Confused on how to secure a venue- please help 😅

To secure location/date you would only need to give the deposit and sign contracts ...
For our venue.

A site fee is what they charge just for the location. So a ballroom may be 2k for the site fee.


The deposit is dependent on the venue. Mine charge us 1/3 of the total cost. Ours is all inclusive so we have everything within that one price. Your price may include JUST the site, site and tables/chairs, etc.

Site fee is a fee to have a wedding there. Deposit is a portion of the fee to hold the date for your wedding. Make sure it’s the venue you want because some places have nonrefundable deposits and/or the deposit may not be put toward the total payment.

View Quoted Comment Aimee makes a good point. Read the fine print to understand if/when the deposit is non refundable.


There’s sometimes another fee: food & beverage minimum. For a Saturday night, some venues might have a high F&B minimum ($10K+). Even if you’ll have a lot of guests, try to negotiate a lower minimum in case you have a lot of declines. For example, we knew we’d have about 50 guests at our local reception but the venue let us put a 25-person minimum—whew!

A deposit on a venue is to hold the venue for the date of your wedding and you sign a contract stating that you will be having your wedding/ reception there. I’m not sure about the extra fees. Make sure that you get clarification when you book your venue

Typically a deposit and signing a contract holds your date. If you find a venue you like, after you have toured it and reviewed the contract, ask the venue staff how you can book the venue for your wedding. They will walk you through the process.