A service charge is not a tip: that one sentence can save you four figures

Wedding budgets rarely blow up because one item was overpriced. They blow up because of what wasn't written on the quote.

Common hidden items

Service charge (18–25%)
Sales tax
Corkage fee (for bringing your own alcohol)
Overtime. Overtime is charged by the hour, and usually rounded up to a full hour
Vendor meals, after all, the photographer, videographer, DJ, and coordinator have to eat too
Equipment delivery
Cleaning fees
Insurance requirements (see item 42 of the checklist)

The first two together often add another 25% to 30%, making it the biggest budget black hole. A catering quote that looks like $10,000 can easily settle at $13,000 in the end.

The most valuable question you can ask

"Does that service charge include gratuity?"

Because a service charge is not a tip.

Many venues take a 22% service charge, and that money never reaches the servers. It is venue revenue. You think you have already tipped, but in reality the servers received nothing, and you may still be expected to give extra.

At a hundred-guest wedding, that misunderstanding costs four figures.

Once you've asked, there are two outcomes:

Included → no separate tips for venue servers on the day (see item 53 of the checklist)
Not included → budget separately, usually 15–20% of the catering total

The other question: an all-in total

"Could you give me an all-in estimate?"

Per-person prices, venue rent, floral and decor quotes, these are all "starting prices." What you want is the figure including tax, service fee, cleaning fee, and all additional surchargesfinal total including tax, service charge and every surcharge.

Push every quote to that number before entering it in your allocation (see item 40 of the checklist). Otherwise every item looks reasonable alone and the sum blows up.

Ask how overtime is calculated

A wedding running half an hour late is normal. What to ask:

How is overtime billed? By the hour or the half hour?
Does a partial hour count as a full one? (Usually yes)
Which vendors also charge? (Venue, band, photography and security usually all do)

An hour's delay can mean five vendors charging extra at once. That is why a day-of coordinator is worth hiring (see item 24 of the checklist), as their job is keeping the schedule from slipping.

Cleaning fees and deposits

Penalties for overrunning teardown are usually hourly and deducted straight from the deposit. Rented tables and chairs not returned as agreed are charged too (see item 128 of the checklist).

At signing, ask: how much is the deposit, what triggers a deduction, and by what time you must be out.

In one line

On any quote, ask two things first: "does the service charge include gratuity?" and "can I have an all-in total?"

← Back to the checklist