All of your wedding vendors are there for you from the moment that you sign the contract. Most of them are even there for you after the wedding is over! Because they do so much for your wedding day, many couples wonder what is the best way to thank your wedding vendors.
6 Ways to Thank Your Wedding Vendors
There are so many ways to thank your wedding vendors — from in-person gifts to supporting their business beyond your wedding day. The way that you thank them is completely up to you — but we are here to give you some ideas that we know are much appreciated by wedding vendors!
Write a thank-you card
A handwritten, personal thank-you card for each wedding vendor is an excellent way to let each vendor know that you appreciate them. You’ll find lots of ideas below on what to give along with your note.
While you should make each note personalized to the vendor, a good template to use might be:
“Dear [Name],
Thank you so much for being a part of our wedding day! We loved working with you to bring our dream day to life. We sincerely appreciate everything that you have done to create unforgettable memories for us that will last a lifetime. [Address specific moments]
Our love and gratitude,
[Your names]”
Overall, a thank-you note should talk about specifics for why you are grateful for them. Write these cards ahead of time, and set aside a moment to hand them out.
Leave them a tip
Of course, one of the simplest ways to thank your wedding vendors is to give them a tip. Tips are not mandatory, but they are highly encouraged by many. When you are configuring your wedding budget, you may want to consider factoring in an estimation of gratuities and tips for service-based vendors.
When it comes time to actually give the tips, we recommend organizing all of them in envelopes with a thank you note before the day of your wedding. This way, they can easily be distributed on your big day by your wedding planner. We always have couples place them in individually labeled and sealed envelopes. If you don’t have a planner, we recommend assigning someone with the duty of giving them to each vendor — whether it’s your dad, maid of honor… or yourselves! Keep in mind, though, that you will be very busy as a couple on your wedding day. It may be best to assign the duty to someone else.
Tips will never go unappreciated. Many wedding vendors are small businesses, so they will be very grateful!
Send a gift
If you’re more of a physical gift giver, they will be appreciated by wedding vendors, too! Make sure that these are personalized and thoughtful.
Do you know that they love wine? Gift them a wine subscription box. Do they love to travel? Gift them an AirBnB gift card or work with them to set up a small weekend getaway. This doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant — it can be at a local hotel with a gift card for dinner!
If you aren’t sure what they’ll like, something personalized with their initials may be a thoughtful gift.
Share their work & give a review
One of the most thoughtful ways to thank your wedding vendors is to share with others why you loved them so much! If you have friends or family who will be getting married, recommend your favorite vendors to them. Word-of-mouth is huge for the wedding industry. Be sure to give them a review on all of the online platforms that you can find, too! Common platforms are Wedding Wire, The Knot, Google, Yelp and Facebook.
Offer to be a reference for a testimonial
Finally, you can offer to be a testimonial reference. This would feature your review on their website, or have you as a contact for potential clients to go to and talk about your experience. They may or may not take you up on this offer — but it will definitely show the vendor how much you appreciated their hard work!
Purchase a gift card from them
Just because your wedding day is over, doesn’t mean that you have to stop working with them! Many wedding vendors can be used for other moments in your life. A photographer can be used for a newborn shoot or family portraits. Your event planner can help to plan a baby shower or graduation party. The catering company that you use might also be a restaurant. The possibilities are endless!
For this reason, purchasing a gift card from them shows the vendor that you appreciate their hard work and that you plan to continue supporting their business after your wedding day.