Ceremony Seating needs to be softer / warmer

JamieIN · October 2012

Howdy everyone! Thank you for all of your posts and responses. I have already gotten a ton of help without raising my hand. I have a fairly specific question that I need help with.

The wedding space for our big day is a natural ampitheater space beside a downtown canal. The hillside is a slope of grass and stone. The pic may not make it clear that the stone is about 2 feet high, a comfortable 'chair' height to sit on. The stone slab you sit on is plenty big, even for folks who rock a round bottom. Behind the stone slab 'seat' is a row of grass.

I sat on it for about 10 minutes and it wasn't bad. The ceremony is going to last about 20 minutes. But, there will be guests who sit longer because they are polite and try to arrive early so they are sure they won't run late.

How do I make the stone appear and feel more soft and less cold?Think cheap. I will start your brainstorm with the few ideas I have had:

bean bags - would be cute if we were doing a very modern wedding. Not sure I would call our vibe modern
hay bales - would be excellent if we were doing a rustic affair. Our event is family oriented, but the reception is in a gorgeous space that is not at all rustic.
Pew cushions - My fave idea so far. I could not find a vendor.
Simply 'tack' fabric to the grassy spaces - It would hide some of the bare spots and make the space less 'hard. But it would not help to cushion the rear ends who were kind enough to attend.

Ok ladies - What are your ideas, please?

Thank you!

Jamie, the future Mrs. Parrish

Indianapolis

anssett · October 2012

How many seats are you trying to cover? That will impact the scale of what you can do on a budget. One thought would be to buy foam rectangles (that they use for seat cushions). They come in nice dense versions and I remember them being reasonably priced. Then cover with the fabric of your choice. Either actually cover & sew, or just pin the underside to hold the fabric in place.

JamieIN · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_outdoor-weddings_ceremony-seating-needs-to-be-softer-warmer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:666Discussion:8a4f7004-07cb-41ba-8110-c4a786d69526Post:443291fe-6cae-4b9a-847c-899dd268b848">Re: Ceremony Seating needs to be softer / warmer</a>:
[QUOTE]How many seats are you trying to cover? That will impact the scale of what you can do on a budget. One thought would be to buy foam rectangles (that they use for seat cushions). They come in nice dense versions and I remember them being reasonably priced. Then cover with the fabric of your choice. Either actually cover & sew, or just pin the underside to hold the fabric in place.
Posted by anssett[/QUOTE]

<div>We are inviting 100, but anticipate 50 to actually attend. </div><div>I think the space would look best if the people filled 5 rows - it needs some people heigth rather than letting them get all spread out. </div><div>
</div><div>The idea of covered foam is interesting. It would allow me to signal where their fannies should go and not go without the ushers being stuck verbally encouraging. </div><div>
</div><div>Thank you for the response! </div>

Avion22 · October 2012

I like the idea of foam covered in fabric. It doesn't have be very thick...maybe 1.5 - 2 inches? If that's too much, then maybe you could just buy a large ammount of fleece, cut it into blanket-sized pieces, and fold it over several times (like a blanket). This would cushion bottoms and insulate the cold.

hartpoirier · October 2012

I would maybe just ask guests to be prepared and to dress accordingly? Possibly bring their own picnic blanket to sit on during the ceremony. Having to make that extra accomodation for a 20 minute ceremony seems over the top to me. If guests are knowledgable about the location and where they will be sitting, hopefully they will be a little prepared.

GoodLuckBear14 · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_outdoor-weddings_ceremony-seating-needs-to-be-softer-warmer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:666Discussion:8a4f7004-07cb-41ba-8110-c4a786d69526Post:ea81ba76-ca35-4369-a122-0457c0eda68f">Re: Ceremony Seating needs to be softer / warmer</a>:
[QUOTE]I would maybe just ask guests to be prepared and to dress accordingly? Possibly bring their own picnic blanket to sit on during the ceremony. Having to make that extra accomodation for a 20 minute ceremony seems over the top to me. If guests are knowledgable about the location and where they will be sitting, hopefully they will be a little prepared.
Posted by hartpoirier[/QUOTE]

No. You don't ask people to prepare for your wedding as though they are going to a football game.

OP - the foam rectangles are a good idea. I used them for a window seat and it was comfortable enough for my butt to stay planted there for the entire time it took to read the last Harry Potter book in one sitting.

JamieIN · October 2012

Thanks everyone! I do love the 'fleece' idea. There are so many interesting fabrics out there that I had not thought of.

Ya'all helped oodles.

Peavy · October 2012

If you have an IKEA near you, they have very inexpensive chair pads which could be used as seat cusions.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50098693/#/50098693

marshallra · November 2012

When I was a girl scout ( 100 yearsago) we made sit upons. Basically a large magazine or newspapers sewn into a covering of plastic tablecloth fabric. You could make long " pew "shape covers. The newspaper adds insulation. The fabric is folded over the newspapers and then sewn along the three open sides. If you use plastic fabric you can just stitch it with thick yarn- loose stitches and use pinking shears on the edges. The plastic makes them moisture resistant.

Ceremony Seating needs to be softer / warmer

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