View other planners
Wedding Photographers in Koh Samui: Styles and Rates
Wedding photographers in Koh Samui range from about 25,000 THB for a short session to 80,000 THB and up for full-day coverage. Styles, rates and how to choose.
The 17.7% ++ on Thailand wedding quotes means the venue will add a 10% service charge and then 7% VAT on top of the quoted price — and because the VAT is calculated on the price plus the service charge, the two compound to roughly 17.7%, not 17%.
The double plus sign after a price is hospitality shorthand: the first plus is the service charge, the second is government tax. It is standard practice, not a trick, but it catches couples who compare a plus-plus quote against a nett one. This guide shows the maths, where the charge appears, and how to compare every quote on the same basis.
Somewhere in your first round of Thailand venue quotes you will meet a price followed by two plus signs, and it changes the number more than most couples expect. This guide explains exactly what the plus-plus is, why it comes to 17.7 percent rather than 17, where it does and does not apply, and how to keep it from distorting your venue comparison. For official destination guidance, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is a useful reference. These are indicative 2026 planning figures rather than quotes, so confirm current prices when you enquire.
The plus-plus, decoded
In Thai hospitality pricing, a figure written as 500,000++ means the venue will add two things to that 500,000: first a service charge, almost always 10 percent, and then value-added tax at 7 percent. The two plus signs are shorthand for those two additions. A figure described as nett, by contrast, already contains both, and is the real amount you will pay.
Why it exists
The service charge is the hospitality industry’s structured gratuity, distributed to staff, and the VAT is government tax on the whole amount including that charge. Hotels and venues across Thailand quote this way for events of every kind, not just weddings, so the plus-plus is standard practice rather than a wedding-industry trick. The problem is only ever comparing it against nett figures unknowingly.
Why 17.7% and not 17%
The two charges do not simply add, because they stack: the service charge is applied to the price first, and the VAT is then calculated on the price plus the service charge. Ten percent followed by seven percent of the enlarged amount compounds to 17.7 percent of the original figure. It is a small difference on paper and a real one on a wedding-sized invoice.
The maths on a real quote
Take a 500,000 THB package. The 10 percent service charge adds 50,000, bringing it to 550,000. VAT at 7 percent is then charged on that 550,000, adding 38,500. The true total is 588,500 THB — 17.7 percent above the quoted figure, and 3,500 THB more than a flat 17 percent would suggest. On a 1,000,000 THB wedding, the plus-plus adds 177,000 THB to the printed price.
| Quoted price (++) | +10% service | +7% VAT on total | Real (nett) price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200,000 THB | 220,000 | 235,400 | 235,400 THB |
| 500,000 THB | 550,000 | 588,500 | 588,500 THB |
| 1,000,000 THB | 1,100,000 | 1,177,000 | 1,177,000 THB |
Where the charge applies
The plus-plus is most consistent at hotels and resorts, where it typically covers the package, the food and beverage and the venue hire, but practice varies across the wider wedding market. Knowing where to expect it — and where pricing works differently — lets you read any quote correctly at first glance rather than discovering the structure at contract time.
- Hotels and resorts — packages and food and beverage are usually quoted ++.
- Private villas — the rental is often nett, while brought-in catering may be ++.
- Independent vendors — photographers and stylists usually quote nett figures.
- Always confirm in writing which basis each figure uses; never assume either way.
Reading a mixed quote
Many wedding budgets mix bases without anyone noticing: a nett villa rental, plus-plus catering from the caterer, nett photography and a plus-plus band. The safe habit is a single spreadsheet column for the nett value of every line, converted as each quote arrives. Once everything lives in that one column, the mixed bases stop mattering and the total is simply true.
How it distorts comparisons
The plus-plus causes real damage in exactly one situation: a couple compares a nett quote from one venue against a plus-plus quote from another and concludes the second is cheaper when it is not. A 550,000 nett package beats a 500,000++ package by 38,500 THB, yet the printed numbers say the opposite. Every venue comparison must be converted to nett before it means anything.
