Should you tip your Elopement Photographer?

The question of tipping, who should I tip and how much should I tip, is a continual topic of angst in our house. I hate not knowing for sure what's expected of me, especially when working with a high ticket item. So I figured I'd lend some clarity and lay down some ground rules for any couples who want to work with us.

Do we need to tip our elopement photographer?

Personally, we don't think so. Since we are a high-ticket service provider and we set our own rates, we feel it's in everyone's best interest if we just charge what we need to. Our rates cover the services we provide and we expect nothing more from you, full stop. You won't get any shade or hard feelings from us if you choose not to tip!

Do you accept tips?

While we have zero expectation for tips, we certainly won't turn you down if you want to give us one.

When should I tip?

So if there's no expectation for tips, when should you tip? Just to be clear, the word "should" in this segment is a misnomer, we don't think there is a scenario where you should tip. But that's what people ask and search for so we figured we address it directly! Here are a couple of scenarios that could prompt you to leave a tip for your photographer:

1. Your Photographer Goes Above and Beyond what is asked of us

A huge part of working with our clients involves creating a comfortable environment, helping keep stress levels low, and keep the hype train going to the whole time! If you feel we (or your photographer) went above and beyond what you hired them to do and you want to show your appreciation for that, one way you could do that is by leaving a tip! You can also tell us, send us a message expressing your thanks, and/or leave a review for us! All of those also bring lots of warm fuzzies to our hearts!

2. You feel you underpaid for the services we gave you

If you get to the end of your experience and you think to yourself, "Wow, we got an amazing deal on our photographers. We definitely should have paid them more!," leaving a tip is definitely a way for you to share that appreciation with us! You could also consider purchasing prints, albums, or other products directly from us. That way you can not only contribute more to our "spoil the dog fund," but you'll also get some rad art to share with your friends and family!

3. You just want to

We get it, leaving a tip for someone to say thank you feels good! We won't turn you down. We just never want any of our couples to think we expect anything beyond what we've already agreed to!

How much should I tip my elopement photographer?

I didn't really want to address this question, but the search engines get what the search engines want! Again, since we don't have any expectation of a tip, we don't have an amount that we expect. A brief search of other resources regarding tipping photographers puts the "standard" amount at 5-15% of the amount you paid for the service.

I hope this helps and lends some clarity to any couples interested in working with us! We don't expect tips and, while we won't turn down a tip if you really want to leave one, we will take zero offense if you choose not to!

Want to chat more about the ins and outs of planning an elopement? Let chat!