Chair covers are very popular and add a finishing touch to your setting. The downside is that they are not inexpensive to rent because they have to be laundered after each use.

I work at a catering place. I'm in the floral dept their. Chair covers are very nice, and they do give that finishing touch, especially with a floor length tablecloth. We do the sashes also with them. Ours are I think $5.50 ea. to rent. When my niece got married she had an outdoor wedding and used the white padded chairs and we had some tulle that we had used from another wedding and tied it to the back of the chairs. It looked nice also. Alot cheaper. Good luck on your daughter's wedding.

I think chair covers are ridicilous, no one relaly notices them and frankly they are too expensive and just another item to get diry. I chose not ot get it for this reason. I've been to weddings that had them and I didn't notice them to begin with wether they had it or not...its a waste of money.

I dislike chair covers. I don't think they look elegant at all. To me, true elegance is a well-designed chair that doesn't need to be covered up. I agree with froggy that few people really notice them one way or the other and I would bet good money that no-one goes home and tells others, "It was so elegant, they had chair covers!" By the same token I bet they don't say, "It was so chintzy, they just had cheap chairs!"
I'd say there are lots of other ways to spend your money and get better value.

I like the look of chair covers, but like Colleen, feel money could be better spent elsewhere.

Here's one from the You-can-never-win category: my FDIL's shower is being held in a room in a country club. You would think (at least I did), that a country club would be decorated nicely. Nope. Metal and vinyl conference chairs.

I decided that at least the chair she will sit on to open gifts should be elegant. I bought some heavy white damask and tulle and made a beautiful chair cover with sash and bow. Fit for a princess.

No sooner do I complete the cover--the Bed Bath & Beyond flyer arrives with a $5 off one item coupon and a white damask chair cover for $7.99!

I really like chair covers, I think it adds a nice touch to the whole room. Look up companies that sell them and they sometimes show with and without chair pics.
My wedding is for 80 people and in the UK, covers for that ammount cost approx £350 which is not a great deal in the big scheme of things, but if you are on a tight budget, I agree with the other comments that money could be spent on other things.

Whether chair covers add to the overall look of the reception depends on the chairs that the facility has. A quality chair doesn't need to be covered, but one like Dian57 mentioned looks much better with a cover if you are trying to create a fairly formal look with floor-length table cloths and full china and glassware.

I personally prefer the Chiavari Chairs because they look so elegant, but they were over my budget for my wedding so I went with the chair covers and sashes. I found the chair covers online for rent online for $1.00 each so i decided to do that. Here is the link if anyone else who lives in my area want cheap chair covers: http://www.onabudgetpartyrentals.com/