Gratuity is never required by always appreciated. Here is what most people tip our staff:
Event Manager:$150 ($200 for all day events or events of 5 hours or more)
Captain: $100 to your site manager($150 for all day events or events of 5 hours or more)
Chateaux Serving Staff: $25 ($35 for all day events or events of 5 hours or more)
It is a general rule to offer some sort of a gratuity to all vendors. The appropriate amount to offer is more tricky. Unlike restaurants, where gratuities are based on a percentage of your bill, you should choose an amount anywhere between $25 and $300 for each vendor who provided you with their services and expertise before and/or during your event. The amount should be based on the amount and quality of the service. For example you might want to offer $25 to each of the wait staff and $50 to the catering captain because they had more responsibilities and perhaps did an outstanding job. You may wish to offer a gratuity to someone who was extremely helpful in the planning process, even though they were not actually at your event. Or, you may wish to offer a large gratuity (we have seen as much as $600) to someone who “saved the day” and prevented a major catastrophe by going above and beyond the call of duty. In any event, use your best judgment as anything you offer will be very much appreciated.