Tipping Vendors
I feel like I’m going crazy with wedding culture expectations. I’ve worked as a waitress for years, worked in catering, and now I’m a dog groomer. When I set my grooming prices, I specifically priced them so I could live comfortably without relying on tips. Tips are appreciated, but never expected.
That’s why I’m struggling with the expectations around weddings. We’re already paying inflated pricing because it’s a wedding, and now it feels like couples are also expected to budget another $1,000–$2,000 just for vendor tips on top of that.
And then vendor meals too? I understand not wanting people to work hungry, but paying full per-head catering prices for multiple vendors to eat also feels excessive when we’re already paying thousands for their services.
I’m not against showing appreciation if someone truly goes above and beyond, but I don’t understand why tipping has become an automatic expectation for vendors who already set their own pricing.
Am I being unreasonable here, or does anyone else feel the same way?
ETA: We’re going through a restaurant to cater, and gratuity is included but no mention of feeding the staff. The DJ, photographer, and bartenders(through venue) are the only ones that mention food in the contract, but doesn’t state it has to be same meal. I don’t want to just feed just the aforementioned three while others sit there, nor do I want to pay $25 per head for everyone to eat the same meal. My compromise was ordering pizza for all of the staff to eat to save some of the overhead, but that doesn’t seem to be a popular option.