August 25, 2016 |
Wedding Transportation |
Randy Allen
Who should I provide transportation for?
There are no hard and fast rules. Your transportation plan will be dictated by your budget, whether you are serving alcohol, the logistics of your wedding day venues, and whether you have out of town guests that are not familiar with the area. A good transportation provider can help you decide and provide a full range of vehicle types and sizes for all of your requirements.
What are some examples of wedding transportation?
Wedding transportation can include any of the activities and events surrounding your wedding, including showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, airport transfers for arriving out of town guests, rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, reception, and honeymoon.
When should I book my wedding transportation?
Limousine companies have a fixed number of vehicles in their fleet, with no way to predict when reservations will be made for a certain day. As a general guideline, you should have the basic itinerary for your wedding day (venues for ceremony and reception, timing, # of guests) in place and then start planning your transportation requirements. An experienced limousine company will sit down with you, listen to your plans, and help develop a custom wedding transportation plan to fit your needs and budget. A reputable limousine company will be flexible and allow changes or cancellations up to 2 weeks prior to your wedding date.
Be aware that certain times of the year experience higher demand for luxury vehicles than others – Spring, Fall, Prom Season (late April to early June), and December.
Do we tip the chauffeur?
With so much going on during your wedding day, we recommend discussing gratuities during the booking process (20% is typical), and pay for all transportation and gratuities with a credit card. Reputable limousine companies will allow you to change the gratuity amount after your wedding if requested.
How can I find a reliable limousine company?
You can search company websites, the Better Business Bureau, wedding sites, and State Limousine Associations to collect information about limousine companies. Look for companies that have a history of providing good service, are licensed by the State, display all required licenses on their website, and have good reviews online. Most importantly, call and visit the limousine company to inspect the vehicles and gauge the quality of the service the company will provide to you.
Helpful links:
Vehicle(s) required for your wedding will vary according to the number of people transported and personal preferences. In general, luxury sedans can accommodate 2-3 people, stretch limousines up to 8 (be cautious in filling the stretch limousine to capacity due to the amount of space your wedding gown will require), mini-coaches from 8-35, and motor coaches up to 55 passengers. In general, due to the growth in size of wedding parties, mini coaches are used more often than stretch limousines to provide enough capacity and have the added benefit of being easy to enter/exit with less risk of wrinkling your wedding gown.
What about vintage vehicles or trolleys?
We do not use vintage vehicles in our fleet because they are not reliable and break down too often for use in once in a lifetime events like your wedding day. Trolleys can be a unique and fun mode of travel but be sure if the trolley is open air that you consider the temperature and whether the trolley utilizes a diesel engine (smell and smoke).
Can we consume alcohol in the vehicle?
Virginia state law allows you to consume alcohol in a passenger for-hire vehicle, but the limousine company cannot provide the alcohol by law.
What are some other wedding transportation tips?
- if considering a white exterior vehicle, think about how your wedding gown will look against the white background
- Obtain the make, model, year, and license plate of each vehicle booked to ensure the limousine company does not substitute vehicle(s) of inferior quality at the last minute.
- Reconfirm all transportation details the week prior to the wedding.
- Make sure your wedding planner or someone in charge has contact information for the limousine company and all chauffeurs the day of the wedding.
Tags :
brides , faq , limousine , wedding limo , wedding transportation
