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Both of the caterers we have spoken to so far, have recommended the same tent/rental company as the best in the vicinity of our upstate wedding. I looked around their site and everything seems perfectly fine, so I think we’ll most likely go with them since that seems easiest, and they have working relationships with most of the caterers in the area.
However, I came across something on their site which drills fear and anxiety deep into my heart… CHAIRS.
First, I fell in love with the gold Chiavari chairs (the first picture in the chairs section, obviously):
The second picture, of garden chairs, was… okay. Nothing special, definitely pales in comparison to the Chiavari, but not unpleasant at all:
The third picture was plastic folding chairs. These, after looking at the first two pictures, were completely unacceptable, horror! But in truth, seem like perfectly decent chairs. (You can choose all white or all brown, so it wouldn’t have the hodgepodge look of this picture.)
After just looking at the pictures, I definitely wanted the first ones. But then I looked at the prices… $8.50 per chair vs. $3.50 per chair vs. $1.80 per chair. So now the question is, I know I love the gold chiavaris many times more than the plastic folding chairs, but do I really love them nearly five times as much??
To make this a little more tangible, the chair-only prices for 120 people would be:
- $1,020 for the Chiavaris
- $420 for the garden chairs
- $216 for the plastic folding chairs
And when you have it written out like that, it seems pretty ridiculous to even consider for one second spending $800 more just so your chairs are a little prettier, right? So I’m leaning towards the middle garden chairs, but part of me is still secretly lusting after the Chiavaris. And then the other part is saying, why double the price from plastic folding to garden in the first place?
So in recognition of what is probably my first of many adventures in Bridezilla-ville, I would like to ask:
1) How much do chairs matter anyway? As a guest, do you ever remember thinking one wedding’s chairs were particularly nice vs. particularly unattractive? Or is a chair just a chair?
2) What other ridiculous minutiae have you been obsessing over lately? Please tell me I’m not the only one! I literally have broken down to Mr. Bluebell about how we can’t even decide on our chairs!!!! He, strangely, just doesn’t quite get what all the fuss is over. 
what is the name of the rental company? i’m planning an upstate wedding and would love to know more about any vendors in the area.
oh miss bluebell you crack me up. your mind process is probably pretty typical of what goes through a bride’s mind as she makes all the small wedding planning decisions.
we had the chiavari or ballroom chairs at our wedding, but I believe they were around $4 more, and the garden chairs were provided free (awesome deal from our venue).
i think the garden chairs are quite lovely, and if you can swing it i’d go with those. but you could also buy some inexpensive tulle and decorate the folding chairs to make them look a bit nicer.
do i notice the chairs when i go to a wedding? lol i notice everything… but then again i’m in the wedding biz. 
Hi Joy - yay for upstate! I bet I’m further upstate than you are though…our wedding is only about 45 minutes south of Canada on the far eastern edge of NY along Lake Champlain, so this vendor is actually based in Vermont (most of our vendors will probably be coming from Burlington as they’re right across the lake from us) Their name is Vermont Tent, and their site is http://www.vttent.com.
Haha, Mrs. Bee, I guess that question would have made more sense to ask on a non-wedding site, since I’m sure everyone’s obsessing over details here! 
And I can’t tell you how jealous I am that you had those chairs!!!!!!! Ohhhh my insides are boiling!
And I was thinking about adding ribbon or tulle or something to the chairs, but then I thought the extra expense and effort there might just mean I should go for the chiavaris…sigh….here we go again!
After attending many weddings, I’m pretty sure I don’t even remember what the chairs looked like. Besides, people should be concentrating on YOU so much that they won’t notice what’s underneath their toosh!
yes the chiavaris look great… but when looking at cost… i would DEFINITELY go with the garden chairs… they look very clean… the plastic folding chairs are a no go… and for sure a nonono go with mixed white & brown…
yes… i notice everything… i’m a wedding photographer… i’m paid to notice everything & take pictures of them… i have seen plastic folding chairs.. and i personally think they DO stand out… in a bad way…
Personally, I love those white garden chairs. They are very similar to what we are using at our reception. Of course, they are included in the muesem’s rental fee, so that was definitely a bonus. Honestly, I’d rather spend the extra money on food or flowers than chairs.
$8.50 is CHEAP for those fancy chairs but my gut is go with the middle price….no one will notice the chairs but you!
I got lucky and Battery Gardens had silver chiavari chairs, but I wouldn’t spend extra on them. I say go for the garden chairs — they’re nice and not that much extra.
I like the white garden chairs. Although, you could decorate the plastic chairs…but if it were me, I’d go with the garden chairs, because they are still very lovely, and not quite as costly as the chiavaris.
