, tipping is something naturally found in the wedding sphere. As the big day approaches, many couples ask themselves questions such as “Do we tip all of our utah wedding vendors?” “What if we don’t have the budget to tip everyone?” “How do we reward those that knocked it out of the park?”
Should we Tip Everyone?
This is one of the most common questions couples ask themselves. In a perfect world with an unlimited budget, the answer would be an obvious yes. However, in the real world, making choices about who to tip due to budget is a very valid concern.
Just as you would tip excellent service at a restaurant or hotel, we are big believers in saving your tips for those vendors who go above and beyond. You can have some tips set aside before the big day but wait to decide who to give them to until after you’ve seen their final work.
Not All Tips Are Monetary
If you’re already over budget, there are other ways you can show appreciation to your awesome wedding vendors. You’ve probably seen friends who own small businesses ask for reviews online, and the wedding space is no different. A quality, heartfelt review of your vendors can go a long way in helping their business grow and succeed.
When writing a review, think back to your own search for utah wedding vendors. What comments in other reviews were reassuring or added value for you? How did they make you feel? Your review doesn’t have to be a novel. We’ve found that short, concise reviews can be just as powerful as lengthy reviews. At times they even appear more genuine, as lengthy reviews may give the appearance of being something a friend was paid to do.
Some reviews can come in the form of tag's and sharing your experience is posts or stories on your social media. Instagram, Facebook, and other Social Media platforms are a powerful tool and in many cases equal out to not only be a good place to give a review for your vendors but often influence other to pay for their services, in turn creating a Monetary Value that does not come directly out of your own Pocket. Not many people understand the power in a share or even a simple tag online what is can do.
Did Your Vendor Knock it Out of The Park? Show Them You Noticed!
All of your vendors will most likely be great, but sometimes you have professionals that go the extra mile. They exceeded your expectations in every way and knew exactly what you wanted. For those people, we are fans of both a monetary tip AND a review. Tips are a short-term gratification for your wedding vendor and a huge morale boost after a long wedding day. Reviews can help their business for months or even years to come.
It can be tough to know how much to tip a wedding vendor. A good ballpark figure is 10% - 20%, but this can fluctuate, especially as prices increase. As an example, we’ve seen tips from $400 - $600 on a $4,000 wedding bill. We've also see $400 tips on $1600 DJ Services for a corporate events. If you didn’t plan on a tip or it’s not in the budget, don’t feel like you have to reach into your wallet for a spare $10 or $20 bill. For many wedding pros, a simple handwritten note a few weeks after the event or a few reviews online will go a lot further.
Regardless of what you do, your wedding vendor will be beyond excited with anything you choose to give. Handwritten notes and thoughtful sentiments are often cherished for years after the wedding has finished. The day-to-day life of a wedding pro can be busy and hectic. Tips and thank-yous help your vendors remember that the love they feel for their clients is the reason they do what they do.
