Post # 1

Member
50 posts
Worker bee
My reception is in a nice country club and I am trying to decide if I should spend the extra $300-$400 that it will cost to rent chivari chairs. The other option i to opt for white chair covers with sahses. I’m not crazy about the chair covers, but are the chivari chairs really worth it?
What are you all doing? Have you been to weddings with chivari chairs and/or chair covers? Does it make much of the difference?
Post # 3

Member
14 posts
Newbee
The country club where our reception will be has rather mundane white chairs. They do offer chair covers and sashes, however my Fiance does not see the need to spend $$ on that. We opted to bring color in with our fresh floral centerpices.
Post # 4

Member
1656 posts
Bumble bee
I personally think chiavari chairs look better, but it depends on what your budget is like. Not a fan of chair covers, but again it depends what the budget is like and what the original venue chairs look like. You should put a poll up 🙂
Luckily, our venue comes with chiavari chairs (one of the only venues I found in our area that comes with them!), otherwise they run about $8/chair in our area to rent.
Post # 5

Member
3221 posts
Sugar bee
I think chiavari chairs are nice, but they are, IMO not worth it. It’s what I consider a ‘wedding scam’. They aren’t really any nicer than these:

Which, at the rental company that we’re using, is half as much as a chiavari. Just my opinion!
Post # 6

Member
64 posts
Worker bee
I love the look of chiavari chairs and think it’s definitely worth the extra money if it’s within your budget. I’m not a fan of chair covers not only for the appearance but also because I always seem to get my shoes tangled up in the bottom of them and nearly trip myself! haha
The Fiance and I seriously debated this question, we finally decided to go with the chiavari chairs because after comparing the prices of: chair rental+chair covers+ sash VS chiavari chairs we determined it was only a couple more dollars(per chair) to upgrade to the chiavari chairs… But definitely shop around to various rental companies and be careful of their annoying delivery/setup/ pickup fees.
Post # 7

Member
15348 posts
Honey Beekeeper
I ran into this debate when I was looking at venues too. I think the chairs are nice, but not worth the extra money. I would not have paid any extra for it… or chair covers. I was also looking at $7/chair or $5/cover for 200 people, so if I were to blow another 1k, I would rather have done it on my e-ring!
Post # 8

Member
5117 posts
Bee Keeper
I don’t think they’re worth the extra cost. Really, they’d only be most noticeable in ’empty venue’ photos, as once you put the people in the seats you focus much more on them rather than what they’re sitting in.
I’d rather put the extra $$ toward something that’s more a focal point, but it’s really a personal pinion thing and if you love them, go for it!
Post # 9

Member
1137 posts
Bumble bee
We are opting for just chair covers, as our chairs are the ugly banquet chairs (thicker cushions in an evergreen color). It’s $2-$3 a cover, vs around $8 for a chivari chair. Yea, I don’t think I can justify $800 worth of chairs…
Post # 10

Member
550 posts
Busy bee
No way. As long as the chairs aren’t metal folding chairs, I doubt the guests will notice or care
Post # 11

Member
606 posts
Busy bee
In my area I found the chivari chairs for $4 per chair with delivery. My venue chairs are really bad so for me it was worth it. I think it really depends on the chairs that are free
Post # 12

Member
1759 posts
Buzzing bee
I am probably from the same area as
@15happyyears because we are also ordering chiavari chairs for $4. Fiance and I tried and tried to be happy with chair covers. . . but we just couldn’t. Our venue is very classy and the chiavari chairs just fit better with the feel we’re trying to create. Since the price was barely more than for chair covers, so we decided it was worth it because we felt so unhappy. I think you should look at your venue and your budget and assess how you feel about chair covers. If it’s not a big deal to you, save your money or spend on something you care more about.
Post # 13

Member
1759 posts
Buzzing bee
Weird double post. WB froze on me. . .
Hurray for Bees!
Post # 14

Member
10844 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I loved our walnut chiavari chairs and it was definitely worth the extra couple of bucks for us! I had heard they were uncomfortable and even though our vendor didn’t deliver the cushions they were still comfy enough for the evening for our guests! No complaints here! If it’s in your budget go for it!
Post # 15

Member
270 posts
Helper bee
I’m sucking it up and paying for them. Any other kind of chair would look weird in our venue. And there are 200 of them in there after all. It’s kind of a big part of the look of the reception.
Post # 16

Member
175 posts
Blushing bee
I got chivari chairs too. I’ve seen the chivari chairs vs. the chairs with covers/sashes and hands down chivari chairs win. My venue already charges for covers/sashes so I said…why do I want to pay for something I don’t like? That’s why I ended up getting the chivari chairs…even thought it is twice the cost.
The thing is, everytime I go to a venue that has chivari chairs set up…it just gives the room a hugh UMPH! =)