Wedding tipping culture has officially entered the chat… and people have thoughts.

In this very first edition of AITVA (Am I The Vendor Asshole?), Dana is joined by wedding planner and designer Irene of Irene & Co Events to unpack one very heated Reddit thread: a bride questioning whether she really needed to tip her wedding vendors 20%… including a $6,000 gratuity for catering staff.

From tip jars at wedding bars to service fees, self-employed vendors, bad DJs, and the pressure couples feel to tip everyone — nothing is off limits in this conversation.

Together, Dana and Irene dive into:

• Whether self-employed vendors should expect tips
• The difference between gratuity and service fees
• Why transparency matters more than ever
• How venues and vendors should educate clients
• Why handwritten notes and reviews often mean more than cash
• And whether tipping culture has officially gone too far

Funny, honest, slightly unhinged, and packed with real industry insight — this episode is for vendors, couples, planners, and anyone who has ever felt personally attacked by the iPad tip screen.

So… is the client the asshole here?

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