Previous OBX Beachfront Brides

TKzilla

Did you have chairs for each of your guests for the ceremony on the beach? We're considering having enough for the family, wedding party family and elderly guests.

Thoughts?

lbb135

I am also curious about this!  We originally planned on renting enough seating for everyone, but our officiant said it may not be worth paying for the rentals, dragging them down to the beach for a 15 minute ceremony, then dragging them all back up again

I would want some seating options for older guests, but is it ok to make others stand?  Have any of the former brides done this?  

karistiz

i plan on having seating for everyone. my ceremony will be 20-25 minutes, but you also have to take into account that people will be there at least fifteen minutes before the ceremony starts.

our wedding is in the summer; i want my guests to be as comfortable as possible. also, we're all out of town. if i'm expecting people to drive 7+ hours to get here, i feel as though i should have seating for them at my ceremony.

just my two cents.

jendem8

We had seating, and I definitely would recommend trying to get it.  While most ceremonies are only 20-25 minues, as karistiz mentioned, thee is wait time (especially before).  Everyone can see better when they're sitting too.

stressmess

In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_previous-obx-beachfront-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:830eac2f-ab86-46a2-bb2f-ed69490cf62dPost:35ea689a-0a25-4c19-a2e4-ed5226e2f8e5">Previous OBX Beachfront Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]Did you have chairs for each of your guests for the ceremony on the beach? We're considering having enough for the family, wedding party family and elderly guests. Thoughts?
Posted by CourtaniaLynn[/QUOTE]

Hi,

This was a big issue for me and a cause of a lot of my stress.  I was adamant that we had to have enough chairs for all of our guests.  My husband did not think it was that important.  Like you said he thought for our families and elderly guests would be fine and everyone else could stand.  I felt very strongly, like the other posters, all our guests were coming from far away, most had driven 10 hours each way and spent one of their precious weeks of vacation to spend with us and to see us get married, which is after all the reason why everyone is coming.   We got married in August and it was hot, and like the others said there is a significant amount of time that they are waiting for the ceremony to start.  We did have enough seats for everyone and I was so glad that we did.  The set up on the beach was beautiful, I had peach ribbons with starfish hanging on the sides of the aisle seats.   At one point I thought we might have to order double chairs, because I wasn't sure if there would be enough time between the ceremony and the cocktail hour to get the chairs from the beach back up to the house.  My husband was telling me that we couldn't ask our families to help out with moving the chairs and he was telling me that he and I would be the ones that would have to transport the chairs up and down the beach.   We had hired a wedding planner and I let her work out the logistics with our brothers and brothers in law who were more than willing and happy to help.  Each man could carry at least 3 chairs in each arm and we only had about 66 guests.  It worked out fine and I am so glad it did.  I really would not have had it any other way,  Even if it meant we had to spend $300 or so for chairs (we did not need to double order, so the chairs we rented covered the ceremony and the reception.    You really do want all of your guests to be comfortable.  Also if you only had enough chairs for some, who would you want to tell to get up if they took a seat that you really intended for someone else?   It will all work out.  Good Luck with everything.  

Springdaisy5

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_previous-obx-beachfront-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:830eac2f-ab86-46a2-bb2f-ed69490cf62dPost:35ea689a-0a25-4c19-a2e4-ed5226e2f8e5">Previous OBX Beachfront Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]Did you have chairs for each of your guests for the ceremony on the beach? We're considering having enough for the family, wedding party family and elderly guests. Thoughts?
Posted by CourtaniaLynn[/QUOTE]

Okay, I will be the one to say the opposite. We are getting married this coming May, and I don't plan to have chairs on the beach for our wedding. I will bring a few chairs for guests that are elderly if they need to sit down. Our wedding ceremony will be less than 50 folks, and about 10-15 minutes long. I am planning everything myself, and not having a planner or day of coordinator.  Therefore, the logistics of getting chairs from the deck of the house to the beach was just a nightmare. I don't want to ask guests to carry their own chairs.
All in all, I will let you know how it goes once we get married. I'm not that worried about it because it is our big day!

OBX2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_previous-obx-beachfront-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:830eac2f-ab86-46a2-bb2f-ed69490cf62dPost:60a5c6ec-43d3-4dbc-a600-d04b53a60ab4">Re: Previous OBX Beachfront Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Previous OBX Beachfront Brides : Okay, I will be the one to say the opposite. We are getting married this coming May, and I don't plan to have chairs on the beach for our wedding. I will bring a few chairs for guests that are elderly if they need to sit down. Our wedding ceremony will be less than 50 folks, and about 10-15 minutes long. I am planning everything myself, and not having a planner or day of coordinator.  Therefore, the logistics of getting chairs from the deck of the house to the beach was just a nightmare. I don't want to ask guests to carry their own chairs. All in all, I will let you know how it goes once we get married.<strong> I'm not that worried about it because it is our big day!</strong>
Posted by Springdaisy5[/QUOTE]

While it is your big day, you should really consider providing chairs for each of your guests, not just the elderly.  Our ceremony was only about 20 mins, but considering a lot of people arrived 20 mins early, that is about 40+mins standing on the beach. I too was also worried about getting the chairs too and from the beach, and 2 of my uncles and my brother had them set-up in no time at all and just as easily removed them.  Just consider that your guests are taking time off of work to travel, the costs of travel, lodging, food, etc., so providing a chair for each guest shouldn't be overlooked, especially since they are doing all of this for your big day.