# Do you tip your wedding official if you're also paying him? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292 "2009-08-13T15:10:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/1 "2009-08-13T15:10:51Z")
In about 7 weeks time I will be getting married and I’m trying to sort out all the last minute details. We are having a Marriage Commissioner perform our ceremony in a hall (as opposed to a minister/rabbi, etc) and we are paying him a fee ($235). He will not be attending the rehersal (which is super low key anyway), and we aren’t having a pre-meeting with him - we discussed things on the phone and thats it. Should we tip him as well? I know it’s customary to tip religious officials or the church or whatever, but I wasn’t sure about this guy. If we should tip him, how much? $50? $100? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/2 "2009-08-13T16:18:53Z")
I can’t see a reason to tip him. You are paying him already, and from your post it seems that this is a business he is running. You don’t trip the proprietor of a business; you tip employeees who are paid less than minimum wage because it’s understood that they make their money off gratuities. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/3 "2009-08-13T16:20:26Z")
I’d say no. The guy is providing a service. A service which he decided is worth $235. Not like a waiter or pizza delivery guy who is working at a set wage and depends of tips to make a decent income. He set the price, you agreed on it, case closed. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/4 "2009-08-13T16:22:21Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You don’t trip the proprietor of a business Not if you ever want to set foot (heh) in there again. I also vote no tip. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/5 "2009-08-13T18:35:26Z")
Yes, you tip them (here, anyhow). I tipped ours $75. We got married about 4 weeks ago. ETA: The fee was only $75 though… ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/6 "2009-08-13T18:37:26Z")
On further contemplation - the reason we tip is because the majority of the $75 fee ($65 of it) goes to the government. That’s right, she only makes $10. So the tip was her ‘payment’. If the guy gets paid for officiating, I would tip much less then we did, if at all. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/7 "2009-08-13T19:37:29Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Not if you ever want to set foot (heh) in there again. > > I also vote no tip. The woman who cuts my hair is the proprietor of her establishment. She has yet to turn down a tip from me, or ban me from her establishment. Of course, she doesn’t drive a caddilac and live in a big house, either. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/8 "2009-08-14T05:27:22Z")
> [@EmAnJ](#): > > On further contemplation - the reason we tip is because the majority of the $75 fee ($65 of it) goes to the government. That’s right, she only makes $10. So the tip was her ‘payment’. > > If the guy gets paid for officiating, I would tip much less then we did, if at all. Humm - weird - I think we’re in the same place. (Calgary, AB) We’re getting married in Cochrane and his fee of $235 was pretty standard. Where did you get married that she only charged $75? Also, if it’s true that $65 goes to the government, he’s still making $170 for less than a hour’s work. Hummm. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/9 "2009-08-14T13:58:39Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Humm - weird - I think we’re in the same place. (Calgary, AB) > > We’re getting married in Cochrane and his fee of $235 was pretty standard. > > Where did you get married that she only charged $75? > > Also, if it’s true that $65 goes to the government, he’s still making $170 for less than a hour’s work. > > Hummm. Ah, we got married in Creston, BC. Obviously BC is different. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/10 "2009-08-14T16:50:29Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > The woman who cuts my hair is the proprietor of her establishment. She has yet to turn down a tip from me, or ban me from her establishment. > > Of course, she doesn’t drive a caddilac and live in a big house, either. But Skald was referring to tripping the proprietor. I bet you haven’t done that, have you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-your-wedding-official-if-youre-also-paying-him/506292/11 "2009-08-14T17:28:13Z")
We got married in Calgary by an officiant, and it seems like her fee was around $230, too, and we did not tip. We didn’t know we were supposed to, so we just paid her fee and that was that. We didn’t tip anyone, actually - the wedding industry is such a scam, with all the prices jacked so high, I don’t think I would have tipped even if I knew I was supposed to. If you want more money, just charge more. No one seems to have a problem charging whatever they want for weddings. Just a wild-ass guess, but maybe clergy get tipped because they traditionally didn’t charge, so it was a little acknowledgement of them taking the time to perform your ceremony.