I had a similar chair rental decision and went with the folding garden chairs. This is hous I made my decision. First, I’m having a relaxed garden party type wedding so a more casual chair works for me. Second, I don’t recall what kind of chair I’ve sat in at the numerous, numerous weddings I’ve attended over the years. Third, chair money is better spent on alcohol, food or music.
i like the chiavari chairs!!! the garden chairs are ok for a casual outdoor wedding i think. the plastic ones…. ehhhhh.
i’ve just gotten engaged and have obsessed over everything. there’s just too many options + ideas + not enough money. =P
heh.
i am so afraid of dealing with vendors, that i have refused to talk to anyone yet. heh. but i’m making myself do it this week.
i think the garden chairs are a fair compromise. i guess you just have to ask yourself, is having the chivaris worth the six hundred bucks to you? becuase if you are going to end up having to spend six hundred dollars to decorate the garden chairs, you may as well just get the chair you like.
Are we talking chairs for the ceremony or chairs for the reception? I would say, a pretty chair is a pretty chair, but a pretty chair is not worth spending big bucks on. The guests who aren’t obsessed with wedding details (most of the world) will not notice. Good times are made from the food, the friends, the music! not the chairs. (And those are my reasons why I’m not spending $ on chair covers.)
I can’t recall — is your wedding outside? If it is, the plastic folding chairs probably won’t hold up as well in the grass as the garden chairs will. You only notice the chairs if they’re folding on in you as you sit down!
I think it’s a great compromise to go with the garden chairs. I would love to have those because we’re going with a laid-back garden party vibe.
Thanks for all the thoughts everyone!
Just to clarify…we definitely won’t really get the plastic chairs. The “it’s MY WEDDING!!” side of me is at least $204 stronger than the “save money no matter what” side of me, so that’s a small enough sacrifice that I don’t want the plastic ones. Now we just have to decide if the It’s My Wedding side is worth another $600…
These chairs would be for the reception only. The ceremony will be outside (unless it rains) and very short, so we’re just going to have everyone stand. I’m talking literally 3 minutes here! There will be a few chairs for elderly/sick/pregnant people, but everyone else can deal with standing that long!
The reception will be in a tent, but we probably won’t get tent flooring, so the chairs would be directly on the grass.
I think the garden chairs are great, and would say you should go for them if you can swing them. This might be just bc I am not so in love with the Chivari chairs - certainly very nice, just not my taste. This is totally why I am putting off making any decisions. Every time I think about one little aspect of my wedding, I nearly have a panic attack!
I love Chiavaris! To me, chairs matter enough to the point that I’m willing to pay for the higher price of Chiavaris. Yes when it’s broken down like you did, it’s quite a bit of difference in $$ between the different kinds of chairs! For where I am, the quote I’ve gotten for Chiavaris is even more…$10 per chair. But good thing we’re having only about 55 people. But then again, that’s $550 I don’t have to spend if I go with the chairs the venue provides me. But for my love for the Chiavari chairs, I’m willing to part with that $$!
The other thing I’ve been obsessed with lately while searching for the right venue is LIGHTS. I absolutely LOVE chandeliers and I’m on a mission to find a venue that is right in every essential aspect (price, size, pretty-ness), AND that has chandeliers. Fine, fine, I’m ok with not having those if it ends up being like that :-(, but I will NOT go w/a venue that has *ugly* lights. Yes… I’m weird :-D.
Ha, I went through the same thing. We started with “we are so getting those ballroom chairs” to “$8.50 a chair!? we are so getting the garden chairs.”
You could go with another color of the garden chair to spice it up a bit. I think some vendors have a few options from dark woods and light woods.
I think that I would probably go with the middle of the road garden chairs, because it’s a compromise between seriously budget and serious splurge. I can honestly say I don’t remember a single chair at a wedding reception I’ve been to.
I think that all brides go thru the minute details and freak out occasionally, I know that I definitely have!! I just constantly ask myself “in the grand scheme of the day - will this REALLY matter? Will anyone notice besides me?” If the answer to both is no, then I stop obsessing and just go with my gut instinct.
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Mrs. Bluebell, New York Age and Occupation in 07: 26, Finance Manager Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Playing with the cat and/or Consulting Engagement Date: December 25, 2005 Wedding Date: June 2007 Venue: Bride's family summer home in the Adirondacks About Me: Trying to find the perfect balance between family tradition (marrying at the house everyone else in my family gets married at), making our's modern, interesting and different from everyone else in my family's, and incorporating some Chinese tradition for my Chinese fiance. I really have no idea what it's going to end up looking like! Also, I picked Miss Bluebell for my name because I have blue eyes and I'm a loser like that.
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