I didn't want to post this on E...

prasad007

Our ceremony is in a national park reserve and as per our agreement with Parks Canada, we are allowed a maximum of 10 chairs for guests who are unable to stand. Now, we expect to have anywhere between 50 and 80 people attend the wedding. I know it's probably rude not to have chairs for everyone, but we are just not allowed more. Should I mention this at all in any of the invite inserts, on our website or not at all?

KD+BC

How long will your ceremony last? Do you have many guests who will be unable to stand for the ceremony?

If you keep your ceremony on the short side you should be okay as long as you don't have a large number of guests who would be unable to stand for 15-20 minutes. If that's the case I'd move to another location.

My cousin (whose wedding was not perfect) did have a ceremony without any chairs. He was lucky in that no one really needed them. It was a short ceremony, about 15 minutes and it worked fine.

Ana_2985

Hmm I don't really know.  That kind of sucks.  First, I think you need to make sure that 10 chairs is enough to accommodate any elderly and/or disabled guests you may have.  That's most important.  Make sure you don't forget anyone, you know like a mother with a newborn baby.

How long is your ceremony going to be?  When is it?  If it's going to be short (under 30 minutes) and not the middle of summer at 3 PM, it might not be so bad.  People will probably think it sounds sucky at first, but for most people standing for a that short amount of time isn't terrible.

How formal is your wedding/ceremony?  I was just thinking that if it's pretty casual, it might be nice to have some blankets for children to sit on.  I don't know I'm just having a hard time imagining a ceremony set up with no chairs.

I'm sure you've thought of all this though, so to answer your question, I wouldn't write anything on the invitations.  I would probably put this somewhere on the website and definitely have your family spread the information by word of mouth.  Maybe people will wear different shoes if they know they'll be standing outside for awhile?

LuluP82

I've been to lots of weddings where there isn't enough sitting for the ceremony, including really long Catholic weddings (usually when the church just isn't big enough to fit everyone, and it's not like you can switch your church). I think if it's a really short ceremony, it's okay, so long as you make sure that those who really need the seats get them. If it's outside, I'd make a note on the website/word of mouth so no one wears heels and then realizes they have to stand on the grass for that long, for example. Oh, and if it's really hot and in the middle of the day that will totally suck.

We have a similar problem-- we physically cannot have enough chairs for all the guests fit in the ceremony site. We've had a lot of declines, so it shouldn't be a problem after all, but I was stressing. We actually have 2 versions of the ceremony, depending on whether or not everyone has a seat.

forrma7

i would probably send this little note out by word of mouth or via a website. i mean, this isn't your decision and you have to abide by their rules.

i would also go with other PP's suggestions for a short ceremony.

Beads921

I think I'd try to get the word out by posting on your website, and word of mouth. I know I'd be ticked if I wore stilettos and then had to stand on grass (OK, not ticked, but it would be a bit tough).

Make sure that 10 chairs is enough for those who will need them, like Ana said. The elderly, sick, disabled, and those with teeny children will need to sit. I don't think only having enough chairs for those people is rude, just mark them reserved and make sure the people who need them are seated there.

[Deleted User]

I like the idea of, if it's a casual wedding, to have blankets - that could be kind of fun and cute...  But, if it's a more formal setting then I'm not sure what to tell you. 

I've been to an outdoor wedding that didn't have near enough chairs for guests but everyone seemed completely fine with standing - mostly because it wasn't a very long ceremony at all. 

When is your wedding, btw?

heyimbren

I'm one of those people that honestly thinks you should have seating for everyone. I don't care if it's on chairs, benches, haystacks, or blankets, I do think there should be seating.

Because, even if the ceremony is 30 minutes or less, people will be coming early to the ceremony area (because nobody wants to be late obviously) which means you have to take into account that time frame as well. Which means most people will be standing for 30 minutes or longer. Maybe that isn't too bad for 20-40 or 50 year olds but anyone older (or even young kids) and people with disabilities or even just a twisted ankle or something won't like to stand that long.

My advice would be to look around for a location outside of Parks Canada. Or provide other seating that doesn't include chairs (like I said, I'm totally cool with blankets even for a casual ceremony).

prasad007

Thanks so much! I will put it on the website.

We are getting married at the end of next May outside beside a lighthouse, and the ceremony will start at 4 (so it might be sweater weather for some). I want to have blankets, but my FI isn't so cool with the idea. It's a pretty casual wedding, no jeans or anything, but we want it to feel like a family reunion. I will try to sell him on the idea of blankets-- maybe I can find some really nice, funky ones. And off the top of my head I can only think of 3 people who would *need* a chair for a 15 minute ceremony... As for finding anther location for the ceremony, we have been talking about getting married at this lighthouse for 4.5 years and it is also the place where he proposed last summer. Neither of us would be comfortable changing locations.

heyimbren

I think blankets would be okay then for your situation. But do remember that while it might only be a 15 minute "scheduled" ceremony, people will be standing around longer than that. But cute blankets would be nice

The point is (and I'm not accusing you of this, but it does come up on other boards) that the location of your wedding shouldn't be more important than your guests. There should be something for the number of people you're inviting. Again, not accusing you of anything. I'm just saying that that's the logic behind the seat for every body principle.