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Vendor Contributions: Planning: @ashleynicoleaffair | Photography: @april_mae_creative | Venue: @springdalestation | Florist: @theflowergirltx | Hair/MUA: @bonitabrides | Catering & Bar: @peachedtortillacatering | Band: @hybrid7band | Mariachi: @mariachicorazondetejas | Rentals: @premiereeventsaustin | Videography: @photohousefilms | Dessert: Amy's Ice Creams | Late Night Snack: @whataburger

05/18/2022 We created this list of Austin MUSTS by compiling suggestions from local brides, vendors, and the most premium Austinites! Feel free to cut + paste directly to your wedding website so your out of town guests can experience the best of the city! BARS 6TH STREET ‣ East 6th: The rowdier side, younger crowd, a lot of live music, very tame during the day, but at night turns into the epicenter of bachelor/ette parties. Pro-tip: Wanderlust Wine Co. sits on the edge of 6th (with a second location in East Austin now) - it's a wine-on-tap room where you can grab a glass and taste anything you want. AND they have the best hidden-gem Italian food truck out back (The Heel of The Boot) which is a must try with the wine. ‣ West 6th: Known for having more upscale options, young professional type crowd, has great Sunday Funday options! Pro-tip: Kung Fu Saloon is great for Sundays and Greenlight Social has boozy capri sun that is a MUST! ‣ *NEW* East 6th: On the other side of I-35 now lives a slew of modern bars, restaurant happy hours, and breweries that have all popped up within the last few years - a great part of the street for safe walking and finding late night food trucks. Pro-tip: Whisler's has delicious cocktails, a Mezcal rooftop bar, and great outdoor tables for big groups & board games! ​ RAINEY STREET Outdoor bars and restaurants, five minute cab ride to downtown, dining options Pro-tip: Sunday morning at Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden - enjoy a MANosa and get a bottle of champagne and a splash of OJ in a glass beer mug! THE DOMAIN Originally just your typical outdoor-shopping mall, The Domain now contains an entire street of bars called Rock Rose. Kung Fu Saloon has another location here (with arcade games!), and a fan favorite is Wonder Bar - where you can "spin the wheel" for a surprise shot or even a free T-shirt! BREWERIES NORTH AUSTIN ‣ Austin Beerworks ‣ Celis Brewery ‣ Circle Brewing ‣ Adelbert’s Brewery CENTRAL AUSTIN ‣ Central District Brewing ‣ Oddwork Brewing ‣ Austin Eastciders EAST AUSTIN ‣ Blue Owl Brewing Taproom ‣ Friends and Allies Brewing Company ‣ Lazarus Brewing Company ‣ Southern Heights Brewing Company ‣ Zilker Brewing Company and Taproom ‣ Central Machine Works SOUTH AUSTIN ‣ St. Elmo Brewing Company ‣ Austin Beer Garden and Brewery (The ABGB) ‣ Independence Brewing Co. ‣ Pinthouse Pizza ‣ Live Oak Brewing Company WEST AUSTIN ‣ 12 Fox Beer Co. ‣ Fitzhugh Brewing *partnered with PEJ Kitchens* ‣ Jester King Brewery ‣ Vista Brewing ‣ Oasis Texas Brewing Company MANCHACA AREA ‣ Indian Roller ‣ Moontower Saloon *you can play volleyball here!* ‣ South Austin Beer Garden SPEAKEASIES/"UNDERGROUND" COCKTAIL BARS Click here for the best secret bars in Austin! ‣ Firehouse Lounge ‣ Here Nor There ‣ Garage ‣ Midnight Cowboy ‣ Floppy Disk Repair Co. ‣ The Roosevelt Room ‣ Tiki Tatsu-Ya *from Ramen Tatsu-Ya!* WINERIES ​‣ The Austin Winery ‣ Duchman Family Winery *connected to Trattoria Lisina!* ‣ Fall Creek Vineyards ‣ Lewis Wines ​‣ ​Pedernales Cellars ​‣ Wanderlust Wine Co. RESTAURANTS BBQ ‣ Franklin Barbecue; 900 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702 Pro-tip: Bring a chair, a cooler of beer, and get in line three hours before opening because they serve until they run out! ‣ la Barbecue; 2027 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702 ‣ Terry Black’s; 1003 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704 ‣ The Salt Lick; 18300 Farm to Market Rd 1826, Driftwood, TX 78619 ‣ The Switch; 166 Hargraves Dr Suite G-100, Austin, TX 78737 ‣ Cooper's BBQ ‣ SLAB BBQ *featured on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives!* ​ COFFEE ‣ Epoch; Multiple locations available ‣ Halycon; Multiple locations available *roast marshmallows and make S'mores here!* ​‣ Mozart’s; 3825 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703 ‣ Summer Moon; Multiple locations *an Austin classic!* ‣ Merit Coffee; Multiple locations ‣ Codependent Cocktails & Coffee; 301 West Ave Suite 110, Austin, TX 78701 ‣ Flat Track TACOS ‣ ⁠Juan in a Million; 2300 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702 Breakfast or lunch, closes at 3 ‣ Torchy’s Tacos; Multiple locations *must-try queso for your out-of-state guests!* ‣ Vera Cruz All Natural Tacos; Multiple locations ‣ Taquero Mucho *perfect for a bridal brunch - everything is pink!