Which comes first -- bike fitting or new saddle?

[Seajay]

I always start with the saddle. There are only three places where you touch the bike. You don't want a bike fit that is only 66% right. (frankly worse)
I ask very early on..."What do you think of your saddle?" "Does your saddle cause pressure that makes you less than comfortable during any part of your ride?" Can you ride two days in a row without dreading sitting on the saddle at the start of the second day?"

IMO you can't get much of a fit with the wrong saddle.

I've gone so far as to get a client to use chamois cream during the fitting and asked a client to reschedule because she came straight from a spin class and told me "after an hour on the spin bike, I'm sore sitting on the saddle"

Any decent shop will let you try a saddle for a day or so before your fitting.

On a side note...It's frustrating as a fitter when the client won't buy the parts they need to make the bike right. You've invested the time and money for the fit. Don't cheap out by skipping a saddle, stem or handlebar change.

Also....Per Sky King's comment: We tend to have bike fitters here that fit all riders in a more aggressive racing posture, regardless. THAT IS NOT A BIKE FITTER. If he/she is fitting you how they want you on the bike...RUN AWAY!

[Swan]

^Agreeing with Seajay on everything, and also with Sky King's warnings. Also, if you're unsure of something the LBS guy says, it doesn't actually hurt to fact-check via google if you have a smartphone. It might seem tacky, but it can only help you. I'm a hopeless newb at all this in-depth biking stuff, so I was really pleased to be able to validate my trust in my LBS right there on the spot.

My LBS guy adjusted my awful saddle's position and angle after looking at me sit and move on it, then had me test new saddles as the one I had was lousy crap anyway, and tweaked the position again and again until it went from "not as comfortable as I'd hoped" to "so comfortable I could cry" to "never getting off this bike again." Once I was comfortable sitting on the bike saddle after those fitting adjustments were already made, we worked on the rest of the fitting (raising the handlebars and seatposts, etc). It took nearly three hours but turned out really well, even if he teased me a little for being too scared to raise my seat up as high as is proper. I just like being able to use my feet as secondary breaks.

So while in my case I did have to get a new saddle, note that saddle position/angle is also incredibly important in determining how comfortable you are. The wrong angle or position can make the perfect saddle feel like a jagged hunk of rock. It's my advice that you should try finding a LBS that will accommodate combining a fitting and saddle-shopping into one go.

[fallstoclimb]

Wanted to let everyone know I got my fit done today and it was a really good experience! I brought my husband along because I was nervous, but the fitter was very professional and friendly and made me feel comfortable right away. The saddle fit discussion wasn't awkward at all -- just talked about 'pressure on the front' versus 'weight on the seatbones'. I ended up only putting about $100 into my bike (plus the cost of my fit), including a new saddle, which makes me very happy.

[Seajay]

Wanted to let everyone know I got my fit done today and it was a really good experience!

Wonderful. Want to pass on the name of the shop?

[fallstoclimb]

Lutherville Bike Shop!