I have an issue that isn't really to do with surgery, but I have no where else to turn.  One of my best friends is getting married in two weeks.  I found out a couple weeks ago that for the reception she is just having those plastic white bistro chairs for people to sit on.  I am over 350 lbs.... and while I have never broken a chair, I never sit on plastic ones like that.  I am PETRIFIED.  What do I do?  Find an excuse not to go and risk our friendship?  Go and hope nothing happens, knowing if something did I would pretty much never be able to look anyone in the eye again?  Talk to her about getting special chairs?  This is mortifying for me, but I have researched it a little, and I can't really figure out what I or she would do to get a different chair?  And then I look like the fatty that can't sit on normal chairs for the whole night????  HELP!!  Please!!!  This has upset me beyond belief.

Can you contact the venue where the wedding is being held and ask if they have any other chairs? It might not help if they're renting chairs from a party-rental place, but you may be able to find out if the building has other seating available.

If you don't want to talk to the bride, is there someone else in the wedding party you could talk to, like a maid of honor, or maybe the wedding planner? Maybe they could help you investigate.

She is having it at her aunt's house, and I've tried to casually ask for the name of her chair rental company, but no luck.  Thank you for the suggestion though! 

If it's at her aunt's house, I bet her aunt would have at least one extra chair that you could use, maybe a dining table chair.

Another thought, if it's going to be at a house rather than a restaurant-- could you bring your own? I've seen folding camping chairs that can hold 4-500 lb, you could pick up something like that and keep it in your car. If the chairs at the reception look flimsy, you can sneak out and grab your own, but if you think they look OK, you could take it back to the store unused afterwards.

Seriously, get a sturdy metal folding chair. road test it...spray paint white. You are good to go.

Folding chairs easily fit in the vehicle

These are both great ideas... I do think I would feel more comfortable having a back up there.  And I believe she will have the dinner seating set up during the ceremony, so I would have time to switch them out.  It would still be embarrassing, but better than any other option yet.

I HAVE broken chairs before, but I have never had a problem with the plastic wedding chairs. And I used to be a wedding planner, so I've sat on a lot of wedding chairs. At my highest weight I was 366 lbs. My husband is also 370 lbs and has not had a problem with breaking wedding chairs. Also, you most likely won't be sitting much at the wedding, with the exception of the ceremony and dinner. The rest of the time you'll probably be dancing or mingling. I totally understand your apprehension, however I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just go to the wedding and support your friend and have a good time. 

Wow!!  This is great to hear.  I had a family member break one of those plastic muskoka chairs once, and have been completely traumatized about it since.  But maybe its because those have arms and sit very low to the ground.  I just do not know what I would do if I did break the chair, or sat on it and felt like it was starting to go... spend the night in the bathroom until the dancing starts???

I have broken one of those plastic chairs at a mere 180 lbs.

The fact is...exposure to light, heat and cold makes the plastic in those chairs brittle and they WILL break no matter what.

I had a plastic water dish with a plastic container holding the water (looked like a mini water cooler) for my pets. I had it for 10 years ..one day the pet sitter grabbed it a bit too hard and it just disintegrated in her hand.

So in summary, plastic gets weak as it gets older and the poster shouldnt feel embarassed because her problem shared by the normal sized and MO alike. When those chairs are DONE they are DONE.

If it's at relative's house, I would think that when you got there if after seeing the chairs, you talked to the aunt, she may have another chair you could use.