* ‣ Papalote OTHER ‣ Hillside Farmacy; 1209 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702 ‣ Hula Hut on Lake Austin; 3825 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703 ‣ Le Vacher; 136 Drifting Wind Run, Dripping Springs, TX 78620 ‣ Magnolia Cafe; 1920 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704 *an Austin classic!* ‣ Mattie’s; 811 W Live Oak St, Austin, TX 78704 *Victorian home offering Southern food for brunch & peacocks on property* ‣ The Oasis on Lake Travis; 6550 Comanche Trail, Austin, TX 78732 ‣ Thicket Food Park; 7800 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78745 *food truck park!* ‣ Via 313; Multiple locations available *authentic Detroit-style pizza - IT'S A MUST!* ‣ Il Brutto; East 6th *Happy hour even on Saturdays - with half priced bottles of wine!* ‣ Suerte; East 6th ‣ Ramen Tatsu-Ya; Multiple locations ‣ Home Slice Pizza; Multiple locations *an Austin classic!* ‣ Aba; South Congress (Music Lane) SCENIC ACTIVITIES ‣ 360/Pennybacker Bridge Park on the side of the Hwy 360, hike your way through the trail and semi-rocky terrain to get to the top of the cliff that overlooks the lake and the city Pro-tip: Buy a pizza from Home Slice and take it to the 360 bridge to eat as the sun sets over Lake Austin! ‣ ⁠Austin Bat Tours Watch them on the land or on a BYOB boat! ‣ ⁠Ladybird Lake + The Butler Hike and Bike Trail Zilker Park Boat Rentals/Rowing Dock: Rent kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddle boards ‣ ⁠Mount Bonnell/Covert Park Ascend 106 stone stairs to get to the summit where you can see panoramic views of Austin ‣ ⁠Take a self-guided mural tour around town ‣ ⁠Texas State Capitol ‣ ⁠Wildflower Center The Botanic Garden of Texas - Become a member or visit as a non-members; reservation only right now ‣ ⁠Zilker Park & Botanical Gardens The most loved park in Austin! Play disc golf, ride the miniature Zephyr train, fly a kite, play sand volleyball, access the Greenbelt, and take a dip in Barton Springs Pool! SHOPPING ‣ 2nd Street District Downtown ⁠shopping & dining options ​‣ ⁠Barton Creek Square South Austin ‣ ⁠South Congress Experience what it's like to have to back your car into a diagonal parking spot and walk the shops on both sides of the street and enjoy the amazing restaurants! Pro-tip: Grab some Amy’s Ice Creams, get a picture at the I love you so much sign, and enjoy the shops, find some free live music, and then grab a drink at the South Congress Hotel Lobby Bar! ‣ ⁠The Arboretum North Austin ​ ‣ ⁠The Domain in North Austin Bars, shopping, indoor/outdoor dining, 24/7 cupcake ATM WATER ACTIVITIES ‣ ⁠Barton Springs & Deep Eddy Pools Outdoor pool with water fed from the nearby natural springs ‣ ⁠Big Stacy Pool Small & shallow outdoor community pool with water fed from the nearby natural springs, covered by giant oak trees - great for families with kids! ​‣ ⁠Blue Hole Regional Park ‣ ⁠Capital Cruises Boat tour agency - personal boat rides, take a sunset ride, sightseeing tours, or book a larger boat for your rehearsal dinner! ‣ ⁠Float On Lake Travis & Lake Austin boat rentals ‣ ⁠Hamilton Pool Preserve - temporarily closed A scenic natural swimming pool in a canyon below a 50-ft waterfall, surrounded by a grotto ‣ ⁠Jacob’s Well A perennial karstic spring in the Texas Hill Country flowing from the bed of Cypress Creek ‣ ⁠Zip line Lake Travis NIGHT LIFE & OTHER ADVENTURES ‣ Austin Panic Room ‣ ⁠Broken Spoke *featured on Queer Eye!* Two-stepping here is a MUST! *featured on Queer Eye!* ‣ The Continental Club The grand-daddy of local and live music since 1955 ‣ ⁠Esther's Follies Catch a comedy show. ‣ ⁠Movie at Alamo Drafthouse Enjoy a cocktail or a boozy milkshake and catch a flick. Check their schedule ahead of time to find older movies replay or sing-a-longs. ‣ The Escape Game Austin Join an existing reservation or bring a crowd to work together to escape a themed room! ‣ Top Golf ‣ Unchartered Adventures Used to be 512 Rage Room, make reservations to BREAK anything safely from technology to glass! ‣ Urban Axes The new trend... axe throwing! Book in advance. ‣ Cidercade $10 admission to play all of the arcade games your inner-child heart desires, while sipping on cider ‣ Stubb's There's a concert here almost every night! ‣ Ink Empire Home of the mini-Monday - bring your most fun guests here after your wedding weekend (or go with your new spouse for matching tats!) and get $35 mini tattoos! NEARBY DAY TRIP SUGGESTIONS ‣ ⁠Driftwood/Dripping Springs The Hill Country is home to most of Austin's scenic wedding venues, but there are so many shops and restaurants you can explore! ‣ ⁠Fredericksburg Known for wineries - take a wine shuttle or bus to enjoy everything it has to offer! ‣ ⁠Gruene Just south of Austin, offering shopping, dining, and a historic dance hall ‣ Wimberley Jacob’s Well & Blue Hole are here, on top of a lot of local shops and boutiques ‣ Waco Home of Magnolia Market at the Silos

