Beach Wedding - Chair limits

Knottie1467141268

We would like to get married on the beach, we will have approximately 80-100 guests.....the location will only allow at most 50 chairs to be set up.....the ceremony is only going to be about 15-20 minutes.....is it realistic to have everyone stand (knowing that many will arrive earlier than the ceremony and will likely be standing for a good 15-30 minutes prior to the ceremony or should we have some seating and everyone else standing?  HELP!!!

glasgowtolondon

Knottie1467141268 said:

We would like to get married on the beach, we will have approximately 80-100 guests.....the location will only allow at most 50 chairs to be set up.....the ceremony is only going to be about 15-20 minutes.....is it realistic to have everyone stand (knowing that many will arrive earlier than the ceremony and will likely be standing for a good 15-30 minutes prior to the ceremony or should we have some seating and everyone else standing?  HELP!!!

Find a location where all your guests can sit down, or trim your guest list. 

ILoveBeachMusic

No it is not alright to have your guests stand. Your options are to find a different venue or shorten your guest list.

zitiqueen

Every butt needs a chair. Full stop. 

InLoveInQueens

You either need more chairs or less guests or a new location. End of story. 

CMGragain

Never put your wedding vision before your guests' comfort.  You don't need to use that venue.  You do need to provide a chair for every butt.

levioosa

Nope.  Your wedding vision should not trump your guests' comfort.  Every person needs a seat.  How are you going to tell people they can't sit?  And how do you know your "well" looking guests aren't actually sick?  I look perfectly healthy, but I have RA, and standing for long periods of time is very painful.  You wouldn't know it by looking at me though.  Everyone needs a seat.  It doesn't matter if the ceremony is 5 minutes, or 50 minutes.  

STARMOON44

If you can only have 50 chairs, invite 50 people.

artbyallie

Why do they have a limit on chairs? Unless it is an issue of space, I fail to see how 50 chairs are okay but 80-100 are not.

banana468

Sounds like you need to find a new venue or trim your guest list.

What about the ceremony somewhere close that has seating for all and then beach photos?

lnixon8

Is it that you can't put out more than 50 or they only have 50 outside chairs? Ask them if you can rent your own chairs.

[Deleted User]

artbyallie said:

Why do they have a limit on chairs? Unless it is an issue of space, I fail to see how 50 chairs are okay but 80-100 are not.

Not sure if this is the case, but at our city parks, you are allowed a maximum of 20 chairs. That's it. That includes in areas that are quite large and space probably wouldn't be an issue. She said its on a beach, so I'm assuming it's a public area and under similar municipal regulations. 

lyndausvi

artbyallie said:

Why do they have a limit on chairs? Unless it is an issue of space, I fail to see how 50 chairs are okay but 80-100 are not.

When we were looking at beach locations we found a lot of towns had limits on the amount of chairs you could have on the public beaches.    One place only allowed like 10 and you only had 30 minutes from setup to breakdown. Including the ceremony.

Needless to say we picked a place where we could have enough chairs for all our guests.


In the islands some of the beaches had limits on the number of chairs on the beach also.  If it was a local couple getting married, other locals never would sit in a chair and left them for others (mostly state-siders).  We were all bar tenders, waitstaff, boat crew people, kitchen staff, etc.  We all stood up all day for our jobs anyway.  We understood the policies, culture and the ceremonies were pretty quick so it wasn't a big deal for us. 


 Wouldn't recommend that for the general public though.

LondonLisa

Knottie1467141268 said:

We would like to get married on the beach, we will have approximately 80-100 guests.....the location will only allow at most 50 chairs to be set up.....the ceremony is only going to be about 15-20 minutes.....is it realistic to have everyone stand (knowing that many will arrive earlier than the ceremony and will likely be standing for a good 15-30 minutes prior to the ceremony or should we have some seating and everyone else standing?  HELP!!!

You either invite a maximum of 50 people or move your ceremony to a place where you can have 80-100 chairs. Those are your only options. A chair for every guest. 

downtondiva

You need to have a seat for every guest, regardless of the length of your ceremony. It is very awkward both before and during the ceremony if you do not have chairs for everyone. You also can't be sure who can or cannot stand for any length of time, and certainly your guests can't be expected to know if someone has a condition where they need to sit. 

Please don't put people in the position of needing to stand around, needing to figure out if they're allowed to take a seat, or trying to figure out if someone else needs the seat more than they do. Either cut down your guest list to 50 people or find a venue that will accommodate everyone.

ei34

Just echoing everybody else...your plan is definitely not okay.  

jacques27

As someone who has had to stand for a beach ceremony - it sucks.  The only chair was for the bride's father due to health issues.  Their ceremony was short, but they also started late (stuff happens).  Plus I got there 20 minutes early.  Because people wanted to try to see over the very tall people we were staggered all over the place (because when left to their own devices most people won't crowd others), most far enough away that we couldn't hear a single word of the actual ceremony (distance + wind + waves lapping + other outdoor noises + no amplification system = silent ceremony for everyone except the people in the wedding party).  So it was 60 minutes of standing to not hear a single word of the ceremony.  There was lots of grumbling amongst the guests as we stood in the receiving line.


Find a new place or cut the list so people can sit and be close enough to the ceremony.

CMGragain

You have planned your wedding backwards.  First you selected a venue, and now you are trying to shoehorn your guest list into it.  You are putting your wedding vision before your guests comfort, and that is not acceptable.

This is the order you should use when planning your wedding:

1.  Set your budget
2.  Write up your guest list.
3.  Now you find a venue that will accommodate your budget and your guest list.  You have failed to do this.  Your venue is unacceptable.  Find a venue that will allow every guest to have a seat.  If the venue happens to fit your wedding vision, that is good, but it is not necessary.  Your guests' comfort should be your first consideration.

Do you want your guests to go home with lovely memories of your wedding day, or would you rather send them home complaining about how uncomfortable they were, and how awful it was to stand in the sand for so long?

Jen4948

Every guest needs a seat, whether the wedding is on a beach or in a cathedral.

sparklepants41

Knottie1475079540 said:

I totally agree with you all! You must look for a new venue or you just cut the guest list. If I am the guest and don't have any chair to sit I probably go towards home. Have you heard about [removed TOS violation]  There's a way in every situation meaning they always render service that depends on their clients suggestions and figured out the solution. Hope you could resolve this problem and get your wedding be the great one! Cheers!

@lyndausvi - this Knottie #s screams vendor to me...