So, you've narrowed your wedding budget down to the last penny. But you might be forgetting a costly, but necessary, expense: Tips!

Your wedding vendors are KEY to the success of your big day, and if they meet—or exceed—your expectations you're going to want to reward them! But which vendors should you tip? And how much? And when? We know it's confusing, so we've put together a handy-dandy guide to tipping your vendors.

A few things to consider:

1. First take a good, hard look at your wedding contracts.
Read through them to see if a gratuity is included. It's pretty standard for it to be covered in your venue, catering, and even transportation contracts. When it is, no additional tipping is required.

2. A "service charge" is not necessarily a gratuity.
Whyyy are contracts so confusing? Okay, here's the deal: A "service charge" is a mandatory fee that gets added to your venue and/or catering contract. Service charges don't necessarily go directly to employees, so you'll need to ask how that money is being used. This extra fee can be applied to anything from venue maintenance to administrative costs, so unless you see the word "gratuity" spelled out on your final bill, you may still need to tip.

3. You're not required to tip business owners.
Technically you don't need to tip the owner of a business—just their employees. The thought process behind this is that you're already paying what the business owner has deemed an adequate price for their service. However, feel free to ignore this rule if they rock your socks off.

4. Prep tips in advance.
Go to the bank before your wedding, pull out cash, and put each tip into a labeled envelope. Then assign the most responsible member of your bridal party to hand them out over the course of the event.

5. And finally, unless it's built into your contract, tipping is never mandatory.

If you simply don't have funds to spare, you can express your appreciation in other ways. Write your vendors a rave 5-star review online, let them use some stunning photos from your wedding for their portfolio, give them a big bottle of wine, or send them a handwritten thank-you note. They'll feel all the warm fuzzies from your thoughtful gesture.?

Expected Tips:

Photographer + Videographer

A lot of photographer/videographers owns their own business, and a tip is wonderful;  you may want to give one as a token of your appreciation. And if there are any second shooters or assistants, it's considerate to tip them as well.

• How much? $100–$200 cash each or a nice gift!
• When? At the end of the reception.

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Coordinator / Wedding Planner
Although your wedding planner doesn't expect a tip, you can always provide one if she or he went above and beyond for you!

• How much? 15–20% of their fee, up to $500 cash or a nice gift!
• When? At the end of the reception, or upon return from your honeymoon.

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DJ / Musicians
Consider tipping your ceremony, cocktail hour, reception musicians, and/or DJ for a job well done. And don't forget about the sound technicians, if applicable.

• How much? Here's a general guideline:
  • Ceremony Musicians: 15% of the ceremony music fee or $15–$25 per musician.
  • Reception Band: $25–$50 per musician.
  • DJ: 10–15% of the total bill or $50–$150.
• When? After their performance.

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Floral Designer
Your floral designer bends over backwards to ensure your wedding flowers are perfect—from design to installation. A tip is a wonderful way to express your gratitude for their hard work!

• How much? 10–15% of the total bill, $50–$150 cash, or a gift
• When? Upon delivery / setup, or at the end of the reception.

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Delivery + Setup
Sure, you may have already paid a "delivery fee", but it's customary to tip the people delivering and/or setting up your wedding cake, flowers, tent, or larger rentals.

• How much? $5–$20 per person, depending on the complexity of the setup.
• When? Upon delivery. If you'd like, you can give the tip envelopes to your on-site coordinator or catering manager prior to the wedding day so they can distribute them.

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Officiant
Even though this tip is in the "expected" category, it doesn't need to be cash. Actually, many religious officiants won't accept a cash tip. And officiants within the government, such as a judge, may be legally prohibited from accepting one! Here's how to handle this:

• How much? $50–$100 tip or a $100–$500 donation to their church, synagogue, or house of worship.
• When? At the rehearsal or rehearsal dinner. A small gift would be a nice token of thanks as well—especially if your officiant is actually one of your friends!

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Makeup Artists / Hairstylists
Standard "salon visit" tip rules apply. You'll want to tip the stylists that do the bridal party's hair and makeup as well.

• How much? 15–20%
• When? After you get your makeup and hair did done.

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Bartenders

If your bartenders are a package deal with your venue, then the gratuity will most likely be included. If you're using a bartending company, see if they require an additional gratuity for their staff. Note: wedding guests shouldn't be asked to tip, so just say no to bar tip jars.

• How much? 10–20% of the alcohol bill (to be split among them), if a gratuity was not included.
• When? At the end of the reception, when you know just how much liquor your wedding guests were able to throw down.

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Catering Staff
Their gratuity should be included in your venue and/or catering contract, but if not:

• How much? 15–20% of the food & beverage bill. You can also opt for cash tips as follows:
  • Catering/Banquet Manager and Head Waiter: $100–$300 each
  • Head Chef: $50–$100
  • Wait Staff and Kitchen Staff: $20 each
• When? At the end of the reception. Or, give it at the start to inspire fab service!

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Transportation
Oftentimes transportation companies will include the gratuity in their contract. But if yours doesn't, here's what you can tip for an on-time arrival for the bridal party transportation, as well as any guest shuttles!

• How much? 15–20%
• When? Upon pickup or after the last ride.

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Venue Attendants
This could include parking valets, coat check attendants, or restroom attendants. Again, a gratuity should be included, but if it isn't:

• How much? $1–$2 per guest—or per car for parking valets.
• When? It's recommended to tip these attendants at the beginning of your wedding, so they can let well-meaning guests know that all tips have been taken care of by the hosts!