We are having our ceremony at a local gazebo, but It will probably be a fast simple ceremony. There are benches at the site already, do i need to rent chairs for such a short time? We will be having a nice dinner reception after in a private room at a local restaurant. I just cant see paying to rent chairs for 15 minutes, half hour tops.
Re: seating for small, quick outdoor wedding
Benches are fine (as opposed to chairs), just so long as there is a spot for every butt!
is there enough bench seating for every guest? Every person needs a place to sit down. Whether that's a bench or a chair.
Consider that most guests will arrive 15-30 minutes in advance of your ceremony. Then, even if your ceremony is short, you are talking 15 minutes, so now, without seating, some of your guests will be standing for anywhere from 30-45 minutes, in one place, probably in dress clothes/heels.
I always recommend that people who are considering skipping seating, get all dressed up, put on some heels, and go stand in your backyard for an hour in one place.
It's incredibly uncomfortable, even after 10 minutes.
Websites/blogs where our wedding has been featured:
http://www.dapperq.com/2013/11/a-very-dapper-wedding/
http://www.onabicyclebuiltfortwo.com/2013/10/wedding-christina-g.html
http://4realequalityweddings.com/2014/05/16/g-christina/