It’s no secret that there is usually some type of Vendor Appreciation during or after your wedding day. A lot of our couples ask us about this, and we wanted to share more! But first, we must say, your vendor team is there to service your wedding, and doesn’t expect anything more than your happiness! If you do choose to show some type of Vendor Appreciation, whether monetarily or in the form of a gift, or even a nice handwritten note, anything is appreciated and certainly not expected.
Service Fees
These vary from each venue, caterer or any other vendor that has these tied in. Check your contracts thoroughly if services fees are 1) included and 2) if they go directly to the staff or not. Most venues include this as an overhead/house fee and servers and waitstaff never receive it. If the service fee does go to the staff, and you feel like showing extra appreciation, you are certainly welcome to do that as well! If you are tipping servers, bartenders, catering managers, etc, they might pool their tips together, so it doesn’t hurt to ask your point person for that company how you should prepare any gratuity.
It doesn’t have to be money
While monetary is usually best, we have received some of the best, most personal gifts before from our Clients that we will cherish forever! If you are going to go this route, make sure you take the time to research what would be the most meaningful to that vendor. Big or small, something thoughtful and useful can go a long way. Also, another way of showing your appreciation (which you should be doing anyways!) is leaving your entire vendor team a review. Sharing your experience can go a long way, and lets future couples know how it was to work with each vendor.
Who vs who not
When it comes to taking care of your vendor team, there is the core members that are working the entire event to consider first (planner, photographer, videographer, DJ/Band, Catering, etc). While a token of appreciation isn’t needed for your cake delivery team, floral team, rentals or transportation (driver fees usually include a gratuity, you can certainly still leave something nice for them. Every time we distribute anything to these vendors, they are so surprised and grateful! Ultimately, if you feel that any vendor or team member has gone above and beyond their scope of services, let your happiness and appreciation show!
Budget
It is so so important to include Vendor Appreciation in your initial budget! This is a cost that is often not thought about until the end, and can add up quickly. We have a cheat sheet we offer our clients that has this helpful information to be used as a guideline. Review this information with whoever is working on the budget with you from the beginning, so there are no surprises or large last minute costs that pop up towards the end.
Vendor Appreciation can be a vague subject, but we hope this gave you some clarity to help you prepare a bit more in your planning. Don’t be afraid to discuss this topic with each vendor directly or your planner for more insight!
reel: “vendor gratitude/appreciation”. gift, money, how much, distributions ‘get ur freak on sound/pointing in video’
