Tips for how to thank your wedding vendors — with or without the tip.

There are several ways to thank your wedding vendors after a job well done:

1. Write a heartfelt thank-you note or email expressing your appreciation for their hard work and dedication.  We are all just kids at heart and getting snail mail just makes us giddy!  But even an email, something that will take less than 5 minutes of your time, can brighten our day.  I’m not going to lie — sometimes the lack of any response after a photo gallery has been delivered leaves me feeling blue.  So take a minute and just let us know you see our hard work and appreciate it!
2. Leave a positive review on their website or social media page.  Here are my tips for how to make that review really stand out, and also hit all the most helpful points for future wedding clients:
   • Mention the vendor’s name and the services they provided for your wedding.
   • Describe how the vendor exceeded your expectations or went above and beyond to make your wedding special.
   • Share any specific anecdotes or moments that stand out in your mind and that the vendor played a role in.
   • Address their level of professionalism, punctuality, communication, and overall service.
   • Talk about the quality of the final product or service provided by the vendor and how it met your expectations
   • Share any other information that would be helpful for future clients, such as pricing, flexibility or any other specific need that was met by the vendor.
3. Send a small gift or token of appreciation, such as a bouquet of flowers or a gift card.  Most often you can find the mailing address online for your vendors, so sending a little something as a surprise is a nice way to express your gratitude.  It doesn’t have to be extraordinary.  You can send a candle or a gift card for coffee and I promise they will notice!
4. Refer them to friends and family who are planning their own weddings.  This is one of the easiest ways to thank your vendors, and actually one of the most effective.  I don’t have exact statistics but I’d be willing to wager that more than 50% of my business comes from direct word of mouth.  Happy people leads to more happy people!  Don’t be shy when someone compliments your wedding — share with them how it all came together.
5. Mention their services in any wedding related posts on social media.  We live and die by social media these days and it is no different for wedding vendors.  When a happy client shares their photos or just kind words on their own social media it IS noticed.  Not only by us — but also friends, family and even just silent social lurkers from your past will see who helped to make your day a success and will likely have those names in mind when their day comes.
6. Actually tip them.  For certain vendors a monetary tip is not expected, but is appreciated nonetheless.  Speaking from personal experience, I don’t expect a tip but when I do receive one I love to be able to share that with my team of second shooter and assistant.  That becomes an added bonus for the whole crew for a job well done!

It’s important to remember that a small gesture of appreciation can go a long way in showing vendors that their hard work and dedication was appreciated.