[songbird46]

My fiance and I are planning on having a very quick/short outdoor ceremony next summer. We are both going to be in school so the budget is tight. I was thinking of making an aisle out of pinwheels or cute flower stakes in the ground lining the sides of the aisle. We hare having the ceremony at a park and are only allowed 10 chairs. We were thinking about having people sit on blankets for the ceremony and possibly providing 5-10 chairs for the elderly. A few options we came up with are:

1. having blankets pre set up.

2. providing blankets at the beginning of the aisle for people to grab on their way in or

3. Providing a few blankets but asking that attendees bring their own.

I know my mother is going to freak when I bring up the issue so I wanted some insight before I bothered. My fiance and I both really like the idea of making it a close intimate ceremony, but I want to make sure it's not tacky!

[Nancy Tucker]

Dear Songbird46, Mom does not have to freak...Don't do it. The ceremony is 20 minutes max and your guests can stand for that period of time. Provide seating and have the elderly escorted to the seats. The balance of guests can stand the short time for the ceremony. An outdoor wedding can be casual but still have an air of class

[Ohio Wedding Planner]

I'll agree with this one, no blankets, please. The 10 chairs can be setup for those that require seating but you need not provide blankets for those other guests who are able to stand. Twenty minutes isn't a long time and besides, asking your guests who will be dressed in (at least) semi formal wear, to sit down on a blanket in the grass, isn't a very comfortable option anyhow.

[Etiquette Now]

Great advice! I agree, no blankets. Just don't keep them waiting before the wedding begins.

And, we never ask our guests to bring any part of the party. So, it wouldn't have been polite to ask them to bring their blanket anyway.