The dreaded chair covers...

Are the chair cover in the pic the ones you plan on using? They only cover the back & not the seat part at all. Is that right?

If you are trying to cover the burgandy seat, then these covers wont do that.

I think the heart fits your theme well, but is a waste of time & effort. Sorry. Dont forget that most men will have a jacket which will get put over the back of the chair, & many women will have coats/shawls/bags of some sort doing the same. Once people are in the room, you wont even notice the hearts or the chair covers. I think the hearts will get squashed as guests try to walk past too.

You can get cheap sashes from China & resell after if you wanted a sash & bow for some colour, but again, many will get covered.

I think they're lovely!

I don't like sashes either so its nice to see something different.

Would it be too much extra work to set them all up on the day? or will your venue do it for you?

I think it's a great idea - althought I may be biased as I also dislike chair sashes. They do make a venue look pretty but it's like it has become the law now to have chair covers and sashes (at wedding fairs, when talking to suppliers everyone is always aghast when we say no thank you to them) so whenever anyone does anything different I really like it. We are doing something a little similar to you - the chairs in our venue didn't even easily fit the chair covers as they are an awkward shape so we are hiring white bistro chairs (not much more expensive than hiring covers we found) and are hanging a little wooden heart on the back with the person's name so they double as place settings. I think being creative is a good thing.

If it's too much work or you are uncertain, could you just get the covers but no sashes?

And if you're not sure if your OH is just being polite could you just ask him whether he prefers your idea or the sashes and then promise not to mention chair covers for a long time as a thank you! ️?️

I think they are lovely. i would nt have chair covers personally as agreed once everyone one is in itnwould matter but if its the thing that would bug you go for it x

This, exactly. You won't notice or care on the day, and guests will either not notice / realise the work you've put in, and squash them, or otherwise they will be on edge worrying about knocking them. Get plain covers if you must (our reception chairs were horrible but neither we nor our guests cared on the day) but don't fret about the minutiae.

The hearts are hanging on the back of my dining room chair with a cushion cover over the top - on the day it'll be spandex/lycra covers over the whole chair. The ones at the venue are a bit smaller than mine.

Both of us spent quite a while talking about not having chair covers at all - I hear you guys who say people just put their jackets over them but the wedding is in summer and the venue has a cloakroom - and no covers at all isn't really an option. I almost changed my theme to red to convince myself I could do away with them altogether, but I've seen pictures of the venue without them and it just looks like a public meeting, not a wedding. The venue is a burgh hall and there are lots of meetings in there - we just want it to feel more special than that.

So its really a debate about whether I cover them and leave as-is or cover them and put something on top, like a sash or a paper heart.

I know its seems weird, but like I say I craft a lot so I will actually enjoy making them and seeing the fruits of my labour. The paper I'm making them out of is quite thick so hopefully they won't get squashed, although I do take your point. Hmmm.

The set up is DIY on the day so I do have to keep the OH in mind - he'll be doing it! Paper hearts are easier than sashes because he won't need to tie pretty bows, but obviously more effort than just plain covers.

Have you a picture of the chairs?

I agree, I'm not remotely crafty or I would probably spend hours doing something similar. Instead I am spending ridiculous amounts of money having both organza and lace sashes for my chairs... for my guests to throw their coats over and disregard. But I will know they are there and that they look pretty and that's what matters.

We nearly did this instead - except I fell in love with the hessian and lace kind. Until the OH said 'HOW much?!?! And I'm not sure about the brown stuff...'. That killed it really ;o)

These are the chairs in their 'natural' form - though this isn't the room we're getting married in.

These are said chairs (in the room we're getting married in) with lycra chair covers and satin bows. Just squint your eyes a bit to imagine they are paper hearts instead...

Well, you know I'm all in favour of your paper hearts but are these chairs going to be used for the ceremony and then the reception? If so, are they going to "transport" well.... will they get bashed before they've even made it to your meal? or are you just using them for the ceremony?

That's what I started thinking about once the 'squashing' issue came up.

The chairs are getting used for both the ceremony and the meal (and the dancing afterwards - but it'll be dark by then!) but its all taking place in the same room so no major transportation going on, just moving around the room.

The way the room is set out for the ceremony, I need to have 65 chairs set out, but we're only inviting 64 people, and they won't all come. So, if any of them get too obviously damaged, they can be the ones that get relegated to the side when the dining tables are set up...?

Oh yay!! go for it then!!! I don't imagine the hearts will come off any worse than a chair sash would being moved around. I'm sure the venue are quite used to being careful about such things.

Good point about transporting them - this is where the hearts, lovely as they are, could come unstuck (as it were!). I think that it would look fine just to have covers and nothing else if that's going to be easier. You have already budgeted for them by the sound of it and if it's only the bows that are causing you any stress then just don't have them. Cover the chairs so they look a bit prettier but don't stress over adding anything else would be my advice.

I hope you see this message. I have just seen this picture of your maroon chairs - thy are exactly the same as the hairs at our venues. Where on earth did you find covers? We are really struggling. Is there a particular name for this chair that help you search for the covers. Any help would be much appreciated.

Although i also begrudge the £300 for chair covers and sashes i just couldn't bare not to have them. There isn't enough of one type of chair in our marquee so it meant having two different types of chairs some gold and some white. Out scheme is teal and silver so i just didn't want it to not look pretty! I have serious OCD with things like that! I think that if you are having plain white covers the hearts look lovely!

I too had trouble finding chair covers to fit such small and square chairs.

There are a couple of companies that do them (I'm in Glasgow) but they charge a premium. If you get normal sized covers they won't fit - they are too long and drag on the floor. The only option (as I found out) is to hire the lycra/spandex covers. Some people don't like them, but I don't mind, and as they're the only ones that fit they'll have to do.

There are companies online who hire them for less than 80 pence per cover (plus £25 delivery) but you have to fit them yourself or get your catering company to do it. We are doing this and its costing us less than £100 for 60 chair covers.

I decided to go for the paper hearts in the end. I realised I loved them and I didn't care if anyone else thought they were weird or didn't even notice them. I will notice them and I'm enjoying making them! Bespoke chair decor for less than £100 all in - can't knock it!