Everything You Need to Know About Wedding Transportation

You may think that wedding transportation doesn't need to be up there with the essential tasks to get ticked off the priority list but organising the right kind of transport for your big day is pretty important. After all, you and your loved ones need to get from A to B on time, safely, and within budget, regardless of whether you're travelling in a stretch limo, a vintage car or a shuttle bus!

So, who actually needs transportation on your big day, and what are the costs involved in booking wedding transport for you and your guests? Read on as we answer all of your wedding transport FAQs, including deciding who needs transportation on the day, the cost involved and questions to ask your potential vendors.

What Wedding Transportation Might You Need?

A good place to start is to make a list of what transportation you will need throughout the day and what time you need it, which will depend largely on the flow of your day. If your ceremony and reception venues are in two different locations, how will your wedding party get from one to the next? Is there good access and plenty of parking at your reception venue? If you're having a destination wedding, how will your wedding guests get to and from your wedding venue?

With these considerations in mind, you may need the following:

• Transport to your ceremony venue
• Transport from your ceremony venue to your reception venue
• Transportation for your guests to and from the venues
• Transport to your wedding accommodation at the end of the night

It might be helpful to create a rough wedding timeline and use this to figure out exactly what transport will be required throughout the day. This will give you a great starting point when it comes to researching your different transportation options and how many wedding guests you need to ferry around.

Who Needs Wedding Transportation?

It's up to you, of course, but typically couples will arrange wedding transportation to the ceremony venue for their bridal party and close relatives. You’ll likely be travelling with them to the ceremony, so it makes sense to include them in your transport headcount. To determine who else may need wedding transportation, consider the logistics of your day and the location of your wedding. You may need to organise additional transport if:

• You’re hosting a destination wedding: If your loved ones have travelled to an exotic location to attend your wedding, it’s a nice gesture to arrange wedding guest transportation, such as a shuttle bus to and from the venue for them. You will also need to consider an airport shuttle service to and from the airport. Some hotels offer a free shuttle service, so be sure to check this out when researching wedding accommodation options.
• You have elderly guests: If any of your guests aren’t able to drive themselves to and from the venue, it’s a good idea to arrange some form of transport for them, this could mean simply organising lifts with trusted family members.
• If your venue has limited parking available or restricted access for larger vehicles: Some venues may only have parking spaces for a small number of vehicles, which can make transport difficult for your loved ones. Depending on your venue, access may be limited, so if you're arranging a shuttle bus, ensure there's sufficient space. Even if you don't have room in your budget to book transportation for all guests, there are ways you can still help them. In your invitation suite or on your wedding website, provide information about public transport. This can include where to catch a cab, phone numbers of local companies and estimates of how much each option will cost. That way, no one will have to worry whether they have enough cash on them on the day.

Different Wedding Transportation Options

So now you know who you need to transport, where and when, the exciting bit can begin! This will depend largely on your wedding style, taste and budget, but the sky is the limit when it comes to the many options that are available. Did you know that here at Say I do, we have a carefully curated list of trusted transport vendors from all over Australia? This is a great place to begin your research if you're not sure where to start. Elsewhere, there's a huge range of options to choose from - stretch limousines, party buses, to sports cars. Alternatively, if you're looking for some fun ideas, there are options such as vintage camper vans, horse and carts or even a loving restored tram! Start off by finding out what's available in your area, ask for quotes and availability, and your options will then be narrowed down, making it much easier to make a decision.

Average Cost of Wedding Transportation

Costs will depend on what kind of transportation you're booking, how long you need it for and how many guests you're transporting. As a rough guide, a stretch limo may be anywhere from $350 – $500 for 3 hours of transport, while a luxury car could range from $150 to $250 per hour. Shuttle buses can vary from $750 – $1200 in total, depending on the distance to your venue and the number of guests. Whatever your transport taste, ensure you're aware of all the costs involved before you make a booking so you're not landed with any expensive surprises!

When to Book Your Wedding Transportation?

Once you've finalised your guest headcount for the vehicles, you'll need to make a wedding transportation plan so everything can go without a hitch. When there are three to six months to go before your special day, it's time to book your transportation - when you've settled on your date, ceremony and reception sites. Bear other events in mind that may be happening on your wedding day, such as local proms or graduations, for example, that could potentially require similar transportation as you - demand will naturally be higher, so the sooner you book, the better.

Questions to Ask Your Wedding Transport Provider

Once you've found a few vendors that tick most of your boxes, before you sign on the dotted line, ensure you're content with answers to the below questions:

1. What car types, sizes and colours do you have available?
2. How many people can comfortably fit into one vehicle?
3. Do you offer special wedding packages?
4. Who is responsible for the cost of fuel or mileage?
5. What are your cancellation policy and refund options?

Wedding Transportation Top Tips and Summary

If you have a wedding planner, then of course, they will be advising you on the what’s and when’s when it comes to transport, but if you're flying solo with your wedding planning then assign someone to be the point of contact for transportation the day. You won’t want to be taking calls from your wedding transportation vendor whilst you’re getting your hair done and practising your speech! Another thing to consider is the weather. Who knows what the forecast will be on your wedding day, so give yourself a buffer of 15-20 minutes to factor in potentially bad weather or unexpected traffic. There's running fashionably late, and then there's holding everyone up late! Like everything, communication is key. If you're planning a shuttle service for guests, ensure you know your final numbers, inform guests where they need to be and when and keep everyone in the loop. Your wedding website is the perfect place to keep everyone updated with any on-the-day logistics. Plan wedding transportation in good time, get it ticked off early, giving yourself time and space for other wedding tasks, or even a little bit of self-care. The most important thing around planning wedding transportation is that you get yourself and your loved ones where you need to be on time, on budget and safely.