Your thoughts on tipping?

JohnC83

We are coming home from Australia to get married in 2015 and the subject of tipping the various services involved in the wedding came up ie. the hotel, band, church singers etc....

As we are both earning a decent wage here we didn't mind paying the extra bit to get exactly what we wanted but I don't know what is the norm for tipping.

Obviously we want this to be the most memorable and perfect day of our lives and if our expectations are exceeded we wouldn't mind giving a tip to these guys but I don't want to feel as though we are obligated to.

Any opinions appreciated

niallam

Band are going to charge you plenty anyway so don't worry about a tip for them.
I wouldn't tip the hotel, if you feel a good job is done then that's what they're there to do.
If a certain member of their staff goes above and beyond your expectations than maybe you could consider something small for them but don't feel obliged to tip anyone

D3PO

I wouldn't be tipping any of the services at all. You pay a hefty price for a band , church singer etc and there is absolutely no need to tip on top of that.

If a particular member of staff in the hotel was giving exceptional service yes perhaps tip them directly . Hair or makeup person you might also tip as that would be a service that many would tip on a regular basis but it wouldn't be expected.

duchalla

The only person we tipped on our day was the priest, he had an important job after all. He was a sound young fella, went the extra mile to make the cermony more personal for us.

clint_silver

JohnC83 wrote: »

We are coming home from Australia to get married in 2015 and the subject of tipping the various services involved in the wedding came up ie. the hotel, band, church singers etc....

As we are both earning a decent wage here we didn't mind paying the extra bit to get exactly what we wanted but I don't know what is the norm for tipping.

Obviously we want this to be the most memorable and perfect day of our lives and if our expectations are exceeded we wouldn't mind giving a tip to these guys but I don't want to feel as though we are obligated to.

Any opinions appreciated

As a service provider ( band/DJ ) I feel a foot taller and have a smile on my face for a day later when bride or groom takes their time to come over to me and thank me for a night.
It's all that's necessary.
The very odd time someone does offer a tip and I would politely refuse as its not necessary and very much not expected and not everyone has it to give. I played a very opulent wedding recently and there was extra in the envelope afterwards with a note thanking me for an exceptional service. The note would have sufficed but I appreciated the monetary tip none the less as I knew I'd delivered on the night.

Comments like "get paid plenty" could be applied to anyone's job. It's all relative. A musicians lot is not always a rich one.

Gatica

our hotel package removed the usual 5% service charge, however after the wedding turned out we were able to afford to tip the serving staff, so we tipped them about 6% as we rounded up the sum. We felt they'd done a great job and we mentioned the staff to be thanked. Whether they did that or pocketed the money, I don't know, but hope on their honesty.

JohnC83

Thanks for the reply's guys. I suppose we will just wait and see how everything goes on the day and decide then. I also meant to ask about tipping the priest. He is a well known to my girlfriends family so we would like to give him something but I have no idea what is considered a generous amount.

clint_silver

JohnC83 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's guys. I suppose we will just wait and see how everything goes on the day and decide then. I also meant to ask about tipping the priest. He is a well known to my girlfriends family so we would like to give him something but I have no idea what is considered a generous amount.

apply a percentage rule to any tip. 10-20% would be well received and is enough to tell the person you're very happy with the service received (especially from the priest ) and will make the person really happy as they will not be expecting it.
Anything more would be considered overly generous but is relative to how much you can afford.

How Strange

We tipped the staff in the hotel quite well but there were unusual circumstances in that the hotel was closed for refurbishment and they opened just for our ceremony and dinner. So there were two members of staff running around doing everything including managing the bar until 3am and they did a fantastic job.

We had a party the next day and again the catering co went above and beyond what was expected of them so we have them a generous tip. We reckoned the staff's wages were probably quite low and they were incredibly helpful.

We didn't tip the band, as great they were, because they were expensive anyway and they delivered the service we expected of them.

I'd say only tip if you feel the service delivered exceeds your expectations. You definitely shouldn't feel obliged to tip.

tatli_lokma

we tipped the waiting and bar staff and chef and kitchen staff in the hotel as they did a good job. Didn't tip others but the photographer and DJ also got fed and a drink. Yes the hotel gets paid, but that is different to the waiting staff etc. If I go for a meal and the waiter/ess is good I give a tip, if the meal was particularly good I send compliments to the chef - I don't say 'well the restaurant got paid enough for the meal why would I give a tip' so in my mind the same applies for the waiting, bar and kitchen staff.

I would say that if you are going to tip waiting staff, give it to the head waitress not necessarily the wedding planner or manager. My husband used to work in a hotel and regularly the couple would give a tip to the manager and it would never find its way to the waiting or kitchen staff.

Berty

I wouldn't consider tipping the hotel staff. I pay the hotel and they in turn pay their staff.

There was a hotel staff member that text a radio station the other day saying that they noticed that people stop tipping waiting staff after the recession hit. Weddings are expensive for the bride/groom as well as the guests so I'm not surprised that there is a distinct lack of extra money floating around for tips.

M442

Used to work in a hotel that did a lot of weddings, the bride and groom would usually leave a tip, but we never saw it :mad:

tatli_lokma

Beer Baron wrote: »

I wouldn't consider tipping the hotel staff. I pay the hotel and they in turn pay their staff.

do you tip in a restaurant? if not, then fair enough.

But I do tip for good service in restaurants, and I can't see the difference TBH. I pay the restaurant for my meal and service, they pay their staff. But I still give a tip for good service. Or more specifically I give a 'gratuity' to the wait staff - i.e express my thanks with a few quid. It is in addition to their salary which is not even something I consider.

And most service staff get minimum wage, so it's not like the money you pay the hotel is directly proportionate to the salary bill.

I have no issue tipping for good service, and our wedding was no different.

Berty

If my guests Tip their server then so be it but I won't be tipping on their behalf to the head waiter/waitress.

tatli_lokma

Beer Baron wrote: »

If my guests Tip their server then so be it but I won't be tipping on their behalf to the head waiter/waitress.

As if that's going to happen?? :rolleyes:
You are technically the customer, not them