When booking your wedding venue, it’s important to pay attention to the chairs in the reception and ceremony room. It could be that they don’t match your wedding theme at all and you need to look at changing them. Image Credit: Boris and Betty Our editor Caroline Hendry explains how import wedding chairs were when choosing her own wedding venue: “Much to my fiancé’s dismay, wedding chairs were a big thing for me when choosing our venue, they can really transform the look of a room and play a big role in photos of your wedding reception. I did a lot of research on the cost of wedding chair hire and was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn’t as costly as I expected.” If your dream venue doesn’t happen to have the perfect chair style for your big day, don’t let this put you off from booking as wedding chairs are easy to hire and not as expensive as you might think! You also have the option of decorating your chairs with fabric and beading. We spoke to Kate Mumme from Debra Mai Weddings as we look at some of the most common types of wedding chair and help you know your chiavari from your ghost chair.
Sometimes referred to as Tiffany or Camelot chairs, chiavari wedding chairs are a stylish alternative to the standard wedding venue chair. If you want to give your chiavari chairs some added sparkle then you can decorate with beading or ribbon. Kate explains “These are extremely popular for weddings as they come in a range of different colours and finishes. Whether you want glamorous gold chairs or rustic looking lime wash, you’ll be sure to find the perfect colour of chiavari chair to suit your wedding.” If you have chosen to have an outdoor wedding ceremony or an outdoor wedding venue then folding garden chairs are a great option for a more relaxed wedding vibe – they are also perfect for festival weddings. Kate suggests making them stand out by changing the seat pad to add a pop of colour. Image Credit: The Flower Bird If you have a larger budget when it comes to hiring your wedding chairs, why not consider elegant French chairs? “French chairs are beautiful and can be brought in to transform the look of any wedding venue,” says Kate.
“If they’re out of budget, consider only using them on the top table, with chiavari chairs for everyone else.” Transparent wedding chairs, commonly known as ghost chairs, are ideal for a contemporary feel at your wedding. “These are great if you have chosen a modern wedding venue that has really dramatic light,” explains Kate. Image Credit: South Place Hotel Similar to the Tiffany chair, the Versailles or Opera chair is elegant but with more rounded edges. They are great for a more sophisticated wedding day and won’t distract from your elegant décor. If you’re having a rustic wedding, or a laid back wedding with long tables, why not consider rustic benches? It takes away the formal air and gets your guests close together! This can also be a great option if you are serving a wedding barbecue or a buffet style meal as if feels much less formal. Image Credit: Meg and Lee's Real Wedding Why not forget formal chairs completely and have your guests seated on hay bales?
This is a perfect look for an outdoor wedding or will work beautifully with a rustic wedding venue. Image Credit: Mike Plunkett Photography These are what a venue will typically provide, and you can dress them up with chair covers and sashes to match your colour theme if they stand out. If you’re not a fan of them. Kate advises that “the cost of a chair cover can sometimes work out more expensive than a lime wash chiavari chair, so consider opting for a nicer chair rather than covering them up.” For a quirky wedding look, why not mismatch your wedding chairs? This works well in a relaxed vintage or rustic themed wedding day and stops everything feeling too matchy-matchy. Image Credit: Bouquets and Bunting If you are looking for other ways to transform your wedding venue then browse some of our favourite DIY wedding centrepiece ideas.Strabane business owners have taken the next step towards building a more prosperous and vibrant town centre and retail park area by appointing the first board to its new Business Improvement District (BID).
The initiative, which was overwhelming backed by local businesses earlier this year, allows them to take ownership of the decisions about how their funds will be invested in return for paying an additional levy. The new company will invest almost £100,000 in its first year and will work collectively to identify initiatives and coordinate solutions to increase footfall for trading and bring more tourists to the town. The Board is represented by a broad range of business owners including national and independent retailers, leisure and night-time businesses and professional and public services. They held their first meeting last week, when they appointed Liam Stewart, LGS Building Solutions and DS Auto Design as Chair, and Michael Kelly from MK’s Bar and B&B as Vice-Chair. Other board directors include: Kevin O’Connor, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Dale Coyle, Building Management Services, Diarmuid Hutton, O2, Julie Ashenhurst, Valerie Manning, Kieran Murphy, Murphy’s on the Green, Mark Mc Quaid, Boots, Seamus Nealis, Craft Training Ltd, Sgt. Davy McIlwaine, PSNI, Trevor Mealiff, Café Fresco.
One seat on the board remains vacant from the financial services sector, an appointment the Board are hoping to complete in the coming weeks. BID Board member and Derry City and Strabane District Council Head of Business Kevin O’Connor welcomed this crucial next step in the scheme. “The additional BID funding will undoubtedly help unlock Strabane’s commercial potential,” he said. “Business owners in the area have the best insight into the challenges they face meaning the funds will be invested intelligently and in the areas of greatest need.” Vice Chair Michael Kelly added: “We were committed to forming a board that would be representative of both the different types of business within the BID area and the geographical areas it covers. “I’m delighted with the make-up of the board, with strong representatives from both national and independent retailers as well as the public sector and night-time economy. The board members are all volunteers who have committed to giving their time to make sure that the BID achieves its objectives over the next five years.”