Tipping, not a city in China! The word TIPS is believed to be an
acronym derived from the phrase To Insure Proper Service. Why is it
such a point of frustration and confusion? Because there really is no
standard when it comes to tipping vendors for weddings and other special
events! We all know that when you go out to a restaurant the standard
tip is generally between 15-25% depending on the level of service you
have received, but what about tipping catering staff, DJ's, and
Bartenders?
The best piece of advice is to ask ahead of time!
Your wedding day is stressful enough without worrying about taking care
of gratuity, not to mention it can be very uncomfortable for both you
and the staff. They don’t want to ask for it, you don’t want to forget
or look cheap, but you already have spent a good chunk of change and may
be feeling a little light in the pocket already! Many catering
companies have already included the gratuity into their contract. Maybe
a DJ has as well. This should be discussed during your initial
consultation when the pressure is off. A good caterer will guide you as
to what is appropriate. DJ's should do the same.
Something that we see with the Bartending Service is
that they are often hired by a catering company and are not included in
the gratuity paid to the servers and kitchen staff! You should inquire
when paying for the catering service if they contract out the bar
service. You would be surprised at how may of them will hire an outside
service, then dress them up like their own staff and you would never
know the difference! They don’t do it to be sneaky; it is generally
just a matter of outsourcing the liability because they do not carry the
proper insurance.
However, the catering manager is often times the
only one that knows that the Bartender is not really on the catering
staff. Also, they may be the only one that knows that the Bartender is
NOT included in the gratuity split at the end of the event! Again, the
appropriate time to ask is before the day of the event.
Usually arranging individual envelopes with cash
gratuity prior to the wedding day is easiest. You should then assign
one of the groomsmen to be in charge of holding the envelopes and
handing them out upon successful completion of the event.
Don't be afraid to pull a couple dollars out of the envelope if someone
does a lousy job! Same standards apply as if you were in a restaurant;
if you are usually a great tipper but the service was sub par you should
adjust accordingly. If you are usually an average tipper, but the
service was spectacular the only way to properly thank someone is by
leaving a little extra! And please do not punish the DJ or Bartender if
the food service was not as good as expected, they had about as much to
do with that as the florist did! Hope this article helps.
https://omega-design-events-nite-mix-entertainment.business.site/
