Ensure you and your wedding guests arrive in style, with our guide to choosing and booking your perfect wedding transportation.
How Far In Advance Should Transport Be Booked?
Wedding transportation should be booked as early as possible, to ensure the availability of your chosen method of travel. Rare or unique modes of transport could be hard to come by, so you want to get in there quick before another couple beats you to it!
Most couples will organise wedding transport after securing their venue, but at the very latest you should aim to have this book 4 to 6 months before the wedding to avoid disappointment.
Even if you plan to arrange transport independently, you should prioritise looking into things, such as insurance to make sure that there won’t be any nasty surprises that tip you over budget.
Different Types of Wedding Transport
There are many different ways you can get to your ceremony venue, which means that you can tie this element of the wedding in with your theme. Check out some of the different styles of wedding transport below.
Classic and Vintage Wedding Cars
Classic cars have always had a place at weddings, transporting the bride to her wedding venue decade after decade. Hiring a vintage wedding car is all the more special the wow factor in these modern times and the nostalgia it brings. So if you want to arrive at your wedding in timeless style, then take a look at some of the classic car suppliers in your area who will be sure to have some stunning vehicles in their fleet.
Take your pick from the diamond of wedding cars, the Rolls-Royce or the most luxurious car of them all the Bentley, to make sure your wedding day is extra special!
Statement Wedding Transport
If you want to make an entrance as you arrive for your wedding, then look no further than a horse-drawn carriage. Given that there is a nice long road or lane leading up to your venue – as well as some decent weather, this mode of transport is sure to cause some hype as you approach the ceremony and reception venues.
For those who want to feel like a celebrity and make their wedding day extra special, you could hire a stretch limo for your big day. With most stretch limos catering to 8 to 18 people, you can provide transportation for your entire wedding party in one mode of transport. Whether you choose from the classic Hollywood stretch limousine or hummer for your wedding, the choice is limitless.
Other high-impact ideas might be to arrive on the back of a big Harley-Davidson motorcycle or in the cab of a rustic tractor!
Family Friendly Wedding Cars
Do you want to spend more time with your family on your wedding day? We recommend organising group wedding transportation by hiring a minibus or a refurbished double-decker bus to ensure extra space and comfort for your wedding guests. This method of transportation is a great way to include everyone and is perfect for young families with children or older guests, as it would allow them to stay together and meet other guests attending the wedding. You could also arrange for your wedding photographer to jump on board and capture some photographs of you, your bridal party and your guests as you make your way to the venue.
Sporty Wedding Cars
Nothing beats the thrill of taking a ride in a fast car, so why not go for a spin in a Ferrari on the day of your wedding? There’ll be no excuse for being fashionably late, however, your hairstyle might need some extra holding power if you intend to travel in a convertible!
One bonus of having modern wedding cars is there is less chance of things going wrong compared to classic or vintage cars. However, when booking wedding transportation for your big day, we advise you to ask the dealer or wedding car hire company if the vehicle has had any recent issues.
Should I Choose Chauffeur-Driven Transport?
Whether you choose to hire a chauffeur or drive yourselves will often be dictated by the hiring company. If hiring a classic car for the wedding day, the company will normally provide one of their fully insured drivers to escort you to the venue. Similarly, for your own safety, transportation companies will ensure that a trained coachman leads you to the venue without a hitch when you opt for a horse-drawn cart.
It is possible, of course, for someone you know to drive you to the wedding venue using their own vehicle or one that they are insured to drive. So if someone in the wedding party has a Rolls Royce collecting dust in their garage, now is your chance to drop some hints!
How Many Vehicles Do I Need For The Wedding Day?
The number of wedding vehicles you need will vary depending on the size of your wedding party, family size and budget. The bigger your wedding party, the more cars you may need. If your bridal party consists of three bridesmaids, a page boy, a flower girl and the mother of the bride, we recommend two separate cars or one large vehicle that can accommodate six people. Keeping with tradition and not seeing each other before the wedding, we suggest planning for two modes of transport for the bride and groom, as they travel to the wedding ceremony. One to three cars is usually advised by wedding planners, depending on how far apart the collection, ceremony & reception addresses are from each other, and finally, how many passengers you have to transport.
Who Travels With Who To The Wedding?
Traditionally, the bride will arrive for the wedding ceremony accompanied by her father or the person who will be giving her away. The mother of the bride and the remaining bridal party; including the bridesmaids, flower girls and page boys, will usually arrive together at the ceremony and reception venue, often in a wedding car too.
If your budget stretches far enough, you could arrange special transport for the groom, his groomsmen and other close family members but this is not customary.
Then once the main wedding ceremony has finished the bride and groom will take the wedding car together to travel to the wedding reception venue, whilst the rest of the wedding party & guests make their own way there. However, some couples have their wedding ceremony and reception at the same venue, in order to save on costs and the need for themselves and their wedding guests to travel too much on the day.
How Much Does Wedding Transportation Cost?
The cost of wedding transport will vary depending on a few factors such as your location, the duration of time you hire the vehicle and the type of transportation you want.
Below is the average cost of some of the most popular modes of transportation for weddings:
Horse and Carriage – from £595
Rolls Royce – £300 – £500+
Mercedes – £200+
Vintage Car – £375+
Limousine – £100 – £300
Who Pays for Wedding Transportation?
Traditionally it falls to the bride’s parents to pay for the transportation for the bride and groom. The bride’s parents may also pay for all wedding transportation required, however, this is up for negotiation and depends on wedding budgets. Wedding guests, such as extended family and friends, usually make their way to the wedding ceremony and reception.
Questions To Ask Transport Hire Companies
With their vast knowledge of automobiles and experience in providing wedding transport, you can be sure that wedding transport companies will offer you the best advice. Naturally, though, you might have some specific questions to put to your transportation company. Here are just some of the questions you might want to ask when looking for your perfect wedding transport!
Do you have feedback or testimonials from other couples I can read?
Can I view the available wedding vehicles?
Can we provide our own driver?
Is the fleet fully insured and licensed?
Will my favourite vehicle be available on the day?
How many passengers can you take in the vehicle?
Do you allow children to sit on laps in the cars?
Do you offer child seats for under 12s?
If asked to provide my own child seat, do you have ISOFIX safety fittings in the rear seats of the car?
Are passengers allowed in the front seat?
Can we meet the chauffeur ahead of the wedding?
What happens if the chauffeur is late or ill on the wedding day?
What will the chauffeur wear on the day?
Can I tip the chauffeur?
Do you charge by hour or by distance?
Can the chauffeur hang around until after the ceremony to take me to the Reception venue?
Can we take photos in or in front of the vehicle?
Do you provide decorations for the car exterior?
Do you allow additional decorative items to be displayed on or in the cars?