The venue, your threads, entertainment, photographer, and celebrant are all sorted? Great! You guys are all over this! So, what’s next? Your ride of course! That’s right, it is time to talk wedding transportation.
Gone are the days when your options were limited to limos, limos or….um, stretch limos? These days if it rolls, you can book it. And while we love the camaraderie of getting the whole wedding party into a limo for the ride to your reception, there are plenty of unique options which offer a different spin on wedding transportation here in Canberra. Before you start looking at vehicles though, you need to work out where you’re going and who needs a ride!
For most couples, there are three routes you need to consider in your transportation planning. Firstly, the trip to the ceremony. Then, the ride from ceremony to reception (unless they are in the same place). And finally, the getaway!
So, you need to decide two things.
You and your partner will most likely be traveling separately to get to the ceremony, perhaps with your bridal party or groomsmen, or maybe your parents. Work out how many people you will have in each vehicle since this will impact the type of transport options available.
After the ceremony you’ll probably want to get some photographs taken so it’s a good idea to keep those transport vehicles on hand to whisk you away to the reception when you’re finished. If you’ve blown your budget on some seriously classy wheels for the trip to the ceremony, you may need to dial it down a notch and settle for a people mover or shuttle bus from ceremony to reception!
The getaway vehicle is a great opportunity to close the curtain on your wedding day in a way that complements the theme and feel of the whole event. Choose an option that suits you and your partners personalities, but also make sure it’s a logical choice (you don’t really want to be jolting along in a horse & cart for 50km to your accommodation, do you?).
If you are having your ceremony and reception in an easy to reach venue in central Canberra, then there is really no reason to provide transportation for your wedding guests. But if you’re hosting your wedding at a rural venue, or there is a significant drive between the ceremony and reception venue (think more than 30 minutes), then it is worth considering transport for your guests.
You can organise a pick-up and drop-off spot in Canberra, or if you are having an out-of-town wedding, have the transport pick guests up from their hotels en route. Including transport for your guests ensures that everyone can have a few champagnes, mingle and bond on the bus, and get home safely at the end of the night.
With all that in mind, here are some of our favourite options for wedding transportation for you and your partner, your wedding party and maybe even your guests!
Classic Cars such as a Bentley, Rolls Royce or Jaguar suits elegant, formal weddings where three-piece suits or lacy, white gowns are the order of the day. These cars look fabulous in black & white photographs and as an added bonus, are far roomier than modern day vehicles.
Traveling to the ceremony with your bridal party? A limousine can accommodate between 6 and 12 guests and make the trip to the ceremony a fun affair, with a fully stocked bar and (usually) a retracting sunroof for you to peek out of at the traffic lights!
Looking for something a little more unique for your wedding transport? How about a vintage combi, Morris Minor or 1970’s Holden Kingswood? These types of cars are great options for getaway vehicles with a twist, or for smaller wedding parties.
Are you and your partner more into two-wheelers? How about roaring off into the sunset on the back of a Triumph or Harley Davidson. If big motorbikes aren’t your thing, a colourful Vespa is a cute way to check out at the end of your wedding. Two big considerations here – first, helmet hair means this is really only an option for the end of the night. And second, two-wheeled options are dangerous if you’re wearing a long, flowing gown.
If you are staying onsite at your wedding venue and only have a short way to travel, a tandem bike is a sweet way to depart your guests. Of course, weather is a big factor here, so make sure you have a back up option if it is pelting rain or a sweltering 40 day. And, much like the motorbike option, make sure you change out of your floor length dress (or risk an oily disaster!).
If you’re the type of couple who are always last to leave a party, why not hitch a ride on the party bus and join your guests for the final stretch of the evening? A Party Bus is also a super fun way of getting from ceremony to reception – bring your photographer along and you’ll get some great photos of people enjoying a drink and getting to know one another as you all head off to the reception.
Transportation is something that a lot of couples tend to overlook, but unless you want to get stuck with your Uncle Kev’s 93 Volvo it pays to be organised. We recommend booking your wedding transport around 5 months prior to the big day – and perhaps more if you are after something super specific and reasonably rare. Our 12 month guideline to planning a wedding has heaps of great tips for getting all your little ducks in a row for your big day.
For more help in planning your wedding, create an account and start browsing our super-talented Canberra wedding vendors. When you’ve made your shortlist, get in touch with vendors directly. You can save notes, quotes and more in our handy planning section online.
