Since Indian weddings have many guests that means there are a lot of chairs in the ceremony and reception venue. And that impacts the overall look of your wedding. Just take a look at the photo below.

In this article we are going to talk about selecting chairs for an Indian wedding including:

• Don’t venues provide chairs?
• Budget tradeoffs
• What are the different types of chairs?

Don’t Venues Include Chairs In The Outside Catering Package?

Yes they do. But you might not like them…especially the reception chairs. There is more nuance as to consider. First, we have to distinguish between indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies and events.

Outdoor Wedding Ceremonies with White Folding Chairs

For outdoor wedding ceremonies, most venues supply white, folding chairs with a padded seat. See the picture below. These chairs look nice and are comfortable. So the question is, are you good with these or do you prefer other chairs such as the gold chiavari chairs pictured above? The difference is $3500.

Indoor Ceremonies and Receptions with Standard Banquet Chairs

These white folding chairs are meant for use outdoors. So what about indoor ceremonies? What chairs do venues supply? They’re called the venue’s standard banquet chairs. They come in all shapes and colors. They’re sturdy and meant to be stacked and withstand wear and tear and come unlike chiavari chairs and other celebration chairs that tend to be more delicate. As a result, standard banquet chairs tend to have a corporate and heavy look and feel. Here are some examples:

You might be thinking they don’t look bad — they just don’t look as good when you compare them to other chairs. So what do you do? Rent chairs from a vendor or use the venue’s chairs? Most couples rent chairs. But it really depends on your budget and what’s important to you. See the photo below. This photo is from a South Asian wedding ceremony. And as you can see, they opted for the venue’s chairs.

How Does The Look Change When The Chairs Are Occupied By People?

Thus far we have only looked at chairs at wedding ceremonies and events sans people. How does the look change when there are people sitting in the chairs? See below. NOW, what do you think? Use the venue’s chairs or rent chairs?

Can you use the white folding chairs for an indoor ceremony? Some venues may allow it, but it might look awkward. It just doesn’t match the environment.

Are There Any Venues That Include Nicer Chairs In Their Outside Catering Package?

There are a few. And by a few we mean you could count them on one hand. There are three examples below and each venue has different chairs. The Nixon Library for example includes golden Versailles chairs.

Sometimes Hotel Maya includes the silver chiavari chairs pictured below, as part of the negotiation.

The Hilton Waterfront Resort has the mahogany chiavari chairs pictured below that they include in some packages as well.

Budget Tradeoffs and the Impact on Selecting Chairs for an Indian Wedding

Unless you have an unlimited wedding budget, you might find yourself making tradeoffs for your wedding. For instance if your wedding budget is $100,000 and you’re having 350 guests, a sangeet with a consumption bar, and lunch after the ceremony then you will probably have to make tradeoffs along the way. Why? Because even though $100,000 is a lot of money it will be difficult to have everything you want, especially if you’re seeking the most expensive vendors.

What Tradeoffs Do You Make?

This is personal. What are the things that matter to you most? Photos? video? Clothes? Ceremony decor? Reception decor? But with regards to chairs, you might rethink renting fancier chairs and use the venue’s included chairs instead. How much will you save? Assuming each chair is $10, that’s $3500. In the grand scheme of $100,000, that’s not much, but it’s money that could go towards catering, clothes and anything else for your wedding.

Weighing the Cost Benefit of Renting Chairs

Given that you can rent chairs for around $10 per chair, is it worth it since they impact the overall look of the wedding and reception? You decide.

What Are Some Types of Chairs Besides Chiavari Chairs?

Chiavari chairs aren’t your only option but they’re immensely popular as they come in many colors but they’re not your only option.

Ghost Chairs

The chairs in the photo immediately below these are still chiavari chairs but they’re the transparent aka ghost chairs so they’re a unique style. See other styles of ghost chairs below. One thing to point out is the padding on the chairs because it impacts comfort. Notice the ghost chiavari chairs below, have padding and therefore are more comfortable. And when you’re sitting for a long Indian wedding ceremony at some point guests care less about the beauty of the event than their comfort. If guests are uncomfortable that is what they will remember from your wedding.

That’s something to keep in mind with chiavari chairs. The rods on the back part of chiavari chairs, have grooves. And, while they look nice, they’re not exactly comfortable – especially if your sari blouse has embellishments on the back.

Louis XVI Chairs

These chairs feature the signature oval back.

Versailles Chairs

Grace Chairs

The pricing of these chairs varies. Your decorator will help you with that.

Summary

This article is about selecting chairs for an Indian wedding. We addressed these topics:

• Don’t venues provide chairs? Yes, and discussed the different types and use cases
• Budget tradeoffs so, whether to use the venue’s chairs or rent
• What are the different types of chairs, besides chiavari chairs? For instance we illustrated 4 different chairs

These are the 4 non-chiavari chairs illustrated: Ghost, Louis XVI, Versailles, and Grace chairs which are amongst the most common that you’ll encounter at Indian weddings. The most common chairs you’ll encounter at Indian weddings are chiavari chairs. These bamboo chairs are very popular and come in all colors.

The Largest Indian Wedding Venue Marketplace

Cover image: Wedding Documentary Photo + Cinema