I'm having a very intimate wedding of 25 guests in New York City. For the ceremony, we're working with our officiant (my stepdad, a Presbyterian minister!) to put together a 10-15 minute ceremony, maximum, to take place on New York's spacious Pier 15 (with an events permit).
None of our guests have compromised mobility, and we will be on a public pier, so we are planning a brief standing ceremony (and guests will be informed beforehand). But I'm having trouble visualizing how to get 25 people to seamlessly assemble for a standing ceremony. I know traditional seated ceremonies obviously have chairs to note where people should be, but we won't have chairs to guide people. Should I put together an aisle (flower petals, a runner) and have my greeters tell people to stand on either side? Should our families be encouraged to mingle with a cold drink and space to gather, and then directed by the officiant to make some sort of assembly? Is there a more "creative" formation or method of gathering people? I want to make a formal entrance, but I do not have my heart set on an actual aisle, necessarily.
Any ideas you guys have would be so awesome!
**EDIT: I've seen a lot of forums where people insist a standing ceremony is Not The Move. I can personally assure that all 25 of my guests can stand for a short ceremony, and we can work around the benches at the Pier 15 in the event of a last-minute "seating emergency." I'm really looking more for ideas for how to execute a standing ceremony, and not "if it's okay or not." Thanks in advance team!
