Guest Seating--hay bales?

While i think the hay bales would be cute and save you money i dont think they are such a great idea. some people might have trouble getting up from them plus i always remembered when we went on fieldtrips and sat on hay bales i always got poked in the butt by the hay and it wasnt very comfortable

Could you maybe add backs to the hay bales? Or would the bales still be too low? Also, I personally wouldn't want the hay to irritate my exposed legs (or stockings). Is it possible to cover them somehow?

If your guests are dressing up, I don't think making them sit on hay bales is very nice. If it's a super informal reception, then maybe...

They would be covered, and it ONLY be for the ceremony so like 30min max. We are having a short/sweet/and to the point wedding.

DEF, still need chairs! For an older person 30 minutes on a bale can be a LONG time .. and they would need help getting up. Bales are generally lower than the seat of a chair would be. Are you going to BUY the covering for the bales?? If you are, by then couldn't you rent the chairs for just a bit more $$??

I would get chairs. Sitting on a hay bale does not sound very comfy.

I love the hay bales. Generally they are actually super comfortable at least to especially if you get something for back support. Much mor comfortable than the cold concrete steps that we had to sit on at one wedding

I was thinking "itchy butt" from all the hay sticking out BUT Mrs. M quickly changed my mind. I think it if you made it comfortable, covered the part where people will sit, it would look great!

I would do both though just in case there are people that aren't hip to the idea and want a more traditional seat. But I think it's neat

When you say covered, do you mean covered like Mrs. M posted? Or covered as in covered by a tent?

I would vote no simply because the hay gets stuck in dresses and pants, and people get poked. Could you use them as decor instead?

To do both chairs and hay bales, you could do like two chairs lining the isle, then the hay bales making the rest of the seating out...that way there is a good amount of seating. Also, if the hay bales aren't too low, you could make the front row all chairs for the VIPs or something. BUT you don't want them blocking everyone else's view if the hay bales are too low.

I think it looks good at styled shoots. Rent natural wood chairs; they come in several colors, and they'll give you a natural look. If it's REALLY short (like 10 minutes short) most people can stand. Those who can't will not be comfortable on a bale of hay.

We are as farm and country as it gets. I would never use hay bales. Comfort and allergies. I can tell you even with my physical problems I would choose the ground over a bale anyday. Even covered they are very uncomfortable. There is always something poking you.

Hay bales sound uncomfortable not to mention allergies

I think that you can get chairs for the sick, injured, and elderly, and then have everyone stand through the west of the ceremony if it is going to be short and sweet. Half the time you are up and down in weddings anyway. I agree that hay bales only look good, but they are itchy and smelly and you don't want any weird stains on people's dresses and pants. Edit: Also, if the hay bales are damp, they might still soak through the covers.

I love the covered haybales! They're comfortable if you ask me! And adorable. That's on my long list of super cute weddings I would have had if we didn't do it the way I did!

We soo want to do the hay thing but we cant find any one willing to rent them out. we can buy them but what on earth will i do with 20+ haybales?!!!

we were going to stand ours on the ends. so they are taller. we didnt plan to st them up like chairs. more like a backless park bench.

Maybe for the chairs in the front that are reserved for the people who can't sit on haybales, you can arrange them in a half moon type formation on each side or one side so that they don't block your other guests' view. From the list you provided in your post, it won't be that many right? I think the haybales would be fine as long as they are covered.

I wouldn't be a fan - I've sat on ones that have been covered and still get stuck with hay. Not only does it snag delicate clothes and hose, but it also makes me rash out in little red bumps all over. You'd have to wrap them up in several layers of fabric and put a pillow on top for me to spend any time on it. I couldn't imagine being elderly and doing so. I'd probably just stand instead.

I would be covering them with fabric. Our wedding is Regency themed (think Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice) at a historical reenactment (I get that not everyone is a nerd, history buff, outdoorsy but stick with me on this ) Chairs are 1.75-5.00 a piece where I live so if I rent chairs it would be at close to $300 at least if we did only chairs for seating. The Society that hosts the event offered their hay bales for free if we needed them. At first I was going to just use them to define the space (the ceremony is in a field), but my grandmother suggested {I'm not sure she thought about actually having to sit on one} that we use them for seating also. I was just curious about what others thought.

I saw hay bale sofas on pinterest. maybe that could work for you for the immediate family or the ones who need something a little more than a covered bale. they actually had bales on the end to make it look like an actual sofa.