Most couples need wedding chairs twice in one day: rows for the ceremony and seats at the tables for the reception. Sometimes they are the same chairs carried across while guests have drinks; sometimes they are two styles, white Wimbledon chairs on the lawn and gold Tiffany chairs in the marquee. Tell us the guest count, the venue, the style you like and the date, and we pass it to independent chair hire firms who work in your area. They quote you directly. The request is free, with no obligation to accept any quote.
The chairs couples hire for a wedding
A few styles cover nearly every South African wedding:
- Tiffany chairs in gold, silver, white or clear, with a tie-on seat pad: the reception favourite
- Wimbledon chairs: white slatted folding chairs for a garden or beach ceremony
- Cross back chairs in natural or dark timber for farm and barn weddings
- Plastic or banquet chairs dressed with covers and sashes, common at church halls and traditional weddings
For the couple and the elders, many families add a pair of throne or wingback chairs.
How many wedding chairs and how to lay out the aisle
Start from the final guest list and add about 5% spares for late arrivals, the band, the photographer and a broken leg. For the ceremony, split the chairs into two blocks with an aisle of at least 1.2 m so the bride and her father can walk side by side, and leave a cross aisle on long rows. Reserve the front two rows for family. For the reception, a 1.5 m round seats 8 to 10 and a 1.8 m round 10 to 12, so the table count sets the chair count. If the same chairs move from ceremony to reception, ask whether the firm's team can do it, and how long it takes.
Delivery, grass, weather and the day itself
Chairs are usually delivered the day before and collected the day after. Thin Tiffany and folding legs sink into soft lawn, so after rain ask for boards or move the ceremony onto firmer ground. Wind tips light chairs, and on the Highveld an afternoon storm can arrive during the vows, so have a plan B under cover or a tent. Count the chairs with the driver, check seat pads are clean and tied on, and stack them back as they came.
What affects the price and what to ask
The style is the biggest factor: resin Tiffany and cross back chairs cost more than plastic chairs, and covers and sashes are extra. Then the number, the distance to the venue, set-up and any move between ceremony and reception. Ask each firm:
- Are seat pads included, and in which colours?
- Is placing the chairs included, or only delivery?
- What is the deposit, and what happens if a chair breaks?
Booking tables and chairs together often saves on transport.
What to include in your request
- Wedding date, venue and guest count
- Ceremony, reception or both
- Chair style, colour and seat pads
- Whether chairs must move between areas
- Grass, paving or indoor floor
Wedding Chair Hire for different events
- Families and home celebrations: a small garden wedding or vow renewal at the family home with rows on the lawn
- Weddings and engagements: ceremony rows either side of the aisle and matching chairs at every reception table
- Funerals, memorials and unveilings: rarely, though families sometimes book the same chairs for a memorial a week later
- Companies, conferences and functions: a staff wedding celebration or a company function dressed like a wedding reception
- Churches and faith gatherings: church weddings where extra chairs fill the hall for the reception after the service
- Schools, colleges and universities: a staff wedding held at a school hall with chairs set at round tables
- Municipalities, clubs and communities: community halls hosting weddings that need more and better chairs than the hall owns
- Venues, caterers, decorators and planners: wedding planners and venues topping up their own stock for a big Saturday
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire wedding chairs?
How far ahead should I book chairs for a wedding?
Can the same chairs be used for the ceremony and the reception?
Do you supply the wedding chairs?
Wedding Chair Hire by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg