to tip or not to tip, that is the question: tipping your wedding vendors

after you've shelled out boatloads of money to all the various wedding vendors, the last thing on your mind (especially ON your wedding day) is most likely tipping.

there isn't a cut & dry protocol for who you should tip & how much, but i included a few guidelines that might help out when setting aside gratuity. disclaimer: i'm no emily post, so take all of this with a grain of salt : )

be sure to start by reading through your contracts to determine whether or not a tip is already included. some vendors might include a line about gratuity in very tiny print in the middle of a random paragraph. hey, can you blame them? who wouldn't want to get tipped twice?

in instances when tip is not included, the amount you may or may not give should be at your discretion. below is a quick list of vendors & some tips on tips:

*caterers ~ if tip is not already included, 15-20% of the total can be given to the catering manager to divide up among their employees. a more affordable option is to pay each employee a set amount (say $25/waiter, $50/chef, $100/manager)

*musicians ~ if your band or deejay is independent, a tip is not as necessary rather than if they were booked through an agency. all the money you're paying your band goes directly to the band members if they are independent. a tip is customary if your musicians were booked through an agency (say $25/band member). and if your independent band or deejay put on a amazing show, why not hook them up with a little extra to say thanks?

*hair & makeup stylists ~ this to me is the most obvious. it's like any ol' hair appointment. 15-20% tip on the total. you might want to lean towards the 20% if they made the trip out to your home. i know, i know, they probably charged you a fortune to come to your home, but it's still a professional service that traditionally requires a tip.

*officiant ~ tipping is not required in this instance, but if your officiant had to travel far or you're looking for a way to thank them, why not say it with cash?

*florists & photographers ~ in most cases florists & photographers are independent owners & have negotiated the rates for their services. tipping is not required, but again, if your florist or photographer did a stellar job, it never hurts to award a job well done.

don't let tipping put you into panic mode. it's a good idea to plan ahead & set the money aside before you say i do. just remember, all this tipping nonsense will be as a result of great service and a small thank you for them helping you pull off your day.

if you don't have hundreds to dole out, keep in mind that a great recommendation to future brides & grooms can be just as helpful, if not more, to your vendors! a $40 tip is nice, but your vendor will be extremely grateful if you can help them book another $3,000 photography session.

happy monday

{wildflower photography via wedding chicks}

how playful does this crew look?

i'm working on another post right now, but thought you'd enjoy this fun wedding in the meantime.

hope you all had a great weekend & a fantabulous start to your week!

i've got a secret: weddings on my mind

{via afterglow photos llc}

i have a habit. it's silly. don't laugh.

every friday i think to myself (& sometimes aloud to the hubs), "someone is getting married this weekend!" that's right friends, every week i have a moment when i marvel at the fact that it is THE weekend for someone. being that today is friday, it most likely means some couple out there in lala land is finishing up last minute DIY details, getting ready for their rehearsal dinner & greeting out of town guests.

all last week, when the threat of earl was much more dramatic than what actually came to pass, i thought about all the poor brides stressing out. worrying about the potential devastation of a year's worth of planning. luckily earl was all talk & no game.

to any of you getting married this weekend or attending a wedding, i'd just like to say wooHoo.

i'll be thinking of you...

too cool for school: back to school

i was never, and will never be, this cool. i mean, come on people, striped leggings & ballet flats?! these kids dress better than most adults!

my sis-in-law sent a pic of my nephew getting ready for his first day of school this morning & it got me reminiscing on my own back to school days. shopping for a personalized l.l.bean backpack, picking out a fancy trapper keeper & breaking in a cool new pair of keds.

but nothing as effortlessly cool as these kids.

{all photos via j.crew}

i don't miss the homework, but i wouldn't mind a little recess now & then.

spotlight on paige + kim: real wedding

all i can say about paige & kim's wedding is, wow. to start, they both look ridiculously gorgeous in their short white wedding dresses and brightly colored heels. add the fact that new york city was their playground & backdrop from

the amazing rooftop at the gramercy park hotel & need i say more? i

always admire when a couple truly focuses on the details in order to make their wedding an experience the guests will never forget. this wedding nails it. from the homemade photo booth, to the customized take home reusable bags, these ladies covered it all.

you'll fall in love when you check out these amazing photos from the talented erinn j. hale. enjoy!

the brides & their pup

their ridiculously adorable buddy, norm

from paige (on why they chose new york):
kim is from new york & we consider it to be the place where we fell in love. it was convenient & less costly for a majority of the guests to travel to & from. we also chose it because of it's close proximity to connecticut, where we could pop on up for a day & get legally married. hence, we didn't have to make a separate trip out east to get married before we held a ceremony in california. it was important for us to be legally married.

love the pop of blue in the background

backdrop = radical

cool cats

from paige (on why they chose the gramercy park hotel):

it was available on our date! it was also within our budget, absolutely gorgeous and we didn't have to do much in terms of decorating or bringing in outside vendors. trying to plan a wedding from across the country is very difficult & we wanted the venue to have everything "built-in" to cut down on time, money & energy (and so i would only have to take one xanax per night instead of 2).

isn't this room incredible?! obsessed...

lightbulbs galore!

