Miniscule budget for chairs, tables, tablecloths at park

I would make sure that you have a realistic estimate of what renting these things will cost you before you decide on that venue. I think our rentals alone were close to $2500 between tables, chairs, linens and a tent for the DJ equipment at my outdoor ceremony.

Also. my parents have borrowed tables and chairs for my brother's birthday parties before, and for moving tables, you may well need at least a pickup truck. I'm not sure if you're talking about folding chairs or chairs that don't fold, but when we bought a dining room set, it was a tight fit to put 6 chairs and a table in the back of an F-150.

If the chairs are folding chairs they should fit just fine in the bed. I have a Silverado and we did this for our best man's wedding. We have rented a package that includes my tent, tables and chairs for 200 people @ $1300.

You can fit 8-10 people at a 10ft round table, could you swing for 10 tables and 100 chairs?

We also went to a wedding where there was limited seating for the ceremony, most of us stood. It wasn't too bad because the ceremony was quick. I think it only lasted 10 min. I'd you're thinking of asking your guests to stand, keep length in mind. If you're ok with a 10 min or less ceremony then go for it. ETA: linens weren't in our budget either but we have been buying white and off white table cloths from estate sales for the tables. You can get them for pretty cheap, we got some for $.50! I don't think we ever spent more than $2 on a TC.

Yea, you need chairs for both the ceremony and reception. And also probably tablecloths.

Yeah, we're talking about 25-30 folding chairs, and we can use them at both ceremony and reception, since it's such a small space and a couple friends have offered to help flip. But the rental company won't allow them to be transported in an open-bed pickup. Only van, U-haul trailer, or SUV. So that's a headache. :/

No tent; there are big pavilions at both the park and the garden, thank goodness.

@Rachel, good call on estate sales. We'll only need probably 6 tablecloths (4 eating tables and 2 serving tables).

Another seating idea is to make it a picnic style seating arrangement and have your guests grab a blanket to sit on to watch your ceremony. I've seen it done super cute on Pinterest.

Do the pavilions have picnic tables in them??

It can often be cheaper to rent a venue that already has tables and chairs than to rent a venue with nothing and bring in these things. Also figure if there aren't bathrooms you will need to provide those as well. Our venue was $600 and that included chairs. We then could rent the tables from them very cheaply (I think it was another $45 and the linens another maybe $30, I'd have to check). Many small spaces come with tables and chairs already so personally I would look into that.

IAH, I would not recommend having anyone sit on the ground. Some people, even many you wouldn't expect, can't do that comfortably. If I came to a wedding where I was expected to sit on the ground I would have to either stand (awkward if everyone is sitting) or by the time the ceremony was over I would be in so much pain I would have to leave. Anyone with back issues is liable to find that very hard.

@Jessie, the park I like doesn't have picnic tables. We could do it at another city park that isn't as pretty, where there are picnic tables at the pavilion. My concern there is that the bench seats are tricky for women in skirts or dresses to sit at, and I can't control what people may wear.

Can I say, it's not easy to find a venue for just 25-35 people! And we really aren't tempted to invite more. In Little Rock, it's like there's no middle ground between the intimate 12-person restaurant reception and the $1200+ venue for 50+ people. I'm just complaining now, I guess.

@Reggie, what type of venue are you using? That's a great rate! The park I'm looking at and the community garden do have (real) bathrooms, and decent parking, so that's something.

If you look around you shouldn't pay TOO much for tables and chairs. Yes, it may double the cost... but your venue is cheap. Cheaper than probably anywhere else. Always do your research. Tents are the most expensive to rent, so you're lucky you can scrap that.

I rented chairs and tables for 125 people, including extra tables for the bar, cocktail tables, etc. I only spent about $800 on rentals, which included delivery, pick-up, set-up and tear-down.

don't make people stand at your ceremony. I really think you could find a decent price for rentals... just don't go for the fanciest place. Prices vary greatly, and at the end of the day the tables are the same! And YES, you will want tablecloths.

Unless they are something like farm tables, rented round tables are really... not pretty. At all. You need linens.

Also, unless your guest list is entirely comprised of 20 year olds... please do not do picnic style seating on blankets as was suggested a few posts up. What works on pinterest does not always translate well in real life. Your older guests in particular will thank you for not making them sit on the ground.. along with every person in a dress or skirt.

Also, does this venue have a backup spot for bad weather that is well covered? I know you saids pavilions - but think about coverage for guests only on the top, but also sides of a structure in case of blowing rain or wind. Renting a tent is another expense to keep in mind.

Think long and hard about this before you choose this venue - this is why some pricier but more all-inclusive venues are far more of a deal than they initially appear.

Thanks for the insight and advice, everyone! No picnic blankets on the ground for us, definitely. I'd rather not not hold my ceremony itself in a restaurant's party room, but if the pretty outdoorsy spots just can't be made right within our budget, then we'll just find something else that works!

Standing ceremonies are frowned upon. Something I learned from WW.

You cannot use a rental table without a table cloth. They are literally made out of plywood.

I tell my intimate wedding couples to find a sweet little restaurant (we have a list of about 40) and do it there because it is rarely budget friendly to do it in a park when you start talking tables, chairs, linens, etc.

Im actually doing a very small 15 person wedding on a lake dock in a park for free (because its under 20 people and less than an hour ceremony) For the dinner part we reserved a private room package at a 5 star hotel and it was only 75.00 per person (this includes apps, entrees, salads, and drinks) We also got a photography student to do our pictures for free for 2 hours with all printing rights so that he can build his portfolio (I was looking to cut any cost I could) all in all we spent less than 1000. If your guest dont mind standing for 20-30 mins you could save a ton! Walmart and target actually have really nice and cheap table ware and little ohhhs and ahhhs. Good luck!

@Mrs. CK yea it could be quite long now that I think about it. But I know my ceremony is going to be less than 15 mins for sure and my guest are all young close friends who dont mind standing and they actually have a set of swing seats for the only 4 older guest we are having.