Tips for suppliers

We weren't really planning on tipping anyone... most will need payment like a month before the Wedding so it seems wrong to tip them then and I won't see a lot of them on the day...

That said, we love our Photographer and we're planning on inviting her Husband and Son to the evening do so that once she is finished, she can kick back and enjoy the party. We're also including her in the Wedding Breakfast.

Thank you cards sound like a nice idea - I would send them after the Wedding though so that you don't have to carry it with you. If you feel strongly about giving him a gift, the Cycling voucher would get my vote

Hi,

The voucher for your photographer would be nice if he's a friend.

We would never expect a tip....we are getting paid after all. I would have thought most wedding suppliers feel the same.

Most suppliers appreciate a testimonial afterwards and we recieve some lovely thankyou cards.

I would not tip our suppliers.

I also wouldn't refer to my aunt and friend who are doing us a favour as suppliers. We did give our friends and family who pitched in thank you gifts.

I hadn't even thought about tipping our suppliers, although we will be sending them all thank you notes afterwards - providing they do a good job ?

I'm another vote for the cycle voucher, if you do go ahead with the idea!

From what I've read, if the supplier owns the business (like your photographer probably does) there is not an expectation for a tip as the bulk of the fee is going to them anyway. If you want to give them a gift as a thank you I'm sure they will appreciate it, but you're not expected to. (With your friend it is a very nice gesture since you have a pre-existing relationship and he is giving you a discount!) If the supplier works for another person (for example if you hire a caterer and they bring along waitstaff) that is a different story and is dependent on where you're holding your wedding (in the UK or a destination wedding), the local tipping culture, and how the company pays their wages.

I hadn't thought of tipping suppliers at all. I agree, a thank you card for a job well done is a nice gesture... although I can think of one of our suppliers which has caused more hassle than good so far and probably won't be getting even that unless we're really impressed with how things turn out on the day!

If it's a friend that's helped out with a discount, or done something for free, then that does seem different. But a monetary tip seems strange to a friend, so I'm all for the voucher, or plant idea.

My fiance doesn't even seem to understand the idea of giving gifts to parents and bridesmaids etc. The other day he told me I was adding on unnecessary expenses! Umm... both sets of parents have given us ~£3000 towards the wedding, I think that deserves a little something in return!! I can't see him wanting to give extra money to our suppliers!

The one supplier I would give extra consideration to "tipping" is a wedding coordinator. I don't know if I would necessarily give a monetary tip, but if I had a fantastic wedding coordinator who worked for a venue I might get him or her something to show my appreciation. They are such an instrumental part to the day and if they work for a venue they may not the same recognition as they would if they were an independent wedding coordinator.

Any wedding supplier that is charging what they're worth shouldn't be expecting a tip. As mentioned previously a testimonial is definitely most welcomed and in many cases can be worth more than a monetary tip anyway!

I'm a wedding photographer and tipping isn't really a custom for suppliers in the UK. We don't expect it. Occasionally I'll get a gift card and/or a thank you card in the post later which is nice.