Our wedding venue doesn't allow extra chairs. What do I do?

We want to have our wedding at the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens, but they only allow you 10 chairs. Our guest list is closer to 50. Would it be acceptable to ask guests to stand for a 15 minute ceremony?

Our wedding venue doesn't allow extra chairs. What do I do?
I would say yes. As long as it's isn't a hot and misserable day and it's not a formal wedding. If your guest list is so small, I don't really see a problem with it. I recently married and had my guests stand, the ceremony was short, semi-formal, and outside on a cool evening in a beautiful garden. The only thing I heard after the ceremony was how beautiful the garden was, not how they hated to have to stand for a few mins. The only thing that i would watch out for is elderly. They may not be able to stand for a while. If that's the case I would use the 10 chairs for two rows in front and save for parents of bride and groom and any elderly.
Reply:I think you need to sacrifice your desire to have the wedding where you would like for the sake of your guests unless you want to have only very close family with 10 guests. You have to consider the age and health of some of the guests and it would be a problem to reserve the seats for those who need them and then leave some people standing. I would imagine that you are at least going to have some grandparents there and the 15 minute ceremony includes time before and after the ceremony. The guests don't just come in all at once, be escorted up the aisle and then everything else in just 15 minutes. After all, the wedding ceremony and your guests are the most important things and not the place. Have a wonderful wedding!
Reply:yes it would absolutely be ok for the guests to stand for 15 minutes...just let the most elderly guests have the available seating. explain to everyone else whats happened (or get your mum to...mums are good at that sort of thing!)..





people are only interested in watching you get married and they wont care about standing....they know the champagne will flow shortly afterwards and that will soften the blow!!





it sounds like a nice venue...its a shame you couldnt have said 'i want more chairs..or we wont hold our wedding here'!! - that might have got you extra seating..the thought of them losing the money might have worked!





you are not allowed to worry about this sort of thing...its your big day - you must enjoy!! - good luck anyway!
Reply:You can usually borrow chairs from places like a ballroom or hotel or funeral home.
Reply:Yeah...as long as you make it short. Just think you could have five chairs on his and five on yours and have like both of your mom's sit in the chairs and grandma and people like that. Then just have everyone kind of stand in a arch i guess so that everyone can see what is going on. 25 on one side 25 on the other. Or here is an idea. Get married in the middle and nothave chairs at all or put the chairs on either sides of the circle five on one side five on the other. Then have your grooms and bridmaids coming diagnally from the chairs, then you two at the ends of the diagnal with the preacher standing in the usual spot. Gosh I wish I could draw a pciture so you could what i was talking about. But hopefully you can get it in your head.
Reply:Fifteen minutes? Absolutely! Anyone who can't stand that long will bring their own chair!


Congratulations...and best wishes!