Ceremony considerations for stone bench seating?

Anything longer than 15 minutes would be horribly uncomfortable, honestly. If you have older guests, I'd warn them ahead of time so they can bring seat cushions, if they so desire.

This plus they are probably not scrubbed clean to my standard. I would begrudgingly stand as to not dirty my dress. I would not pick this location/venue because lots of people have issues with their backs and this would not give any support. If you are going to regardless, please pad the benches.

You have to realize that people will arrive early, so even if your ceremony is short some people may end up sitting there for 30 or 40 minutes. You should see if you can rent some sort of padded cover.

I would try to aim for 10-15 minutes for the ceremony if possible.

Definitely look into renting something to cover the seats. Stone would be uncomfortable for some and I can imagine many would be worrying about damaging their clothes on such a dirtied surface.

If you're dead-set on having the ceremony there, get some cushions for the chairs. Ask the venue if anyone has done that before - they might be able to share a rental company that can provide them.

Okay, I couldn't figure out how to post pics from the mobile site. Had to get on my laptop.

Here's the amphitheater:

Ceremony site

Side view

Thinking of keeping the ceremony very brief, maybe ten minutes. I think providing cushions will be a huge hassle for what will be a short period of time. I have also considered having the cocktail hour start prior to the ceremony, so there will be cushioned chairs nearby and if guests arrive early they can utilize those seats. The wedding wont be super fancy, I can't envision guests wearing formal gowns that would become damaged by sitting on the bench for ten minutes. I will also have a few chairs at the top of the amphitheater for those guests who cannot manage the stairs or seats (I can only think of one or two people)

Keep it brief, 15 minutes or so. Provide some actual seating (chairs with backs, the lack of a back is what often causes discomfort) for guests with mobility concerns or for people to use prior to the wedding. If you don't want to host a cocktail hour before, a "hospitality hour" (more likely half hour) is usually nice- just make water and iced tea available to the guests that arrive early so they can have a refreshment while they mingle. This looks like such a cool space!!!

ETA put a picture of the ceremony site on our website so people know what to expect. Don't sweat it too much!

So people sit where other peoples feet are? That has the potential to be awkward...

We won't have that many guests, 50 tops. So it won't be packed full of people. I will have seats at the top for those who cannot access the amphitheater or utilize the seats.

Another view

Not a wedding, but shows the space with people

Also, if I want to designate every other row for seating (so as not to have people sitting in front of the feet behind them), how should I go about this? Floral arrangement or lantern on every other row next to the stairs? There's no railing to block off with ribbon.

Provide cushions for every other row, that should make it pretty obvious. I know it sounds like a hassle but you should at least look into it. No one is going to be paying attention to your ceremony if their fidgeting because their bums hurt.

No way will I deal with cushions, its just not practical. I really don't see how ten minutes on a cement bench will be the end of the world.

Thinking that rose petals will be the most affordable option for designating rows to sit in.

Are you including the processional and recessional in the 10 minutes? That would basically mean you walk in, exchange rings, and walk out to make it under 10 minutes. You'll have to add time to that for people getting into the ceremony space and sitting down (usually 10 or 15 minutes depending on how quickly people move), time for you guys to line up after everyone is seated, plus time for everyone to exit the space (usually another 5-10 minutes). My officiant spoke for only 15 minutes but the ceremony time was closer to 25.