Weddingbee boards

I did a walk through of my space last weekend and found out that my venue is not going to have chairs set up for the actual ceremony. There will be a couple of tables and chairs for the older people attending, but the majority of the guests will be standing. I am not a fan. They said we would have to rent chairs if we wanted them, but I don't understand why they can't have the chairs that we will be using in the reception area set up in the ceremony area and then move them back to the reception during the cocktail hour. I was talking to my mom just now and she isn't really happy with the arrangment either. So, I'm trying to think of some other alternatives and not coming up with much.

If I did rent chairs, we would have the same issue, since if I'm renting chairs, I'm using them for the ceremony and reception, not just the 1/2 hour ceremony. However, does anyone know how much it would be?

If I were having an outdoor ceremony, I don't think this would be an issue, since that had a more casual feel to it and I think would be more acceptable to my guests, but Maryland has unpredictable weather in October and I would rather not take my chances.

Has anyone else had a standing ceremony that went well? I'm planning on having about 120 guests for reference.

Thank you!!

Is there any way to get them to bend the rules?  We ran into this problem as well with one of the venues we were looking at but they would have bent the rules for us.  Now that we've switched reception venues, we are doing all 200+people standing during the 30min wedding.  But it's in a park so there is no problem.

What would the venue do if all your guests brought their own folding chairs for the ceremony?  Maybe the threat of lawn chairs will be enough to make them let you move the reception chairs.

LOL! It's the club my parents belong too, so I think they would rather have lawn chairs than annoyed members!

I attended a standing only ceremony, and didn't mind it at all. No one seemed to. Unless you're having a full mass or something, I don't think it should be an issue for people to stand for 20 minutes (tops).

I'm sure you could work something out with the Club, especially with your parents being members. Good Luck!

If you can't figure out a way to seat your guests, I would suggest trying your best to let guests know ahead of time that they will have to stand, just so people are prepared since most will be expecting to be seated the whole time. If it is only for a ceremony, I think most people should be able to do that, but it is best to let them know in advance to avoid any surprises.