Choosing a Wedding Vehicle

Your choice of wedding vehicle can play a big part in setting the tone of your wedding, after all, the first time many of your guest will see you on the big day, is as you step from it!

The title of this article gives a clue to my first point: you are choosing a wedding 'vehicle'. It need not necessarily be a car. Thinking a little outside the box can see you arriving at your wedding venue in some truly unique ways that will become talking points not just throughout the day, but potentially for years to come. Your choice of venue, and time of year, may determine feasibility of many non-car options, but I have known brides to arrive in boats, horse-drawn carriages, VW camper vans, retired London busses or even on motorbikes. The choice of wedding vehicle can be used to really express your personalities.

For most couples, budget will be one of the largest factors in determining their choice of wedding vehicle. A tight budget needn't make your choice of vehicle any less interesting though. Car lovers love cars. Fact. If you're lucky enough to know someone with an interesting vehicle, chances are they would welcome your enthusiasm and be quite flattered if you asked to borrow it for your wedding. Obviously you would need to arrange insurance for the day if anyone but the owner were to drive it, but borrowing a vehicle would be an extremely cheap option.

If you or your partner are big car fans, then why let a chauffer have all the fun? This is still a minority choice, but a growing number of couples are choosing to hire sports or even supercars for their wedding day. This may sound expensive, but when you bear in mind that you will be forgoing the cost of a chauffer, this glamorous option can be very affordable. Furthermore, since sports and supercar hire companies aren't specifically targeted towards weddings (one of the most expensive days of your life) their prices are often reasonable. If you were to tell them you were thinking of hiring the vehicle for a wedding, the price would probably shoot up! If you are considering going down this route, then the bride might benefit from a little 'practice' at getting out of a low-slung sports car whilst wearing a dress. I have it on good authority that this is bloody difficult!

Having considered the savings that can be made by going sans chauffeur, it is worth remembering that a chauffer is providing a valuable service. Pick a good one and they should take some stress out of the day. You can rely on them to be punctual, cheerful and polite, have a clear idea of travel times and be safe, steady and relaxing drivers. Choosing to forgo a chauffer could make your wedding morning a little like the panicky dashes to the airport that I'm sure we've all experienced.

If you choose to go with a wedding car then the main question to answer is whether you want modern or vintage? Don't let any fears of reliability sway you towards modern if your heart is set on vintage. All wedding hire cars from reputable and experienced companies should be well maintained and utterly reliable, since that's precisely what you are paying them for.

One of the most common modern choices is the traditional white limousine, which provides room for bride and bridesmaids all in one vehicle, whilst the sheer distance from the driver and usual presence of a glass screen provides a little privacy. If you consider a Limo to be too obvious a choice, then vintage may be right for you. Where a Limo might look out of place in front of an old country house, a vintage car could not look more at home, and this will show in your wedding photography. Vintage cars often have less space than more modern vehicles though, so there may not be room for you and your bridesmaids to travel together. If you happen to live near your wedding venue then two trips is all it takes to solve this problem.

In the last paragraph we suggested that certain vehicles suit some venues more than others. Take some time to consider what type of vehicle would best suit not just your venue, but also your choice of dress. A little time taken to consider this will pay dividends when you look through your wedding photographs at a later date. If your dress is cutting-edge fashion, and you're getting married in a modern glass and steel venue, then a vintage vehicle might look out of place.