WE LIVE IN USA
Tips are given in cash on the day: pre-sorted into envelopes with names on them
Tipping at an American wedding is a real budget line, handed over in cash on the day. Without preparation it turns into chaos.
Customary American amounts
(💵 These are industry customs, not rules, and vary widely by region and vendor)
- Venue servers where a service charge was already collectedYou don't need to tip extra, provided you confirmed that the fee already includes gratuity (see item 41 of the checklist).
- Hair and makeup: 15–20%
- DJ: $50–$150; band $25–$50 per member
- Photography / video (when not the owner): $50–$200
- Drivers and valets: $10–$20 each
Pay attention to the "when not the owner" condition. If the photographer is the studio owner, you generally don't need to tip because they are the ones setting the fee. Tipping employees is the custom.
How to handle it on the day
- Withdraw the cash a few days beforeRemember, not that morning.
- Sort it into envelopes labeled with a name or role ("Photographer David," "Hair and makeup Amy")
- Give them to the best man or day-of coordinator to distributeThis shouldn't be handed out by the couple themselves.
- Include a note saying who should receive theirs at what point
Making change on the spot is a disaster. You're in a dress, holding a bouquet, surrounded by people, not a setting for counting bills.
Why someone else does it
The same principle as the emergency kit, the rings and the document folder: on the day, the couple shouldn't be holding or processing anything (see items 50 and 126 of the checklist).
And some tips are given mid-event (the hair and makeup artist leaves once their work is done), while you're being photographed or making an entrance.
Check whether the contract already includes it
Some vendors' contracts already include gratuity, in which case tipping again is duplication. Read carefully at signing, or ask directly: "Does the contract already include a tip?"
The most common place people duplicate tips is for venue servers. If you paid a 22% service charge and it already includes gratuity, you don't need to give anything extra.
An extra note for Chinese weddings
If you're having a tea ceremony, keep the red envelopes and the tip envelopes stored and delegated separatelyOne set is for the elders and one is for vendors. Mixing them up would be really awkward.
Handling the gift money has its own procedure, and it's a risk specific to Chinese weddings (see item 114 of the checklist).
How to budget for it
As a rough figure, set aside 2–3% of total budget as a tipping reserve; that's usually enough. Put it in the allocation (see item 40 of the checklist) rather than treating it as a "we'll see" expense.
In one line
Withdraw cash a few days ahead, sort and label it, hand it to someone else to distribute, and confirm whether the service charge already includes gratuity so you don't pay twice.