The bride has said "Yes," the date is set, and now the hunt for the perfect dress begins. According to The Knot, the average price of a wedding dress in 2026 will be around $2,100. That in itself is a significant sum. However, as one bride recently found out, you might be expected to shell out even more.
A few days ago, bride-to-be Amelia Mulligan shared her story about how she was expected to tip at the bridal salon. Confused about whether this was common practice, she asked other brides about their experiences. In the comments, former brides and bridal stylists alike came to her defense, saying that tipping culture has gotten out of control.
Wedding dresses are quite expensive nowadays, costing an average of $2,000
Image credits: AS Photography/Pexels (not the actual photo)
One bride-to-be also found out that brides are expected to tip their bridal stylists at the salon
Image credits: Jill Wellington/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Liza Summer/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ameliamulligan
Tips may help bridal consultants to add some money to their modest salaries, but shouldn't make brides uncomfortable
We tip servers, we tip the concierge, we tip food delivery drivers, we tip hairdressers – but should we tip stylists at bridal boutiques, too? Finding the wedding dress of your dreams is not easy, and a bridal consultant helps a great deal to make sure you find the perfect one.
Still, as many commenters pointed out, tipping can be expected but by no means is it mandatory. Essentially, you can always choose not to tip, but can if you feel like an employee gave you exceptional attention and service. One bridal shop owner wrote in the comments that brides should feel comfortable not to tip: "I wouldn't feel icky about not tipping, it's certainly never expected!"
Another former bridal stylist in the comments, @queen_brat34, confirmed that her pay was lacking and receiving tips helped her out a great deal. "Most of us only make $8-$13 an hour and we don't get the appointment fee, the store does," she revealed. "We so appreciate tips! But they're not required."
She went on to say that her tips would usually be around $20-$25 in cash. In addition, she would receive 5% of the wedding dress price in commission. "Usually mine was $60-$100 per dress," @queen_brat34 added.
Even bridal salons claim that tipping a bridal consultant is optional. "Tipping practices can differ significantly across various industries and locations," the experts at Jade Bridal Tampa write. According to them, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. "While some brides express their gratitude through tips, others believe that the commission already reflects adequate compensation."
Tipping culture may have gone too far, but there are other ways to show gratitude to a bridal consultant
Commenters agreed with the bride that tipping shouldn't be customary when the consultants already make a commission from the dresses they sell. In many people's minds, this is just another example of how tipping culture in the U.S. has gone completely off the rails.
Many Americans would agree with that statement. In fact, according to a 2025 survey by WalletHub, nine in 10 Americans think that tipping culture has gone too far. Two in five even say that the U.S. should ban tipping, and 64% believe employers are making it the customer's job to pay the employees instead of paying them adequate salaries.
The practice of tipping a bridal consultant seems confusing to many, as there are plenty of threads on Reddit with brides asking whether this is the norm. "I've never heard of this before and it seems kind of weird," one netizen wrote in the Wedding Planning subreddit. "None of the other stores asked for tips, none of my friends have ever mentioned tipping for a dress appointment."
According to the consultants at MB Bride, sometimes tipping doesn't feel right, and it's okay to show gratitude in other ways:
- A handwritten thank-you note.
- Online review mentioning the consultant by name.
- Tagging them in try-on videos on social media or in photos from the wedding day.
- Small gifts like coffee, lunch, or a gift card.
The woman's video garnered over 250k views on TikTok in a week
Commenters sided with the bride, while some stylists explained why they might expect a tip
