Miss Sundae, Chicago/Lake Geneva, WI
Age and Occupation: 28, Knowledge Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Investment Advisor
Engagement Date: July 20, 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: February 5, 2008
Venue: The Abbey Resort
About Me: It’s hard to believe that by the time Mr. Sundae and I get married we will have been together for almost ten years. When we first met in college we split dollar pitchers and now we share the mortgage payments. Despite our love for the city we are looking forward to tying the knot in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Should I Do It?
April 11th, 2008 @ 5:25 pm by Miss Sundae
There has been much chivari chair discussion in the hive lately, and I am about to add to the madness. I had been dreaming about chivari chairs ever since I started looking at wedding blogs but eventually I talked myself out of it. Then Miss CreamPuff’s post got me worked up all over again, and I went hunting. These are the chairs that our venue offers for free:
(Image courtesy of Hertz Furniture)
Perfectly acceptable, non-hideous chairs. I think they would be perfect for an afternoon, garden-type wedding. But alas, our reception is at night and we’re hoping it will be a little more formal. This was the picture that started it all:
(Photo by Jennifer Skog)
Damask runners? Check. Green linens? Check. Hydrangea centerpieces? Check. Beautiful chivari chairs? Sigh. I think that the chairs in that picture are actually brown with black cushions, but if I was going to do it I wanted to go all black. I started casually searching and it turns out black chivaris are kind of hard to find. And then yesterday (cue angelic music):
(Image courtesy of Elegant Presentations)
There she is, back row furthest to the right. I contacted Elegant Presentations and their delivery fees are cheaper than some places in Wisconsin. The black chivaris are also about $1.50/chair cheaper than any other quotes I’ve received. Plus, the people I talked to are some of the nicest vendors I’ve encountered. They were happy to help, responsive, and sent me a quote less than 5 minutes after we hung up the phone. As you all know, that can be a rarity in the wedding world!
So….should I do it? Should I pull the trigger and order up some chivaris? Is it completely nuts that I want to spend this much money on things people will rest their butts on?
38 Responses to “Should I Do It?”
I say go for it, especially if you are trying to pull together a specific look. The damask is classic and the chairs will really give i the feel you are looking for. However, only do it if it’s in your budget.
I honestly think that the chairs your venue provides are fine…Miss CreamPuff’s were really really bad.
If you can afford it, why not? But there are tons of other things I’d want to spend my money on…you’ve got white in your decor, and you have decent white chairs, so to me, its not worth it.
I love, love, love Chivari chairs (the chairs at my reception hall are hideous burgundy cloth/metal framed office-type chairs) and I wanted them badly too, but they are SOOOO expensive, I simply couldn’t justify it. I got chair covers and sashes instead 
and believe it or not, I had a lot of convincing to do just to get those.
I actually would be happy with the white chairs for my wedding, but even renting chairs like that was more than chair covers.
So, in my opinion, chivari chairs are not necessary, but they are beautiful, and if you think that it will make a big difference, and you have the budget, I say go for it.
Hi Miss Sundae! I decided TWO days before wedding to add the chivari chairs and let me tell you it made a WORLD of difference. It brought the entire wedding together and made everything look that much more glamorous.
6 months later I still have no regrets that I decided to go with them!
You could do black chair covers, they make them specifically for the type of chairs your venue has…. and they are cheaper than renting new chairs. ….But this is coming from a girl who just ordered 150 gold chivari’s on Wednesday 
I agree with Ms. Penguin…if you have the $$$ in the budget, then go for it, but the chairs your venue provides look nice.
Mine is an afternoon wedding and I’ll have similar chairs as the ones your venue provides.
I never thought about chairs until now, but I agree they can really add to the overall look of the reception…my photographer shared his opinion that chairs were really important and showed me some pictures…but I’m not going to torture myself b/c I’m trying to stick to my budget 
I agree with Ms. Penguin–your white chairs are quite nice and complement your color scheme already. If you just want more of the black color in the room you could add chair sashes/tiebacks or drape that same table runner fabric over the backs of the chairs and have them hang down low so they almost look upholstered.
It’s a no brainer, they make your heart sing, go for it…..
Paula x
i’d do it for the sole reason that chivari chairs run from $6-$10 in los angeles!! so to me, you’re getting a bargain!
I also agree with Penguin. I think the white chairs that your venue offers are just fine.
If the venue had really ugly chairs to begin with, then maybe it would be a justifiable expense…but honestly, I don’t think I would spend the extra money on chairs.
Like you said, it’s just for people to put their butts on and no one really pays attention to those things.
I would save that money for your honeymoon or treat yourself to a nice spa day right before the wedding
The chairs they offer are fine. Really the money saved on a non needed item it worth it. But if you have the money then pull the trigger.
I will be renting the white chairs for my outdoor ceremony. So at this point, I think you are lucky to have the white chairs for free!
