Standing wedding ceremony (at a brewery)

Unfortunately I'm not sure besides having chairs or benches what else you could do because even if your ceremony is only 15-30 minutes a lot of people will arrive 15-30 early to make sure they are on time so that would mean they would be standing for up to an hour.

Hire event staff to do the set up and clean up. 70 is a good sized wedding and you don't want to be worrying about these logistics. Every person should get a seat

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Every where around me to rent chairs is a min of 200 chairs so that's not an option

Don’t invite more people than the venue provides chairs for if you are not willing to rent extras. Many people cannot stand for long periods and those disabilities are not visible, which makes some people believe they are not real. Add at least an hour to standing time if you choose to not have chairs. Many cannot do that without discomfort and it’s also impolite to ask everyone if they are capable of that.

My wedding was 63 people, and we definitely had chairs. I just paid extra for the venue to do its own cleanup.

Unfortunately the simplest solution is to find an alternative venue that provides chairs and staff. Even if the brewery was free, standing room only is an impolite and physically uncomfortable ask. The basics of hosting is to have a chair for everyone and provide enough food. Not making accomodations for the disabled would be further insulting. Please don't ask guests to bring their own chair. If this is ceremony only, your guests will arrive early increasing the time standing. If the brewery is for both ceremony and reception, you're essentially making a cocktail hour wedding. Your guests will leave earlier as they tire changing the mood of the celebration and perhaps wasting your money spent on a full evening. If you and your FS don't mind cleaning up after others in your wedding attire, then an early night will not be a problem for you.

View Quoted Comment We have 20 chairs n we where not going to ask guest to change and hiring somebody to break down the chairs is not an option or we would have done that

Providing chairs for your guests to sit on is the most basic form of etiquette when inviting people to a wedding to witness and celebrate your marriage. Not sure where you have room in your budget to make sacrifices elsewhere, but I'd eliminate pretty much anything other than food before I eliminate chairs...

I’m sorry, but I can’t imagine enjoying this as a guest at all. In addition to what others have said re people who have difficulty standing, there’s also the fact that apparently you will have chairs, just not enough (20 chairs for 70 people)? That means the first guests to arrive will most likely get the chairs, not necessarily the people who need a chair the most, which could cause tension. There’s also the line of sight. At least when everyone is sitting and the bride and groom are standing, even people in the back can still see their faces while they’re watching the ceremony. If everyone is standing, the shorties won’t be able to see. Also, let’s admit it, as beautiful as they are, wedding ceremonies can also get a little boring. If I had to stand through the ceremony, I definitely would not be focusing on the moment because I’d just be thinking how tired my feet are getting (especially if I’m dressed up and wearing heels!) and how weird it is that there’s nowhere to sit. Please get chairs. Maybe you can politely ask (but don’t obligate) your wedding party if you have one if they would be willing to help you fold the chairs up after. Or use Taskrabbit or something to hire some help, which is cheaper than an event company.

Under no circumstances should you host a wedding ceremony and not provide chairs for every guest. If the brewery does not provide seating, you will need to rent chairs from a rental company, reduce your guest list to the amount of chairs that are provided, or find a new venue.

Okay I don’t know how to delete a whole post but telling me do get do something that is not an option is not helpful. So please don’t post if it’s not going to be helpful.

View Quoted Comment This is a very common question so the answers are relevant to many. Also, you cannot tell people how they are allowed to respond when they are trying to save you from embarrassment and inconvenience of yourselves and your guests. The above responses are helpful even if you choose not to follow them.

View Quoted Comment I can when it’s not helpful, it was my question and repeating what someone else say does not help at all this is the situation I am in. Telling me to rent chairs or limited the guest number does not help.
No it’s not helpful when the only thing people are saying is to get chairs, if that was an option I would have done that in the first place.

View Quoted Comment When she says you cannot tell people how to respond, she is referring to WeddingWire‘s rules.
I do believe everyone is trying to provide helpful feedback. Never in your post did you say getting more chairs was not an option; hence the suggestion coming up over and over again. I am confused (as I am sure everyone else is) why exactly getting more chairs is not an option. If the brewery allows weddings (and only provides a limited number of seats) I highly doubt they ban you renting chairs so that your guests may be seated. Any venue that allows events like this typically allows the bride and groom to hire an outside company to provide chairs, as well as break them down/take them away. Perhaps if you explain why you are unable to provide adequate seating, people can be of more help with their suggestions.

You mentioned that local places that rent chairs only rent a minimum of 200. I would check with the places to see if you are able to rent a slightly smaller amount (you will need more chairs than actual people for ceremony as they tend to leave a chair or two between the next couple) while still paying the price for the 200 chair minimum. If nothing else, ask the brewery what other couples getting married there have done. Guests will be very confused arriving at a ceremony site that has no seating. Some may even assume it was cancelled or that they misread the time and leave. People will be dressed up and in uncomfortable shoes, and since your wedding is in January, many will likely be wearing coats. Along with guest comfort, seating also organizes the space. Without chairs, people will be standing around in clumps.

Although maybe not ideal, an alternative might be to rent benches. I agree with PPs, everyone will expect/appreciate a place to sit!

Michelle, what do you want us to say? You must have a seat for every guest, whether that’s a chair or a bench is up to you. There’s no way around this. Perhaps check with local churches, scout halls, community groups to see if anyone can rent you 50 chairs at a reasonable price.

Can you have your wedding ceremony in the same location as where your guests will be eating? This way, they can just sit at their tables and watch the ceremony from their seat at the dinner table. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

View Quoted Comment No it’s at two locations

Sounds cool. Maybe have yhe brewery set up rows og seats!