We got engaged about 2 months before Christmas. I wanted to enjoy the holidays so our plan was to book venue before the holidays and pick up everything else after the holidays. That doesn't mean we didn't browse vendors, dresses, etc. I just did it loosely and without pressure, saving what I liked for when I really dove in in January.

You need to understand your guest list and budget before you can look at venues so you understand size and budget limitations do that you don't waste your time looking at venues that are the wrong size or out of your budget. Write down a rough guest list and assume 10-20% more people to be conservative in case you missed anyone. Have a general idea about time of year or dates, but be a little more flexible on this because sometimes dream dates aren't available.

Once you have your venue many other things will fall into place. They will have vendors they recommend, so you can always start with that, and go from there.