The short answer
Most wedding suppliers take a deposit at booking and the balance in the final month. The venue is the exception: venues are the supplier most likely to want a middle instalment, and the one most likely to want the final balance earlier than everyone else.
| Supplier | Deposit at booking | Middle instalment | Balance due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | 10–25% of the total, or a flat holding fee | Common at 6 months, sometimes 50% of the balance | 14–30 days before the day |
| Caterer (if separate) | 10–25% | Occasionally at menu sign-off | With final numbers, 7–21 days before |
| Photographer | Flat retainer, often 20–33% | Rare | 14–30 days before, sometimes on the day |
| Videographer | Flat retainer, often 25–50% | Rare | 14–30 days before |
| Band or DJ | 20–50% | Rare | Final week, or in cash on the night |
| Florist | 20–30% | At final design sign-off, around 4–6 weeks out | 7–14 days before |
| Cake | 20–50% | Rare | 2–4 weeks before |
| Transport | 10–25% | Rare | On the day or 7 days before |
| Stationery | Often paid in full at order | — | At order, per print run |
| Hair and makeup | Small flat retainer | — | On the day, per person |
Treat that as the shape, not the rule. Every one of those numbers is written in your contract, and the contract wins. The point of the table is to tell you when to ask, and which supplier is behaving unusually.
The final-month pile-up
Here is the failure this page exists to prevent. Every one of those balance dates sits in the same 30-day window, and no single contract looks unreasonable on its own. Added up, they are most of the wedding.
| Supplier | Contract total | Paid at booking | Due in the final month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue and catering | £14,400 | £2,880 | £11,520 |
| Photographer | £2,200 | £700 | £1,500 |
| Videographer | £1,300 | £450 | £850 |
| Band | £1,600 | £500 | £1,100 |
| Florist | £1,900 | £500 | £1,400 |
| Cake | £400 | £100 | £300 |
| Transport | £600 | £100 | £500 |
| Total | £22,400 | £5,230 | £17,170 |
That is a £30,000 wedding where 77% of the supplier cost leaves your account in the last four weeks. The budget is not wrong. The cash-flow plan is missing. This is why a payment schedule is a separate document from a budget, and why the due date belongs in the same row as the amount.
What to record the day you pay a deposit
Not later. The day you pay, while the email thread is still open and the contract is still on screen.
| Field | Why it matters later |
|---|---|
| Amount paid and the date | Your only proof if the supplier's records disagree |
| What the deposit secures | A date hold and a booking are not the same thing, and only one of them means the price is fixed |
| Whether it is refundable, and until when | The single most valuable line in the contract, and the one people read only once they need it |
| Balance amount and exact due date | Feeds the payment calendar; "final month" is not a date |
| Payment method they accept for the balance | Some venues will not take a card for a five-figure balance, and bank transfer limits are real |
| Late fee or cancellation terms | Tells you which balance you cannot afford to be late on |
| Named contact and their direct email | Wedding coordinators change jobs; the inbox you booked through may not be the one that answers in month eleven |
Turn the contracts into a calendar
Put every deposit, balance and due date in one place, then check what lands in your final month before it does.
Common questions
When are wedding venue deposits due?
At booking, and typically 10–25% of the total or a flat holding fee. Venues are also the supplier most likely to ask for a middle instalment around six months out, and most likely to want the final balance 14–30 days before the day rather than in the final week.
Are wedding deposits refundable?
Usually not. A deposit normally buys the date and is non-refundable by design, because the supplier is turning away other bookings. What varies is the sliding scale after it: many contracts make more of the balance refundable the further out you cancel. That scale is the line to read before signing, not after.
What is the difference between a deposit and a retainer?
A deposit is normally part-payment against the total. A retainer is a fee for reserving the date that may or may not come off the total. Photographers and videographers often use "retainer" precisely because it is non-refundable and separate. Ask which one you are paying and whether it reduces the balance.
When is the final wedding balance due?
Most commonly 14–30 days before the wedding, and often tied to the final guest numbers date rather than the wedding date itself. Bands, transport and hair and makeup are the usual exceptions and are frequently settled on the day.
Can you negotiate the payment schedule?
More often than the price. Suppliers who will not move on the total will often split the balance into two instalments, or move a due date by a few weeks to fit a pay cycle. Ask at booking, when you still have something they want.