Vendor Contributions: Photography: @sarahkjphoto | Planning: @ashleynicoleaffair | Venue, Catering & Bar: @thelinehotel | Florist: @blume_haus_events | Hair/MUA: @adoremakeupsalon | Baker/Cake: @wombakery | Band: @pdaband | Officiant: @spokenheartceremonies

Photography: @sarahtribettphoto | Coordination: @ashleynicoleaffair⁠ | Venue: @vintagevillas⁠ | Florist: @bouquetsofaustin⁠ | Cake: @frosting_fanatic⁠ | DJ: @looknofurtherentertainment⁠ | Marquee Letters: @alphalitaustin⁠ | Hair/MUA: @dianabeautyatx + @kaitlinbeautyatx⁠ | Rentals: @monarcheventatx⁠ | Photo Booth: @pixstertexas⁠ | Videography: @newbeginningsfilms⁠

Photography: @twopairphoto | Venue: @theaddisongrove | Planning: @ashleynicoleaffair | Florist: @whitesfloral | Hair/MUA: @lolabeautyatx | Catering: @pej_events | Baker/Cake: @sweettreetsbakery | Videography: @moonlitweddings

Before you spend countless hours on Google trying to read the between the lines of various blogs and websites about the industry's standard, we are breaking it down for you. We think any vendor can agree, a five star review on the vendor's preferred website is the best form of flattery and a wonderful way to show your appreciation. We will start by saying that the biggest misconception on the internet is that if the vendor owns the business, do not include gratuity. Whether the vendor is an employee of someone else or owns the business, you should determine whether or not to include gratuity based on their quality of service and not their employment status with the company. Most self-employed business owners pride themselves on not building gratuity into their price point. With that being said, we recommend checking your contract and invoice closely to see if gratuity has been added ahead of time. It is important to remember if you are receiving a service or a product when you are considering how much gratuity to provide. Need help finding your vendors? Check out our FAQ about where to start and what to ask! BAND Protocol: Optional The most important things to focus on for your band of choice is whatever can be done to make their job easier. Bands appreciate an isolated spot for their breaks that can be considered their green room, plenty bottles of water, and a hot meal before they perform. Not only do they have to play several sets, but they have laborious set ups and breakdowns. Although they only may perform for 2-3, one hour sets, we would definitely recommend $50 per band member as a thank you. BARTENDING Protocol: Expected Event bartenders are still considered in the service industry and we would say there are a few ways to handle gratuity. If the bride and groom choose to tip them before the wedding, the standard 15-20% of the waitstaff's wages would be applied. This means you would not tip on the cost of alcohol, rather the cost of their time spent at your wedding. A second option would be to allow your bartenders have a tip jar on the bar and allow your guests to tip them. It's always a courtesy to check in at the end of the night to make sure they have been taken care of. If the bar staff is included in the venue, I would check the contract to see if that an automatic gratuity has been applied. CATERING Protocol: Expected Much like bartending, the same service industry standard of 15-20% gratuity is applied. You will see costs from the price of food, or alcohol per person, as well as a service charge/admin fee. The service charge/admin fee is not gratuity; it helps cover the costs to prep and plan the execution of your wedding food and beverage. Tipping off of the total cost of the food allows the caterer to divide up the gratuity enough to also include the cooks, instead of just the servers and various staff. If you still feel unsure, we highly recommend talking to your caterer directly. They are more than happy to help you understand where your gratuity will go. We would say that catering gratuity is the most misunderstood in the industry. CAKE Protocol: Not customary If you choose to have your cake delivered, they can charge you a delivery fee and people like to tip off of that service. Sometimes they are given as little as $10 to thank them for the safe arrival of the cake to $200 because the bride's mother had her socks blown off at the cake artist's skills. Again, it is never expected but always appreciated. A detailed review about the cake's appearance and flavors go a long way! ​ DJ Protocol: Optional When looking at the quote from your DJ they are providing you with a service and possibly a few upgrades like lighting, projectors, etc. Depending on how you feel they acted as an emcee by controlling the crowd during announcements and reading the crowd's interest on the dance floor, a standard ~$150 is typical, but we recommend 10-20% of the total cost of the DJ services sans upgrades. We will be the first to say that the DJ is who runs the whole show and we really encourage our couples to make sure you take that importance into account when budgeting. A a five star review is also a form of gratuity that a DJ appreciates more than you know. FLORIST Protocol: Not customary We have found that florists are rarely tipped. A lot of their job is done before the wedding day and when they get there on the day of, they almost always include a percentage that covers their time setting up the installations and being there on the day of your wedding. A lot of the time, they come back at the end of the night to pick up their rentals. When they do receive a tip, it is usually around $100 and they distribute it to the employees who helped deliver and execute your floral vision on your actual wedding day. HAIR + MAKE UP Protocol: Expected Much like bartending and catering staff, doing