Venue first or details first?!

JulezG85

I have found an amazing venue for an awesome price but hesitant to commit. We are doing our wedding on a tight budget so I don't know if I should figure in the details before securing a date. But I also don't want to wait and not have a date available. Should I figure out catering, music, decor, etc. before I set my venue space? Or the oppisite, figure out a venue and then fit in all the details? Thanks ladies!

nsweare

Oh that's tough. I would recommend figuring out exactly what your budget is first. If you know what you have to spend total, the Budgeter tool on this website is really helpful in breaking down how much you can realistically spend on different aspects of the wedding. Then you can decide that if a certain feature is more important that another you can kind of redistribute the money. It may help you see if the price of the venue fits into your budget. Otherwise, I would recommend at least figuring out your guest list so that you can make sure you have enough left-over after booking the venue to feed your guests. If that seems doable then go ahead and book. If it looks like it is going to stretch your budget too thin then I would wait and see where you can realistically cut corners first. Good Luck!

HobokensFury

Get the venue first. They may require the use of certain caterers and vendors so this is important information to know.  There is a venue in this area that requires the use of a specific florist so it's not unheard of.  After the date they 2nd question any vendor will ask is the venue.  Also the way the venue looks will determine what type of decor you need.

MoonlightSilver

If you are looking at a venue, you should already have your budget worked out. If the venue fits the budget and general idea you have for the wedding, I'd say definitely book that first. Having a venue sets your date in stone, which makes it easier to then book other vendors.

JulezG85

Thank you ladies, that helps!!

Sassenach1743

Everything CMGr just said. 

Also, you don't have a date if you don't have a venue... keep that in mind. 

Jager1219

Rule of thumb is that your venue should take up 50% of your budget.  For the rest of your stuff, I'd start shopping around to get a sense of what pricing is for your other vendors in your area.  Or ask on your local board what people normally spend for the photog/music.  Invites can be done on-line, so that's pretty fixed in pricing (as in, it probably won't vary based on location).  Same goes for the dress (shouldn't vary much by region).