How much deposit should a wedding venue require?
What is the short answer?
Venues commonly take 25% to 50% of the total contract at signing, with the balance due before the event. A common split is half at signing and half about 30 days out; others use three or four payments for a large wedding.
Pick the amount by what a lost date costs you. A Saturday in peak season is hard to resell on short notice, so a bigger deposit makes sense there; weekdays and off-season dates can carry less. Whatever you choose, put three things in the contract: whether the deposit is refundable, what happens if the client moves the date, and the due date of every payment.
Keep a separate, refundable damage deposit apart from the booking deposit, and say when you return it. Mixing the two is a common source of arguments.
Example, with made-up numbers: an $8,000 Saturday
A venue charges $8,000 for a Saturday wedding: $4,000 (50%) at signing, $2,000 (25%) 90 days out, and $2,000 (25%) 30 days out.
$4,000 + $2,000 + $2,000 = $8,000, all in 30 days before the event.
How MyVenueHQ handles deposits
- On the event's Money tab, set the amount and due date of each payment. The schedule itself charges no one.
- Press Create deposit invoice, then Send. The email has a Pay now button once you have connected a payment account, and the money goes to your own account.
- Nothing subtracts the deposit from the final invoice, so write that one for the balance yourself.
Where MyVenueHQ fits
Invoices and deposits are on the free plan. Card payments go to your own Stripe account with no MyVenueHQ fee; Stripe's own fees apply. Venue contracts and payments.