hair and make up is a service industry profession and the 15-20% off of the service total is pretty standard. Remember that your hair and make up artists are not compensated for the drive time to and from the destination, as well as the amount of product that they use to execute your vision during all of the trials, and the amount of time they have put into prepping for the big day's look. They are not charging an hourly rate and sometimes will spend more time on certain looks so tipping could be very situational and a standard dollar amount per person is also appreciated. MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES Protocol: Optional This can be a very vague answer depending on the service they are providing. At weddings we have seen donkeys being walked around carrying beer, to magicians, face painters, fireworks, photo booth operators, late night snack food trucks, tarot card readers, and caricature artists. If someone is walking a donkey around handing out beers for cocktail hour, $50-$75 is more than enough, but if someone is operating a photo booth all night and engaging with guests, you would want to thank them with a higher percentage or fixed amount based off of the total cost of service. You can always tip any type of delivery (alcohol, appetizers, ice, etc.) $20 as a thank you for their service. OFFICIANT Protocol: Optional Unfortunately, this vendor is the most overlooked out of them all. It is not that their great ceremonies go unnoticed, but more so that they are at the wedding for less than an hour and do not get to spend time engaging with the couple after the ceremony. If you do choose to tip your officiant, we recommend a fixed amount of $50-$100 and that you make sure it gets to them before the ceremony. Although it is not customary, they are executing a very important aspect of your day and a lot of them will even go the extra mile to mail the certificate in for you so no one has to worry about handling or losing it on the day of. If you get married in a church, it is standard to give a donation to the church as a form of gratuity. If it is a family or friend, most of the time they will not accept your money so a thoughtful gift is a recommended secondary approach. PHOTOGRAPHY Protocol: Optional In our opinion, photography is the most important aspect of your wedding as pictures last a lifetime. Photographers, self-employed or not hold themselves to a very high expectation to give you the memories you may have blinked and missed. If you do recognize the effort and dedication your photographer(s) are putting into your big day, we recommend a fixed amount of $150-$200 per shooter. When paying your final invoice, you can also round up to the next hundred as a thank you. Again, it is the last thing that they expect and are just happy to document the big day in exchange for a five star review.​ PLANNER Protocol: Optional Tipping your wedding planner seems to happen about 75% of the time. Personally, we can say that a five star review is equally valuable. That being said, if you see your planner or coordinator going above and beyond for you by finding a kleenex for you to wipe your tears, sewing your button on your dress during a private dinner, or executing a very labor intensive bustle, a minimum amount of $150 per lead planner, or 5% to 10% of the total planning package is customary. The job of the coordinator is to put out any potential "fires" and to ensure you don't know about it, therefore a lot of the chaos they are controlling is behind the scenes & never mentioned. If you witness the labor of love that goes into executing a wedding, you can always offer to electronically send a gratuity or check after the big day. Again, it is never expected and when you choose us, but we would also love if you could take the time to leave us a five star review! TRANSPORTATION Protocol: Expected We suggest that you read your contract carefully because some of the time, transportation automatically includes a gratuity charge at a certain percentage of what you are paying. If this is the case, there is no additional gratuity required. If you feel that they exceeded your expectation, a fixed dollar amount from $50 to $75 for the driver is always appreciated. When it comes to valet, a dollar per guest is standard, if their gratuity is not included in the cost of the service. VENUE Protocol: Not customary You may see a lot of charges when it comes to your venue's contract, but gratuity is not one of them that you will have to worry about. If your venue has a built in coordinator in the contract, we recommend you see what we advise about planners . If the venue is just providing a venue manager on staff the night of your wedding, it is not customary to offer them any type of gratuity. They are there to make sure that the establishment is functioning properly during your wedding and will hang out more behind the scenes. If you do feel like a venue manager or sales representative has gone above and beyond for you, I would use your discretion on how you would want to recognize their impact on your wedding. VIDEOGRAPHY Protocol: Optional Much like photography, it is not customary to tip for videography. When asking a preferred vendor, he said it happens about one out of every three weddings. Again, if you feel that they did go above and beyond and you were not expecting to tip it is completely acceptable to send them an electronic tip after the wedding. We recommend sticking to a fixed amount around $150-$200 per shooter. It's a good thing to remember the hours of editing that they put into your video after your wedding. It is completely acceptable to deliver the tip after you receive your finished product! ​

