During one of our first “wedding related” conversations, Mr. Poodle and I decided to get married in California. We didn’t need to to put too much thought into it, it was one of those things that came naturally. Every single one of Mr. Poodle’s family get-togethers take place on “the ranch”. So, he asked me if I wanted to have the wedding there. I thought it was a good idea because we wouldn’t need reservations, we can use it for as long as we want, and we can be as loud as we want. Plus, it’s free!
After we chose our setting I started the search for ideas and inspiration to transform the ranch into our dream wedding venue. I already shared the fact that the ranch does not have a classic wooden barn, so it won’t be as easy as stringing lights and making the magic happen. There will be a lot of work involved. Luckilly, Mr. Poodle’s family is happily willing to help us as much as they can! Yay!
When Mrs. Frenchie showed us this amazing venue, I wished we could build a place like this, but we needed to be real: even if we had the money, we could not build that *just* for our wedding!
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BUT, we could build something similar. Our own chapel!
Mr. Poodle’s dad is a contractor, so he’s collecting materials to build our very own version of this amazing outdoor chapel. 
How cool is that?
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The first time I saw these pictures (probably the same week we talked wedding), I fell in love with them! I emailed pictures to Mr. Poodle and my FMIL, hoping they would like the idea so we could make it. I then waited patiently (okay, I was biting my nails) until they wrote back saying they would love to try our own version!
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I really think all the hard work ahead will be justified if we get one cute picture of the “grand entrance” like this one. I’m obsessed with this project, as the “outdoor chapel” was actually my first wedding-related dream! *blushing*
Then, another item that crossed my mind was… HAY! – On the ranch there are no animals, so there is no need for hay, but I again emailed my FMIL to show her my inspiration pictures. And again, she supported my newfound love for hay!
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I love the idea of using hay, but we definitely need to be careful, because in the above wedding pictures I showed you, the contrast between the white chairs and the old wood is what I loved the most. So, I need to redesign the 3D model I have made for our chapel so it doesn’t look like an overload of old wood and hay.
How cool would it be to have a hay couch with different colored pillows on top?
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So, I’m sold on the hay idea! There will be no chairs at our ceremony… just hay! Then I started thinking about not having chairs at all, like in these next wedding pictures:
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I am still not sure whether we should go completely chair-less, or maybe just ahve chairs for the reception. I’ve never sat on a “hay” seat, so I don’t really know if they’re comfortable enough to sit on for a long time or not. I know the ceremony will not be long enough for people to get uncomfortable sitting there, and I’m planning on covering the hay so people won’t get their clothes dirty. But the reception will be longer, so it’s a whole different situation.
Have you been to a wedding with non-conventional seating? How were your experiences? Have you ever sat on a hay bale for an extended period of time? Woudl you recommend it?
I’ve sat on hay at cookouts and on hay rides – the only thing for some is that there aren’t backs to the chairs so that’s hard on some of the more elderly. It can be scratchy sometimes too. But those pics def. make it an appealing option!
AMAZING!! Would love to do this, alas our ceremony and reception will be in downtown Baltimore! I think the hay for the ceremony is great, but I’d go with chairs for reception like you said. Good luck, what a cool idea and how awesome that your family is helping you.
I’d stick with chairs for the reception–it gets uncomfortable to sit without a back support for too long. But the hay benches for the ceremony look really, really cool! And I love your inspiration photos!
On having just hay as seating for dinner – my mom would throw out her back having to sit on that for dinner. Maybe if you had some backed chairs mixed in it would accommodate the elders (not that my mom is old, she just throws her back out in some situations)
Inspired idea Ms. Poodle! Your wedding is going to be of the hook!! So glad your FMIL and family are game on constructing the chapel. Its going to look great. Isnt it great when an idea takes form and becomes a reality?! Love it.
You need to hurry up and get married because I can’t wait to see how your “outdoor chapel” turns out. 
i think you should use chairs for the reception, ’cause they’ll be more comfortable and maybe have 2 or 3 ‘hay couchs’ with pillows and everything, just for fun or even a cool photobooth!
Greet inspiration! Just a warning, though, you might want to see if any of your guests have hay allergies. If they do, like me, they’ll be miserable the whole time at your wedding.
