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Maegan
Super July 2018 British Columbia

Picnic style seating for wedding ceremony

Maegan, on July 17, 2017 at 15:42 Posted in Wedding ceremony 0 16
So my FH and I are planning to have our wedding ceremony in a local park with our reception afterwards at his moms property. Its going to be a very casual and non-traditional style wedding.
What are your opinions on doing a 'bring your own picnic blanket' for seating during our ceremony? It will be about 20 mins tops and there should be lots of shade for people. We would provide chairs for the elderly who would struggle to sit on picnic blankets.
We are estimating about 140 guests and do not want to pay for twice the chair rentals or have to deal with the logistics of packing up and transporting 140 chairs in between ceremony and reception.
Interested in your thoughts?

16 Comments

Latest activity by Maegan, on January 5, 2018 at 22:26
  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    Ya we opted to get chairs for the ceremony. We are gonna risk it and hope there is no rain though because we didnt want to pay for a second tent at the ceremony location.
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  • Vinod
    Top August 2017 Ontario
    Vinod ·
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    I wouldn't wanto to come as a guest bringing a chair and blanket. The idea sounds good yet not thought out for plan B if it rains.

    A tent would be a good suggestion or some benches of some kind to sit on.
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  • Vanessa
    Expert August 2018 Manitoba
    Vanessa ·
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    I hear you about trying to find appropriate seating for your guests. The idea of blankets is a quaint idea but if it rains it will get wet and if people are in dresses it may be hard to sit. A wedding I went to outdoors for a 20 minute ceremony we just stood and there were just chairs for those who were unable to stand. Personally for me I am outweighing the idea of hay bales with boards across them but my dad says there's no way you'd pay him to sit on those and this is coming from the farmer. So I hear yah!! And If we do 2 different locations I am not paying for 2 sets of chairs. Big decisions, it can always be left an option with the blanket, better than sitting on the grass.

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  • Sonja
    VIP September 2017 Ontario
    Sonja ·
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    You may have to rent one of those large tents and place it near the shelter for the overflow. Good luck with your plans.

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  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    I will likely need a special use permit to set up sound system and stuff and we will be renting a covered picnic shelter for shade. It unfortunately only holds 100 people and we are expecting closer to 140 though so wont work for a rainy day backup plan. I used to work for the park so getting the permits shouldnt be an issue at all Smiley smile
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  • Sonja
    VIP September 2017 Ontario
    Sonja ·
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    Yes, a back up plan would be essential. I was going to ask if you need a public gathering permit to use the park. Some municipalities require that.

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  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    I appreciate the input! Im a rather blunt person myself so no offense taken Smiley winking We are really just hoping it doesnt rain... Otherwise a lot of our plans will have to shift. We will have to have a backup plan but we havent planned that far yet.
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  • Sonja
    VIP September 2017 Ontario
    Sonja ·
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    I think I'm the only one who's not in love with this idea. I don't know your crowd but I would be worried that people would think we were cheap because we couldn't even provide chairs for the guests. The other issue is weather. What happens if it rains? I don't think you can expect people to sit on the wet grass even if they brought a blanket. It's up to you, but I would be canning this idea. Sorry for being so blunt.

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  • Sasha
    Super October 2017 Ontario
    Sasha ·
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    Really cool idea! I think it's great and unique
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  • Erin
    Expert September 2017 Ontario
    Erin ·
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    I like this idea, its different and fun! Keep us posted Smiley smile

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  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    In a good way or a bad way? Haha.
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  • Ashley
    Super June 2018 Alberta
    Ashley ·
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    Interesting idea.

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  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    Cool! That was my thought process as well... Probably 60-70% of our guests will be from out of town so we figured picnic blankets are a much easier thing to get a lot of or for people to bring if they can.
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  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    We dont know exactly what we are doing for food yet... We want BBQ but havent decided if we will be doing it ourselves or getting catering.
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  • Zoë
    Master June 2020 Ontario
    Zoë ·
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    Hi Maegan! It sounds nice! It's perfect for a Summer wedding in July. Picnic wedding What food do you have in mind? xx

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  • Katherine
    Super September 2017 New Brunswick
    Katherine ·
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    We were throwing around the idea of BYOC (bring your own chair) but our guest are all from out of town and it would have been a pain... Love the idea of picnic blankets.
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