Seating for ceremony/reception?

linneke

Two questions on seating for an evening wedding with fewer than 45 guests.

The ceremony is a civil ceremony outdoors in a covered pavilion. It will be short - under 10-15 minutes and without music or anything other than the basic ceremony/vows. Do we need to provide seating for the guests, or can people just gather around and stand?

The reception will be a buffet dinner indoors at the same site as the ceremony. Do I need to do assigned seating, or can people mingle and sit where they choose?

brookelynpaisley

You should provide seating - you can't expect people to stand for your ceremony, it simply isn't polite. You also may not know if guests have a specific need for a chair, such as an injury or illness. You'd want to sit, wouldn't you?

And I'd assign tables - that way, groups don't run the risk of being split up. I appreciate knowing where I'll be sitting and I think it's worth taking the time to assign people to table so they know the people they're sitting with.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I DO think you need seating, but I'd be willing to let it go if guests are allowed access to the reception area before hand, then everyone just kind of shuffles outside for the ceremony. If they're all going to be milling around outside before the ceremony, then yes, you need chairs. The might show up 15-20 minutes early, so they'll end up standing around for something like 30-45 minutes in heels and dress shoes. No thank you.

Assigning tables is your call. With that small of a list, you don't need it. Unless you have people who really, really don't want to sit next to each other.

danieliza1127

Our friends that had a garden ceremony had chairs and their ceremony was only 11 minutes long.  Everyone used the chairs, and people were there early and sitting and talking. 

squirrly

Yes, you need seating of some sort.  Chairs, benches, hay bales, whatever.  Something that won't damage their dress clothes. 

Assign tables.  We went to a wedding earlier this year where every table had 1 or 2 seats open, but our group of 10 couldn't sit together.  Heck, FI and I couldn't have sat together, most likely.  So, we stood, as a group, in a corner for the whole reception.  It was irritating.