Usually venues require a nonrefundable deposit to secure the date. If you’re lucky, the deposit will be subtracted from your first payment. Someone from the venue (likely a wedding coordinator) will then send you a contract, which you’ll have a week or two to review, before sending it back with another deposit. Typically there will be two more deposits due six months before the big day, and the final balance is paid around 10 days prior to the event.
My advice: make sure you are 100 percent committed to your partner before starting this financial process. I’ve seen weddings break up, and it’s expensive.
“It’s helpful if a venue lets you make the payments by credit card,” Smith said. “Use the credit card, get the points, miles, cash back! Take advantage of this perk.”
If you’re booking at an all-expenses-paid venue (meaning there’s an in-house caterer, tables, chairs, etc.), you likely pay per head in addition to a site fee and a sales tax. On top of this, venues sometimes add hidden fees. These financial add-ons can include paying extra for the wedding coordinator, cake cutting, preprinted menus, and using in-house necessities (tables, linens, chairs, flatware, and glassware). I made it easy on myself by choosing a place that covered all of the aforementioned expenses.
“Be careful of the venue with hidden fees, as they can really add up,” Smith advised. “There’s enough stress with planning your wedding; you don’t need to have it also coming from the venue as well.”