Converting every quote
The conversion is one multiplication: a plus-plus figure times 1.177 gives the true cost. Build a comparison sheet with a nett column and convert every quote into it before judging anything, and ask each venue to confirm its basis in writing, since a few use different service percentages. Our Thailand wedding cost guide uses pre-plus-plus bands for exactly this reason.
Negotiation and the plus-plus
Understanding the structure also tells you where flexibility lives. The VAT is government tax and immovable, but everything the percentages are calculated on is commercial, which means the useful conversation is about the base price and the inclusions rather than the charges themselves. Venues expect informed couples to ask, and the question costs nothing.
What you can actually ask for
You cannot negotiate the VAT away, and venues rarely drop the service charge, but you can ask for the package to be quoted nett, for inclusions to be added at the same figure, or for the base price to move — all of which shrink what the percentages multiply. The strongest position is simply comparing several venues on a true nett basis and letting them know you are doing so.
The other lines to check alongside it
The plus-plus is the biggest quote-reading trap in Thailand, but it travels with a family of smaller ones, and checking them together turns a headline figure into a real budget. Every item below is legitimate and standard; each is simply outside the printed price often enough that the careful question is worth asking every single time before you compare or commit.
Exclusions and extras
Confirm what the package excludes — guest transport, accommodation, legal paperwork, photography upgrades and, at boat-access venues, transfers — and whether corkage, cake-cutting or vendor meals carry fees. Ask for the exclusion list in writing next to the nett total. Ten minutes of questions at quote stage is worth more than any negotiation after the contract is signed.
How to compare Thailand quotes fairly
Fair comparison becomes a simple discipline once you understand the structure behind the pricing, and the four steps below make the whole conversion process essentially automatic. A planner will run this conversion for you as a matter of course, which is one of the quieter ways they earn their fee. For guest travel and entry information, the TAT Newsroom carries the latest updates.
- Ask every venue whether each figure is nett or plus-plus, in writing.
- Convert all plus-plus figures to nett by multiplying by 1.177.
- Collect each venue’s exclusion list beside its converted total.
- Compare only the nett, all-in numbers — never the printed headlines.
Frequently asked questions
What does ++ mean on a Thailand wedding quote?
The two plus signs mean the venue will add a service charge, almost always 10 percent, and then 7 percent VAT on top of the printed price. Because the VAT is calculated on the price plus the service charge, the combined addition is roughly 17.7 percent, not 17.
Why is it 17.7% and not 17%?
Because the charges compound. The 10 percent service charge is applied first, and the 7 percent VAT is then calculated on the enlarged amount. Ten percent plus seven percent of 110 percent equals 17.7 percent of the original figure — 177,000 THB on a 1,000,000 THB quote.
Is the service charge a tip?
It is the structured hospitality equivalent: a standard 10 percent distributed to staff, applied automatically rather than left to discretion. Additional tipping on top is appreciated for exceptional service but never expected once the service charge applies. The 7 percent VAT alongside it is government tax.
Do all Thailand wedding venues charge the plus-plus?
No. Hotels and resorts usually quote packages plus-plus, villa rentals are often nett while their brought-in catering may be plus-plus, and independent vendors such as photographers usually quote nett. Practice varies enough that the only safe approach is confirming the basis of every figure in writing.
Can you negotiate the 17.7% away?
Not directly: the VAT is government tax and venues rarely waive the service charge. What you can do is ask for nett quotes, negotiate the base price or added inclusions, and compare venues on converted nett totals. Everything the percentages multiply is commercial and therefore discussable.
How do I convert a ++ price to the real price?
Multiply by 1.177. A 500,000++ package truly costs 588,500 THB; a 300,000++ package costs 353,100 THB. Build your venue comparison in nett figures only, and the plus-plus stops being a trap and becomes just a quoting convention you happen to understand.
