A cheat sheet on tipping do's and don'ts

With all that happens at major events like weddings and funerals, giving gratuities might be easily overlooked. Farley, the manners expert, offered these recommendations.

Wedding tips guide:

• Wait staff: 15 percent to 20 percent of the catering bill.
• Bartender: 10 percent of liquor bill.
• Coat room/bathroom attendants: $1 per guest, paid by the host.
• Disc jockey: $50 to $100.
• Presiding official: Not required but not more than $100.
• Altar boys: $10 to $15.
• Wedding planner: $50 to $100. If it's for the planning firm's owner, don't tip.

Funeral tips guideline:

• Presiding official: $50 to $300 if an honorarium is not preset.

"Any tips for funeral home staff are handled by the funeral home," Farley says. "Sometimes those fees are itemized on the bill (as a gratuity), or they can be included in the overall price that the family pays."