Photography: @rileysheaglenn | Planning: @ashleynicoleaffair | Venue: @twowishesranchevents | Florist: @florafetish | Catering: @rosemaryscatering | Hair/MUA: @houseofglamatx | Baker/Cake: @thecupcakebar | Band/DJ: @hyperhythym | Videography: @moonlitweddings

Photography: @juliasoniat | Planning: @ashleynicoleaffair | Venue: @woodbinemansion | Florist: @lovelily.flowers | Catering & Bar: @royalfigcatering | Hair: @missjes | Makeup: @averyallenmakeup | DJ: @dartcollective | Musicians: @terravistastrings | Rentals: @beelavishvintage & @moontowerrentals | Baker/Cake: @sweettreetsbakery | Lighting: @altared_weddings | Linens: @premiereeventstx | Transportation: Around Austin | Calligraphy: @greengirlatx

Featured on the front page of Style Me Pretty! stylemepretty.com Planning: @ashleynicoleaffair Photography: @caitlinrosephoto Ceremony Venue: @saintmaryc Reception Venue: @hotelella Florist: @lovelily.flowers Stationery: @papergarten Hair/MUA: @makenzilaine Catering + Bar: @hotelella Baker/Cake: @sweettreetsbakery Band: @royaldukesband Videography: @moonlitweddings Rentals: @premiereeventstx

Planner: @ashleynicoleaffair⁠ Photography: @mainsqueezephotography⁠ Videography: @rebeccalynnvideography⁠ Venue/Catering/Bar: @hiddenfallsevents⁠ Florist: @suebeevintage⁠ DJ: @austinweddingdj⁠ Hair/MUA: @knotandveil⁠ Cake: @ohyeahcakes⁠ Photo booth: @vf_photobooth_tx⁠ Painter: @a.curtiscreations⁠ Signage: @greengirlatx⁠ Officiant: @saweddingpros⁠ Musician: @favorite_son⁠ Transportation: @teamoneluxurycharters⁠

Planning: @ashleynicoleaffair Photography: @moodyography Ceremony Venue: @lifeaustinchapel Reception Venue: @eventsatthearlo Florist: @nativebloomfloral Hair: @hollywouldhair Makeup: @sharon_marie_makeup DJ: @thepremieraustindjs Catering: @dnaeventsaustin Baker/Cake: @sweettreetsbakery; @thehayleycakes Rentals: @premiereeventstx Lounge: @festoontx Videography: @photohousefilms Marquee Letters: @alphalitaustin Late Night Snack: @whataburger Transportation: @limosofaustin

Rentals: @ashleynicoleaffair Photography: @monicadaniellephoto Venue: @camino_real_ranch