It’s time for the second post in my Ask the Atlanta Wedding Pianist series!
Ah, the sticky question of tipping.
Who are we supposed to tip?
How much should we tip?
Will some people be insulted if we tip them? If we don’t tip them?
If you know what to hear some guidelines about tipping wedding vendors in general, Martha Stewart Weddings has a helpful post, as does Offbeat Bride.
So instead of giving guidelines and rules, which are already out there, I thought I would share my own personal experience and thoughts on this as a musician:
I would say that I receive a tip for a wedding about a quarter of the time. When I do receive a tip, it is usually about $50 and is given to me by the bride or groom’s parents.
(On a side note, I receive tips for Christmas parties about 95% of the time, and those usually range from $50-$100. That makes sense, December being the season of tipping and gift-giving.)
I have been “tipped” in the past with a caramel cake or a box of brownies delivered to my house a couple weeks later, which is REALLY cool because I never expected that, and who DOESN’T lovehaving gourmet desserts appear on their doorstep with no warning?
While I would never turn away cash (or gourmet desserts), do you know what the BEST way is to show your appreciation, especially if you feel that your wedding musician exceeded your expectations?
Yup. Tell other people. Post about your great experience on Facebook and Twitter. Tell your venue owner and wedding planner how much you loved the musicians. Post a review on Wedding Wire. Send a link to their blog to your friend who just got engaged.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my ebook, 5 Ways to Add a Personal Touch to Your Wedding. It’s free — just enter your name and email below!
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