Smoking section for outside wedding

Ask the venue for sure! Maybe get one of those um like industrial ashtrays (I guess they're called lol), and put it in an area away from the wedding to sway people in that direction. Maybe your DOC can make them go over there.

I feel your pain though, I'd say 40% of my guests are smokers and they are all SOO concerned with where the smoking area will be at my February wedding.

As a smoker, im always really conscious of where i'm smoking, and at events like weddings, will look to see if there's a designated space. If I see ash trays, or a garbage can with an ash tray on top, or one of those tall cigarette garbage disposal things, I will smoke there. So just set something up, and I think you'll be fine

Before you give in to the smokers, do you have any guests who are on oxygen? If so, I would ban smoking all together, and tell people your venue is completely smoke free. If not, say you want them to be 100 feet away and on the other side of the house. Try to keep it away from yourself and others who hate smoking. Good luck!

I'm with PWG. Most smokers are very considerate of this.

If it were smoke free, I'd eat dinner and leave.

As a smoker I prefer to be tucked away somewhere when I smoke. I don't want my second hand smoke near any non-smokers, and definitely don't want to be within view of any children. I think renting a "smokers outpost" (most party rental places around here have them) and a bench or two to set up on the side of the building would be appropriate. I don't think any of your guests that are smokers will be offended by having their own area. I bet all of your guests will really appreciate it.

I don't think it's an issue as a smoker I'm with PWG and also I'm sure they'd appreciate having their own little area

Are you allowed to have smoking at your wedding venue? I'd check that first, that you can set up a smoking area. We had our wedding in our backyard/at our home. I took a flower pot and put some rocks and dirt in it as an ashtray and set that on top of a... I'm blanking on what that thing is called... Looks like a wooden spool on which there is usually utility wire of some sort? Anyway, we put that a good distance from the tent with a sign that said please smoke only in this area (or something like that). I think everyone was considerate of that and put their cigarette butts in the flower pot ashtray.

I think the other side of the house sounds good. Get a little table, a few chairs and some ashtrays and make sure you have a sign somewhere. People will use it.

Agree with pp. I am anal I actually carry ziploc snack bags in my purse for my butts when I can't find a garbage can or ashtray nearby. Set up an area with some chairs and a table and some ashtrays.

I would ask the venue about setting up an ash tray or something like that off to the side. Also I would probably ask my DOC to look out for anyone who strays. I'm glad people on WW are conscious smokers but I know a few people who are not and it's extremely frustrating sometimes.

I was going to post something about this the other day (not meaning to hijack your thread, OP). Has anyone ever somehow communicated beforehand that the venue has a no-smoking policy or that there is a very specific location where you would be welcome to smoke? We just found out our venue is pretty stringent about this, but aren't sure if we should advise guests in advance or if we were to do so how (for the record, I only know of a couple guests who smoke, but at this day in age it can be hard to tell...I've recently discovered a couple people I thought I knew well smoked and I just had no idea).

I'm in the same boat as @ Spaghetti: folks on here seem pretty conscious but that is not always the case.

FW and I are both smokers and we are extremely considerate of where we smoke when it comes to being around those who are non-smokers. Our plan is to have an area that is far enough away that the smoke should not bother the rest of the guests but close enough that anyone smoking will still feel included. We are going to get flower pots with sand in them to use as ash trays.

@Abbie-my venue is smoke free and it's listed in the contract that way. I have told family members that smoke that it's smoke free so start trying to quit now and/or wean yourself off them enough that you don't need to smoke for 7/8 hours. I've at least told my side of the family that, I don't know if FH has started telling his relatives yet.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I wish my smoking friends were as considerate as you guys! I know them very well and they are horrible about it.

I'm hoping that it can be kept to a minimum and since there will be games & other fun stuff going on they won't all camp out by the ashtray all night. Plus I'm going to tell them to bring their e-cigarettes too. (Yes that's how much they like nicotine)

@Annie, girl, it is a LOT to ask guests to quit smoking to come to your wedding, unless you are being facetious. If someone told me what you just said, I would be pretty livid. I don't know if you know this, but most places are smoke free. You know what smokers do? We go out the door, and hang out outside. Have you been to a bar before?

One thing I can say is that when I am drinking I tend to smoke more than a normal day. There is just something about alcohol and a smoke that go so well together for me. FW and I both have vape pens too. We use them when it is not convenient for us to smoke. I guess we like nicotine too.

@ PWG- My entire venue is smoke free, including the outside grounds. That's why I'm telling my guests very early on about this. If people smoke on the grounds at my event, I get fined. So, that's why I'm telling people that if you're coming, you cannot smoke at all.

Our venue provided a bucket filled with sand, and set it up away from the main part of the reception

HHAHA Annie- you have no clue. You dont get to tell people what to do like that. Is smoking bad yes. But i would honestly decline if i received that message from you.

Or I'd eat and leave right after. Go somewhere with people. that isnt so rude to smokers.

And I'm telling you that there will be people who walk to the outer limits of the property of your venue, to where it is not longer your venue, and smoke.

Quitting smoking is grueling and hard, and if someone expected me to go through that because of their wedding, well, I would have some words. You can't expect people to make huge, hard life changes because of your wedding.