I had chivari chairs at my wedding too - and I think that they were worth the hefty price I paid for them. I think that the chairs can make a big difference on the overall look - esp. if you want to do something a bit more formal…so my vote is go for it!
i agree with sarahbe, my venue does not have any chairs so i was going to go with the white ones you would get for free. even those are almost $5 a piece and then chivari would be about double that. gotta love chicago. i mean i do love the chivari but almost $10 for one chair for 5 hours? $2 an hour for a chair!!??
while the picture does look super glamourous, once you add people to the mix, no one is going to notice the chairs at all. i would put the rental money towards something else or save it for a rainy day…
If you have the extra $$$ go for it. Have you splurged in other areas for your wedding- or would this be the big one? I’d say that everyone needs one splurge item
I agree with all the previous posts. However, are there other decor type items that you could/would cut in place of the chairs? I tend to agree that the white wooden folded chairs seem more daytime/outdoors to me so I would probably feel the same as you when going for a more formal evening look.
I had the same dilemna (altho my hotel chairs were a lot uglier than yours!) and decided to go for the chiavari chairs. It kept bothering me to look at the pictures of the ugly banquet chairs vs the chiavari chairs, so I decided to cut some of my floral budget to pay for them. I figure that the look will last a lifetime when I look back at my wedding photos, so it’s worth it!
Your chairs actually look nice! & although they won’t have the dramatic touch like the black ones, they still coordinate with the color scheme in the picture. Good luck with whatever you decide =)
i don’t think its necessary.
your inspiration pic is beautiful…if you want to darken those chairs, go with a black sash or a black seat cover. it will give you the drama you want for much cheaper.
no one but other engaged or recently married women are going to notice your chairs. since i bet thats a very, very small % of your guest list, i would skip them. spend the money on something your guests would actually notice….like music, food or drink.
I think your white chairs are very, very nice. Depends on where you’re at on your budget. I don’t think you’ll even think about it day-of.
The chairs your venue provides are great! I love them!! I would not think anything was off if I saw those chairs at your wedding (and trust me…I am a very everything-has-to-coordinate type of person…I regularly stress over details like stamps and napkins) I think they would simply play off the white in the damask table runners…while still looking sophisticated
iwe’re having a garden wedding… the white chairs are an upgrade for us. I say go with the white chairs… altho i do like those chivalri but no one is really go to notice to be honest with you.
Chivari chairs will go much better with your damask runners. White chairs are too informal.
While I too love chivari chairs, I think that the only time people (i.e. brides like us) notice them is in pictures of the set up without people sitting. Rememember that no one can really see the chairs once people are sitting!!
If it was a 400 dollar upgrade, I’d say go for it…if it was another 1500 or something, I’d say put that money into your honeymoon or your wedding band! The white chairs look fine and will actually work very well with the look you are creating!
i dunno…you only get married once - go for it!
You might also check into Opera chairs. They have a look very similar to chivari chairs, but are cheaper and MUCH more comfortable to sit on (they have a rounded back).
if that’s what you really want for your own wedding…then you should do it! they both look nice, but as we all know, it’s about those little things that “make it” for us… so, I agree with other posters that the white chairs would be absolutely fine and very pretty, but if YOU really want those black chairs… I say go and get ‘em, girl! (And in the interest of full disclosure, I am not using my venue’s chairs and have ordered gold chivari chairs!!)
Do IT!
it will change the look of your event. I disagree with the comments that ‘it doesn’t make a difference’ when people sit down. It does. It’s a detail that helps create an atmosphere. It will be especially evident in your photos as well.
A side note: If your interested in getting your wedding magazine published, the chairs make a difference. If not, then just ignore this comment.
Arghh, this is a hard one for me to comment on provided I am having the same issue…. I have been debating between chair covers & chivari, but provided my wedding isn’t until next year I have some more time to ponder….
If you feel as though the extra $$ you’ll be putting in to the chairs will go into better things (ie: photographer; videographer; extra perks for the honeymoon)… it makes the decision process a little easier
hope that helps?
My reception space offers the exact same folding chairs, and I struggled with what to do with them. I decided that they are fine and the space will be beautiful when it’s finished, so it isn’t worth the expense. I went over-budget on a lot of things, and also had many expenses that I never expected, so saving on the chairs seemed obvious. Maybe you can do something with black ribbon on the chair backs.
Do it D! You don’t have that many guests, so you can splurge a bit, and this will make your whole look. If you want to amp up the formal factor, this will do it for sure.
The free chair is great for garden…which is what I’m doing…if you can afford the Chivari…GO FOR IT!
Sadly I agree with everyone else. Go with the free chairs.
I am considering a venue that provides Chivari charis for free. I am not sure if I am more in love with the venue itself or the chairs they will be providing
Some of the best money I spent on my reception decor was bringing in chivaris. Everyone questioned me. But when the chairs were delivered the day before the wedding, and set up, everyone was “ooing” and “ahhing”. It’s amazing how much chairs change the look. If you can afford it, I say do it. I was SOOOOOOOO glad I did.
Do it do it do it do it.
…i think its a little crazy actually…
if im honest
i guess i would be thinking that the money spent on chairs could be spent on something after the wedding.
but whatever you think!
You should definitely do it….I went through the same thing at my wedding. They offered those white folding chairs for free, but I decided to pay the $7 a head for the chivari chairs, and I did not regret it. Not only does it change the look of your event, but they are also a lot more comfortable, and stable…especially for those older g uests who will spend a lot of time sitting!
If you have to ask then it probably is money that you shouldn’t be spending.
Heck throw it in your rainy day fund, your IRA, your my insurance doesn’t cover what? fund… Your white chairs are lovely. Really and no one but you will remember what their Butt sat on the day after your wedding!
