How soon do we have to book a venue?

Start looking as soon as you get an idea of what you envision for your wedding (ballroom, park, beach, etc). Some places get booked up to two years in advance.

Send emails to or call venues in which you're interested in order to find out their availability and how big of a deposit they require.

Yep, agree with Madeline, also figure out a rough draft of a guest list. This helps with picking a venue that is the appropriate size. Many brides on here have a freak outs over inviting a 180 people to a venue that holds 130. Also figure out a rough budget. I booked my ceremony last year in October for my wedding next March. But I was in love with it and so was FI.

I booked my venue over a year in advance...loved it so I tailored everything around it (i.e. guest list size, and used vendors that were already familiar with it so there would be less chance of a screw up on the day of)

I'd say book as early as you can! I started looking at venue in March, booked one in April of 2013 for an August 2014 wedding. My venue (country club) required a $1000 deposit to hold the date. Definitely look into vendors early if you can, too. I got a discount on my photographer for booking him so far in advance (booked him 15 months out)

My concern is if I book the venue now do I have to pay the whole balance before the wedding day? How does that work?

Most venues require some form of a deposit. Mine required only $500. My balance is due with final numbers 14 days before the date. Bar tab due immediately after the event. This is fairly standard for venues that are also your caterer, with numbers and dates a little different.

If they are venue only, the policies might be a little different, but most places require deposit only.

Hello fellow NJ bride!

I would try to book your venue first (after coming up with a guest list so you know how many guests guests you'll be inviting), as venues here book quick. I booked my venue last August exactly 2 years in advance and surprisingly there were a couple of venues already booked! My venue required I think about a 20-25% deposit to book, not a small chunk of change since I am having a large wedding. Definitely start saving now and exploring different venues based on what you want/need in terms of style, size, location, price, etc.

Definitely book asap. As the girls said a deposit is what "confirms" you're booked it was 2g for our deposit. When you talk to venues don't be afraid to ask what the payment schedule is. For mine after the deposit we had to pay 1/2 of the estimated cost 3 months before then the final payment 10 days before

Start looking ASAP and lock prices in. I think our deposit was 1500 then 4-6 months before half then the rest a few weeks before.

We booked ours over a year and a half out, we wanted to get married in the summer on a very particular day (our anniversary) so we wanted to book as soon as it was available. We knew we wanted the venue though before they even opened up booking for 2015. The sooner the better if you really have a specific date in mind.

As for the time of year, summer is always popular, I think June and August are the most popular, followed closely by July and September. Depending on where you are, if you want it outside you might not want it to be too cold or too hot. Also some venues will charge less for the "off" season which is usually November through March, so if you're trying to be more budget conscious that's a good time.

Our venue is for ceremony, reception, and catering and our minimum is $12,000 so we had to pay 30% when we booked which came out to be around $4000. Then another 20% is due 90 days before the wedding, then the final amount is due 10 days before the wedding. You shouldn't pay it all up front because if heaven forbid the wedding gets called off or postponed then you're only out the amount you paid for your deposit.

I agree to think about budget and guests and then start emailing some places and when you visit make sure to ask what you'll have to pay, service and tax fees, etc. The service fees for us were killer...23%!

Congrats on your engagement!

Hi there

Yes, you need to book your venue 12 plus months out.

Most of your main vendors will book up at least 6 months out.

I've got a free Wedding Planner download on my website that outlines what to do when and how to plan accordingly . It's free at www.jenniferhamric.com

Hope that helps!! If you ever have any photography related questions, feel free to email me and I'm glad to help!

Get an idea of guest count, narrow down to a few venues. We were open to 2 date options and booked about a year out. The venue does catering also. They required $1500 deposit to save date. 2 months prior was half estimate, 2 week prior final headcount and full estimate due, day after final payment for any overage.

I would suggest being prepared to ask:

What's included?

What am I required to use from you(some dictate vendors)?

can I use outside vendors?

What is cancellation policy?

How many weddings do you do a day/weekend?

What support roles do you provide (DOC, catering manager, etc)

I agree with everyone else. Find your venue ASAP! We decided to set our date for about 10 months after we got engaged, and even with that much time, finding a venue was hell. We were able to do it, but not without a huge amount of stress and tears. The sooner you can do this, the better!

I would book the venue before you book anything else. Have an idea of the guest list maybe a slight range to ensure there is enough space. You never want your guests to be cramped up. Depending on your area, and what time of year you want, places usually book up about a year 10 months in advance. For our venue, to book it, we had to put down a 1/4 of the price for deposit.

ASAP! We are getting married in april 2015 and our venue was booked all yil 2016. We had to choose a sunday instead. So if you have your heart set on a place id go as soon as you guys are ready to book. Good luck

We just booked our venue, about a month ago! You should book as soon as you see something you like.

Agree that you should have a rough draft of your guest list before you look at venues. It is much easier to find a venue to suit your guest list than it is to chop your guest list to suit your venue.

I have an early May wedding as well. I booked mine February of 2013.

Start looking now - we started looking a year and a half in advance and some of the venues we looked at already had our date booked! The one we really wanted was booked so we pushed our date back a week to get it.

Yes, figure out a rough guest list so that you can select an appropriately sized venue, and then book as soon as you can. Most places will want a 10-25% deposit and a signed contract in order to hold the date for you. We booked ours only 6 months in advance, but it was literally the only date they had left available this summer/fall. We got lucky!