Gorgeous inspiration!! I love it!!! I would onlly caution to not use only hay seating for the dinner since it’s not exactly comfortable (even covered it can get itchy and there’s not much support or softness) plus people prone to allergies don’t do well with hay.
The inspiration photos are so beautiful, and I love the idea of that free standing door to walk down the aisle.. so cool.
I love the idea of hay for the ceremony. I would just encourage you to have a thicker blanket or covering for the bales because the hay can be prickly on your butt or legs if it pokes through a thinner material. As for the reception, I’d go with chairs if you are going to have any older guests, as they might not be comfortable on the hay. Also, like Lillindy said, if people have allergies, they might not be able to enjoy the reception with all the hay.
I would suggest maybe having a hay bale lounge area, with the “couches” and such, but providing your guests with chairs a the table. This may help with all of the cons listed above.
The outdoor chapel is going to be magical, but I’d keep the hay to the ceremony. Like other said, no chair back can get uncomfortable after a while.
PS…I would suggest using straw rather than hay. Hay is made up of things animals eat, and therefore is generally more expensive. It has a higher variety of different types of grasses/plants, therefore it will probably irritate a larger group of people. Straw is used as bedding for animals, and is much cheaper to purchase. It is usually made of “leftovers” like wheat stalks.
I love the little hay seats for the ceremony….just a word of warning, hay can be very pokey so make sure whatever fabric you use to cover them that it’s thick enough to keep the hay flat and in check underneath. Nothing is worse than having a hay stalk poke you in the butt cheek! HAHA Oh, and if it plans to rain or does rain while the hay is out there it can start to smell funny—so just be careful. I agree with the other girls though on the reception, probably should use the chairs. And I was going to say exactly what eholden said–a LOUNGE would be awesome! Great little area, with a coffee table made of bales with something sturdy on top of it like trays or something so people have places to put their glasses 
as a farm girl I agree with the masses about having chairs for the reception. Hay can get really uncomfy after a bit. Plus it will stick through thinner fabrics really easily, so I’d recommend something like the quilts in the photos to cover your hay benches
That looks great; just playing devil’s advocate – my mom is really allergic to hay and if she were at your wedding she wouldn’t be able to sit and would probably leave after the ceremony do to the allergies…. (just keep that in mind!) Also, hay can be really prickly – just make sure you have the hay covered with thick blankets or something so they won’t poke people. I do think it is pretty but it can hurt, and people who have major allergies probably won’t be enjoying themselves.
As far as the hay seats, I agree with the people about allergies. I am semi-allergic, which I found out AFTER making the hay seats I’m about to talk about. It was miserable!
As far as the seats go, you need to use thick fabric on top of the hay and it helps to put down a layer of plastic or some sort of tarp material underneath the fabric, because the hay can get wet. We cut plastic sheets a little shorter then our fabric and used a staple gun to attach it to the hay. Then we covered it with pretty fabric.
i LOVE the hay couch! can’t wait to see how this all shapes up for you Miss Poodle!
I second the idea of having a thick blanket or pillow on top of the hay so that it doesn’t prick or scratch people while they sit and it doesn’t ruin anyone’s lovely wedding clothes by making holes. As long as you provide sufficient padding over the hay I think that it is an excellent (and unique) idea!
Mrs. Poodle, Santiago, Chile/San Bernardino, CA Age and Occupation: 27, Industrial & Web Designer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Firefighter & Mountain Patrol Engagement Date: February 25, 2009 Wedding Date: January 2010 Venue: Mr. P's Grandparents’ Ranch About Me: I’m a Chilean girl who's crazy about nature and swimming. I enjoy carving, drawing, reading and sewing; I drool over computers, fabric, pretty paper, purple and patterns. To me, chocolate should be one of the seven wonders, right next to lemon pie. I never thought an exchange work experience program was going to change my life forever, but while working in California, I met Mr. Poodle, and ever since my days are better and brighter. We are two goofy souls that, after finding each other, couldn’t help but want to be together forever. It has being a long and sometimes hard road, since we have to deal with such a long distance between us, but we are now facing the last stage of our Fiancé Visa, and soon we will be together. You know the best part? We will be married! So I’ll be blogging from Chile until just a few months before our “green and purple” wedding.
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