Precision and order, that's all that I ask

Yeah, we saw Mary Poppins again a few weeks ago and it was as good as the first time we saw it in New York a year and a half ago.

I have a few friends who are getting married in the next 12 months, all of which have said they find the starting of their planning overwhelming. I completely agree with them.
My boss is a civil celebrant, and I was lucky enough to get the heads up on the 'golden rule of wedding planning' pretty early on - Book the celebrant, venue and photographer all at the same time and before anything as without these 3 things there will be no wedding. Is this really the golden rule? It got me thinking about the difference between the order of booking and planning for an elopement and a full white wedding.
Our elopement planning went like this-Book the celebrant/photographer husband and wife team (2 birds 1 stone), book accommodation (The New York Palace), then booked a 2nd photographer as I love her photography and she's so sweet. I guess when eloping with only 4 guests it quickly becomes evident that the reception part isn't the main focus- there will be no decorations, no table charts, no speeches, maybe speeches as the night goes on and the champagne flows, and no badly choreographed dance as FH and I are both incredibly uncoordinated.

So, what is the order of how things should be done? Is there really an order?

Now time for a few tips:

• Outsource! I've been lucky enough to find out hotel has a lovely concierge who seems to enjoy wedding planning. I was finding flowers difficult and obviously cannot have a consultation-so he did it for me and ordered exactly what I wanted.
• You'd think flights would be one of the first things you'd book, but if you hold out till about 3-4months before the fares will go down. The difference between booking for June/July in Feb or early march compared to the end of March was $900 each.
• Purchase your dress keeping in mind the type of wedding you're having and take into consideration how you'll transport it. If I'd known we were going to elope I wouldn't have ever purchased my gown. I would have purchased off the rack and something light and easy, probably this Colette Dinnigan gown but I plan on being less corpse like on my wedding day.