Is it the worst thing in the world to have guests stand during your ceremony?

Kyra T. Standing at a wedding is completely different than standing at a concert. At a concert I am

Wearing sneakers and probably jeans. Standing for 40 minutes in heels and a dress is super annoying and my feet would hate me. I also wouldn't be able to see based on my height. Waiting to ride your favorite ride...you don't have to see anything going on ahead of you. You're comparing apples and oranges.

So to the naked eye, I LOOK pretty healthy, but I have plantar fasciitus in my right foot. It's VERY painful. I'd end up having to sit on your venue's floor in my nice dress. And with 170 people, you can bet your bottom dollar there are a number of people with issues you don't know about that would making standing a really sucky (or even impossible) thing.

170 people is alot of people to ask to stand. my cousins wedding was in the park and there werent any chairs but i think there were 20-30 people. i have been to others where people stood in the back but that was because they got there late and open seats were near the front

i wouldnt do it

Agreed with Saradell that no one would ever dare tell you that your wedding was sucky if you didn't have chairs. They wouldn't bring up anything. It's just rude to say anything to the couple.

And I think the plain black chairs are fine! Don't forget to negotiate on the price! That's a large amount of chairs, so you should be able to talk some pricing down

I think if you provide seating for most (as long as it's not a long ceremony with a bunch of readings etc), then you will be fine. There are people who will stand even with seats. My father never sat in church. He stood at the back with a bunch of other guys. You have people who won't show for the ceremony just the reception.

You could try to rent benches instead of seats. It might work out better in the space.

Also standing at a concert is expected and a choice. I'm pretty sure everybody expects to be able to sit at at wedding. Not even comparable.

For 170, yes.

One ceremony space and venue I looked at was in the middle of an orchard, and there was not a feasible way to provide chairs for everyone with the spacing of the trees. The coordinator recommended the space for intimate ceremonies of fewer than 30 people and said that they could provide chairs for elderly guests. In that case guests stand around the couple in more of a semi-circle. There is no way 170 people would all be able to see and hear. Even for 10 minutes that would be uncomfortable. Plus remember that your guests need to arrive early so they will be standing around for longer than the duration of your ceremony.

Oh, and I'm 31 and a healthy marathon runner. I also regularly do yoga, lift weights, dance...I basically only sit at work and while driving. But I don't like standing at concerts. I am pretty grumpy at small "intimate" venues where I have to stand the whole time unless the band is absolutely rocking or I am drunk. I only stand up for my favorite songs lol. I wouldn't complain about standing during your wedding ceremony to your face, but I absolutely would to my friends.

I've never seen a no chair post. This a WW first for me. I feel privileged.

With that said, I agree with what everyone else is saying. Provide chairs for your guests. Even if you do have a very short ceremony, they're going to start arriving earlier and have to stand for some time before you walk down the aisle.

Comparing standing at a club or a concert to a wedding is so off base. The previous posters have covered why. You will piss off your guests and they won't tell you but they will talk about it, for fucks sake, get some chairs.

I am sooo glad I didn't ask this question on The Knot forums. Can you imagine?

No, I don't want all 170 of my guests to stand... I was just grasping for a glint of hope because I'm stressed out. However, I think having as many chairs as I can fit, with a few people standing in the back, will be ok.

At my brother's wedding, he had a few chairs for the elderly, but his ceremony was at a farm house, in the garden, and there was a porch, and most of the people sat on/leaned on the porch. There were also way less people. His ceremony was also over before we knew it. Like less than 5 minutes I'd say lol. Anyone who was late totally missed it! Here's a pic (me and FH leaning against the porch--mint dress)

I'm glad you decided to get chairs. Even if your ceremony is only 10 minutes long I still have to get there 20 minutes early and that means I'm standing for a long time. Just because a ceremony is short doesn't mean guests won't actually be there for s long time.

Solid logistics is everything when wedding planning. I absolutely agree with everyone that chairs are necessary for all. I also know that guests never complain to the bride and groom about things. I didn't complain to the two couples who had standing weddings I attended, but I still talk negatively about it - so do others who were there. The couple who had me paying 4.00 for each diet coke I wanted never heard a complaint from anyone and think there wedding was great! No, you cheapskates, it wasn't, but no one will tell you that out of politeness.

Let's talk logistics for a moment. How long does it take to move 170 people? It takes awhile. You will have people like me who will arrive 20+ minutes early and will have to stand during that time and will by hoping to God the wedding starts on time and only lasts 2 minutes.

How long does it take to move 170 people out of a small area? Well, if they haven't seen each other in awhile and they are chatty they are going to slow things down for everyone. What about pictures? Are you holding people back for pictures after the wedding at all?

I also want to know about putting 170 people in a small enclosed garden. That is going to get uncomfortable real fast. Even though you are outdoors that is going to get hot for some people really quick. the people on the inside will have no breeze or breathing room, it will be hot and stuffy for them. Putting 170 people in a small, enclosed outdoor area is not a good idea.

If I attended your wedding I would be there 20 minutes early, stand for 10 for the wedding, and another 15 or so waiting for your receiving line or just for people to get a move on. Keep in mind, you really are talking about something more like 40+ minutes than 10ish.

Logistics really is the key to successful planning. What is your budget, who do you want to invite, and where can you get a place to fit them all?

Just no. No one will pay any attention to the ceremony at all and trust me, unless you're doing "do you? Yes? Repeat this. You're married" it will be longer than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to gather. It's also, excuse me, the reason.

There are, very often, not chairs for every single butt, but plan for at least 75%; the people who are late are shit outta luck.....

Invite less people; get chairs.

I think you also need to consider that the time of the actual ceremony is not the amount of time people will be standing. There's the 'we got here on time but everyone is running late' time, the 'ok, now we're listening to music so 170 people will settle down and pay attention' time, then the 'now people are walking down the aisle time' and *finally* you get to the ceremony.

Hey, I know this post is old but. I went to a wedding once where you stand ....it was a slight hill where everyone can see and it was actually really beautiful. To me its only tacky if you say it is. I don't think it's that bad if it's a short ceremony. No if it were long then yes. But like if the ceremony site is close enough for people to sit if they wanted then go for it. Heck lol people can throw blankets down. They knew what they were getting themselves into by coming. I was thinking of doing this myself lol my I'm a redneck. Also i don't care of others opinions ...lol maybe i think sitting is tacky.

Provide chairs for all or cut the guest list. Many non-elderly have hidden issues that keep them from standing long periods. Also there is the issue of people not being able to see while standing.

View Quoted Comment Yea but i feel like if it's a small wedding...no elderly and it is less then 15 minutes people would be alright. Im actually having pews at my outdoor wedding but I feel like I've been to outdoor weddings were not all the chairs are taken and people are off to the side

View Quoted Comment

People don't show up right when the ceremony starts, so it's not just 15 minutes or however long the ceremony is. And many people have trouble standing, not just the elderly, especially when they're in dressy clothes.

It's not tacky to not have seating for your guests, it's rude.

View Quoted Comment I'm only saying from experience. Lol I've been married before. It was arm outdoor wedding and like 50% of the people stood. I didn't say it would be the same for every case. I didn't even say I'm not having seating. For instance no one will wear heels at my wedding because it's not the type of people I'm around. They all wear boots or dudes lol they work on farms and every gathering I been to with them they don't sit much. So I feel like they wouldn't care either way. I went to a wedding without seating once by the river and it was so pretty.