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Do I need to have chairs for everyone at the ceremony?

Knottieb9eb3532223f22abKnottieb9eb3532223f22ab member
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in Destination Weddings Discussions
I live in Australia and I want to have a garden wedding. I personally feel having chairs for everyone is extremely expensive and unnecessary if trying to keep to a budget, especially as the ceremony will go for 30 mins max. I will probably have 100-150 guests but also many people from Mu church will attend the ceremony.

what are your thoughts on 20 chairs and then making the rest rugs where people can sit and watch?
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  • LondonLisaLondonLisa member
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    Knottieb9eb3532223f22ab said:
    I live in Australia and I want to have a garden wedding. I personally feel having chairs for everyone is extremely expensive and unnecessary if trying to keep to a budget, especially as the ceremony will go for 30 mins max. I will probably have 100-150 guests but also many people from Mu church will attend the ceremony.

    what are your thoughts on 20 chairs and then making the rest rugs where people can sit and watch?
    You absolutely must have chairs for every guest.

    Also, when you say people from your church attending the ceremony, are you inviting these people to the reception as well? If you are inviting them to any portion of your day, you must invite them to the reception. The only way you can avoid this is if it says your location in your church banns, and they just happen to show up as it is a public place. But be careful here. If you say to anyone "come to my ceremony", you have just invited them to the WHOLE wedding. 
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  • missfrodomissfrodo member
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    Yes, you need a chair for every butt!  Many people find it uncomfortable to sit on the ground or stand, especially for long periods of time (more than 2 minutes).  And you're asking them to do that for at least 30 minutes, plus pre-ceremony time (people get there early to get a seat, they aren't taking their seats as you walk down the aisle), so some people will be waiting around an additional 10-20 minutes.  They are going to want seats.  And please don't think, "It's my day, if they love me they will suffer through it," because these are your guests that you invited to your wedding, so their comfort is now your responsibility as their host.  
    I agree with ScottishSarah: You will have chairs for your reception, so just have your venue staff (or hire someone) move the chairs, if budget is such a concern.  If your reception is at a different site and you cannot afford to rent chairs for every guest, you need to cut your guest list or change your venue until you can afford to seat everyone.  
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  • geebee908geebee908 member
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    What are you spending your money on? Because if you show up in an expensive gown with oodles of flowers and obviously spent money on other things that don't have anything to do with my comfort, I'm going to seriously wonder what kind of person you are for not spending money to give me a seat.
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  • flantasticflantastic member
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    Yes, you need to have chairs for everyone. No one is entitled to an invite to your wedding, and so anyone that someone else says "must" be invited (unless the person saying it is paying) does not actually have to be invited. You invite people because you want them there. If you cannot afford chairs because your guest list has blown up, cut guests or cut other areas of the wedding. Wanting a garden wedding is not a good enough reason to make people sit on the ground. (Where are you getting these rugs, anyway? I feel like the cost of a rug, assuming like 3 people can sit on one, is going to end up equivalent or more expensive than the chairs.)

    Once you make the decision to invite them, their basic comfort is your responsibility. That includes chairs, for all the reasons PP have stated.
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  • Knottieb9eb3532223f22abKnottieb9eb3532223f22ab member
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    I go to church of 300+ and usually when someone has a wedding the whole church is invited to the ceremony out of respect and only the members of church you are extremely close to go to the reception. :)
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  • Knottieb9eb3532223f22abKnottieb9eb3532223f22ab member
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    My reception is at a different place to the ceremony :)
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  • charlotte989875charlotte989875 member
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    Knottieb9eb3532223f22ab said:
    I go to church of 300+ and usually when someone has a wedding the whole church is invited to the ceremony out of respect and only the members of church you are extremely close to go to the reception. :)
    Knottieb9eb3532223f22ab said:
    My reception is at a different place to the ceremony :)
    Even so, you still need chairs for the ceremony. 
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  • cowgirl8238cowgirl8238 member
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    missfrodo said:

    You say inviting the whole church is about respect.  It is not respectful to invite someone to your wedding and then make them stand or sit on the ground--especially if you're not going to thank them afterward with a reception (which is a thank you to your guests for attending your ceremony).  If someone from your church asks why they are not invited to your wedding (which would be rude on their part), you can let them know you're having a smaller ceremony in a private venue and not a church ceremony, so you had to limit who you could invite.  

    So much this!!  There are few things you have to do to properly host your wedding, but providing chairs for every butt and appropriately hosting the people you invite to the ceremony are the most necessary.  There are options you have.  You can cut the guest list (anyone who got a STD or were invited to a pre-wedding party must stay), cut down on all the extras like flowers/décor, move the ceremony and reception to 2:30PM and host a "cake and punch" reception, you could cut back to beer and wine only or have a dry reception, etc.  Those are the bigger items but you get the idea...Properly host what you can afford to properly host.

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  • southernbelle0915southernbelle0915 mod
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    Knottieb9eb3532223f22ab said:
    My reception is at a different place to the ceremony :)
    Mine was too. I had my ceremony outside so we had to rent chairs to be brought in and set up. Then our reception was at another venue where we also had to have chairs.

    It just goes with the territory. You invite people, you need to provide them with a seat. 
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  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Why not get married in your church?  Problem solved.
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
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  • ei34ei34 member
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    Knottieb9eb3532223f22ab said:
    I go to church of 300+ and usually when someone has a wedding the whole church is invited to the ceremony out of respect and only the members of church you are extremely close to go to the reception. :)

    Then at least get married at your church so everyone can sit in pews. 

    @levioosa I didn't know you have RA.  My mom does, and she's always looked healthy but been in terrible pain.  Not the kind of person people would look at and offer a seat on the subway, but she could never sit on a rug in a garden.  Or be able to stand for over half an hour.  OP- you never know what people are dealing with.  Have a seat for everyone.
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