Limos, trolleys, and party busses oh my! These days there are more options than just a stretch limo for transporting the bridal party from point A to point B. Now it’s a growing trend to provide transportation not just for the bridal party for pictures, but for the guests as well. This blog will talk about the pros and cons of providing transportation and some tips to keep in mind when booking your wheels for your big day.

Pros:

1. If you have a lot of guests at one hotel, or have room blocks at a couple places, it helps guarantee guests getting to the ceremony and reception on time.
2. If guests are from out-of-town or not as familiar with the area, it cuts down on people getting lost and driving around aimlessly.
3. Providing transportation cuts down on the number of parking spaces required at a venue. (Shadowland has roughly 80 available spots so for larger parties, transportation around the area helps with the flow of traffic)
4. There is less worry about guests over-indulging in drinks and then driving afterwards
5. Depending on the type of transportation you go with, there could be some great photo opportunities with the vehicle
6. Using it to tote you and your bridal party around helps keep everyone together and arriving at the same time, which will help stay on your wedding timeline for the day.

Cons (but really more like just things to think about while coordinating transportation):

1. Even though there will be a designated driver, Shadowland bartenders will still adhere to MLCC guidelines and not serve overly intoxicated guests
2. Transportation is an added line item in the budget for the couple to consider
3. Guests who use the service may not be able to arrive or leave when they choose
4. When does your contract time end with the service? Are they picking up/dropping off at certain hotels at certain times? Will they be doing a continuous loop between the venue and hotels until all guests have been accounted for? If the vehicle contract is over before your reception is over, you may run the risk of a lot of guests leaving before the party is over.

Other Tips to Keep in Mind:

1. It’s recommended to start looking and booking about 6 or more months ahead of time; especially if you are getting married in a high volume wedding month, the earlier the better to book and reserve a vehicle.
2. Like with all your other vendor contracts, read it over carefully to catch things like mileage requirements, damage charges, food and beverage policies, any service charges and such before locking in.
3. Keep in mind packing up at the end of the night. You will have some gifts, you may have décor if friends and family are handling tearing the room down… in any event, you will have more to take out than you probably brought in at the beginning of the day. It’s good to have one or two larger vehicles on site to handle the bigger things at the end of the night.
4. Make it known to guests a transportation service will be available and what times it will be running so they can plan to use it!

Providing wedding transportation is a nice service the couple can provide for the bridal party and guests. While it is an added investment in the day, it will most likely pay for itself when everyone arrives on time and gets a safe ride home at the end of the evening.

Photo Credit:

Karrn Frost Photography

Summer Jean Photography

Maiko Media