As a bride, you’re hoping that your wedding is absolute perfection from start to finish (as it should be) and a makeup artist’s job is to add to that beautiful day. If your artist enhances your big day in any way, you’ll want to show your appreciation: gratitude with gratuity (heh).
How much should I tip?
There are quite a few factors that go into determining the amount you should tip for wedding makeup and hair services. As a general rule, tipping for services is 15-20%, but it’s based on the level of satisfaction you have from the entire experience. Obviously, if your artist did their job and went above and beyond (which we love to do), you will want to consider tipping more. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine what or if you should tip:
Did they respond to your calls/emails in a timely manner?
Timing is everything and prompt answers to questions and concerns is a big deal for busy brides.
Were they friendly at every encounter?
It’s a no-brainer that you want service with a smile, but it makes a difference when your artist genuinely cares. We can all spot a faker! You want real smiles and real kindness.
Did they make this aspect of your wedding planning easy and pain free?
The words “stress free” and “wedding” don’t usually go together, but quality service means these two words will live happily ever after together. Congratulations.
Did they arrive on time at every appointment?
Punctual professionals perform properly. Excuse my cheesy alliteration, but being on time is pretty elementary!
Were they able to perform their job to your satisfaction or exceed your expectations?
If you feel like a damn princess on your wedding day, then your artist has done their job properly!
How should I tip?
Some wedding makeup and hair companies have service fees built into their pricing for larger parties so make sure you check with your artist to determine that. Also, you will want to check to see how tips are distributed, especially when you work with more than one artist. Tipping individually per artist is your best bet and lets them know that you appreciate them, not just the service they provide.
How else can I show my appreciation?
When you have a great experience with your wedding makeup artist, one of the biggest ways you can show how thankful you are for them is by leaving a review. How did you choose your artist? I’m sure checking out past client reviews was a big factor in choosing, right? Great reviews are huge for businesses, especially service based ones. If your artist went above and beyond and made your wedding everything you hoped it would be, let them and everyone else know!
At the end of the day though, tipping is not expected. When you tip your artist, you’re showing them how much you appreciate their services and everything they did to make your big day wonderful. We don’t like to toot our own horns (okay we definitely do), but a lot of work goes into wedding makeup and hair even behind the scenes, and when you tip for those things, your artists feel validated.
We love to go above and beyond for our clients and we do it with absolute pleasure, regardless of the monetary gain involved.
Photo: Touch of Honey Photography