rooftop at the gramercy park hotel

stems were gathered at the flower market that morning & arranged by a friend of the brides

take home bag for the guests ~ same graphic on the wedding invitation

from paige (on favorite parts of the day):
the photo shoot we did alone with the photographer in the meatpacking district prior to the event...hanging with everyone at the wine bar the night before...the ceremony...the light bulb room at the gramercy was magical & being surrounded by my favorite people was so special. it's a moment i will never forget...the photobooth! the after partay! it was clutch that we booked the loft room at the ace hotel. it was like having our own apartment in the city big enough for everyone to hang out. we stocked the room with our own alcohol & mixers, so no one had to pay for drinks & we didn't hav eto share the after party space with strangers.

the beautiful kim

the beautiful paige

the brides & their bros

love the shoes & bowties

paige & her little bro, wyatt

pretty pretty flowers ~ bouquets made by friend of the brides

i adore the red + yellow heels

we are far from traditional and i was nervous about being the center of attention, so we diffused the situation by having the ceremony during cocktail hour. it gave everyone the chance to grab a drink and mingle while waiting for everyone to arrive. we didn't have chairs or an aisle. instead, everyone just kind of circled around us for the ceremony. it felt very warm and natural and loving. i wasn't intimidated or scared. plus, i had already had a glass of champagne so i wasn't super nervous :)

pretty little things

backdrop for the homemade photobooth

photobooth equipped with amazing props

simple, yet fantastic

every couple should provide flip flops for their guests. really, it should be a law.

camera & instant film on standby to customize the guestbook

scrumptious cupcake tower provided by crumbs

congratulations lovebirds

from paige (on recommendations & advice):
have a get together prior to the wedding day. we invited anyone who was in town the night before to join us at a wine bar to say hello & catch up. it was great because all of the excitement & energy of seeing everyone, catching up & meeting people occurred the night before. by the wedding night, everyone was more relaxed, casual & comfortable.

planning the photo shoot with family PRIOR to the big event. there was no way that kim & i were going to miss out on cocktail hour, so we planned the family photos for the hour before, which was nice for us & our families & it allowed for us all to participate in the entire evening. it's too short of an event to miss out on an hour or two just to take pictures.

we went back and forth on the guest list and the number of guests. it started out quite large. once we sat down together and really thought about it we decided that we didn't want our distant cousins we hadn't seen since we were 10 or our parent's friends we'd never met at our wedding. it is such an intimate and special moment and cutting the guest list down to include our absolute closest friends and family was the best thing we could have done. it made the night extremely special and neither of us were overwhelmed with the feeling that we had to "make the rounds" to talk to everyone. by the end of the weekend, i honestly felt like i spent quality time with each person who attended the wedding.

a huge enormous thank you to erinn j. hale for sharing these photos and to paige & kim for giving us a peak of your amazingly beautiful day.

vendors:

food/alcohol: gph restaurant maialino
photographer: erinn j. hale
cupcakes/cookies: crumbs bake shop
dj: sirshorty
hair/make-up: arrojo
flowers: bought ourselves at nyc flower market ~ bouquets and table arrangements arranged by a friend
invites: worked with local santa barbara artist neal crosbie and had them printed at sb print house graphic traffic. paige's dad did the calligraphy on the envelopes.
favors: bought and printed the canvas bags at brooklyn based quist industries ~ used the image from invites.
paige's dress: bcbg
kim's dress: ever

please don't be shy about getting in on the real wedding fun!!

whether you're a photographer, wedding planner, bride or groom, send us photos from your big day (or your client's big day) to be featured in one of our weekly spotlights!

tune in tomorrow for another real wedding spotlight: paige + kim

{via erinn j. hale photography}

designer dresses on a budget: rent the runway

{carlos miele dress normally $1,100, RTR price $150}

{herve leger dress normally $1,050, RTR price $100}

{catherine malandrino dress normally $595, RTR price $75}

{badgley mischka dress normally $400, RTR price $50}

the hubs & i have had somewhat of a wedding marathon this year. by the end of october, we will have attended 8 weddings. 8! we feel so blessed to be part of these amazing days, and the open bars & free meals are simply icing on the cake.

here's the thing, when you add up the cost of engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelor/ette weekends, flights, hotels, rental cars and gifts, it's hard to even imagine buying a new dress. let alone 8! i've been trying to rotate in a few, but thanks to similar guest lists & good ol' facebook, it's become difficult to be a repeat dress offender.

a good friend recently turned me on to rent the runway & i think it just might be the perfect solution to the what-to-wear dilemma for wedding guests.

it's free to sign up, the dress arrives dry cleaned & ready to roll, you get to keep in your possession for 4 days & all you have to do is drop it in the mailbox on the due date.

a few awesome things to note, they'll send you another size for no extra fee just to be sure you get the right fit. and if you're feeling particularly indecisive, they'll allow you to order another dress at the same price level or less for only $25. hello, rehearsal dinner dress!

they also have a bump friendly section for all you expecting moms that don't want to spend a fortune on a new dress, but still want to look your best.

at first i didn't like the idea of renting a dress, but then i realized all of the fancy pants actresses borrow dresses for their big events. if they can do it, why can't i? it's true oscar de la renta isn't lending me a dress for free, but badgley mischka will rent to me for $50. that's not so shabby!

go here to find out exactly how the whole thing works.

anybody out there ever give rent the runway a try? how do you feel about renting a dress?