Transportation For Guests - A Must?

Can you do a coach?

We have been quoted £350 for three drop offs over a three hour period.

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Before anyone says anything, I realize 1.5 miles is a lot to walk when you're dressed up. We wouldn't imagine our guests would walk! Our guess is they'd drive, take the train, or taxi.

Personally yes I would stretch to providing transport since you've already said you would.

We provided transport and our guests loved it, although the distance was more. We took them to the ceremony venue and back again though... if you were only going to provide transport one way would people even have used it? They'd have to drive to the ceremony, get your bus to the reception, then find their car again after the reception. Or park at the reception, get a taxi to the ceremony... you see what I mean.

I wouldn't suggest walking not because of the dressed up point but because some will be less able than others anyway.

At this point though as you have said it will be provided I would try and arrange something whether it be a coach or taxis.

If you hadn't already said you were going to provide transport, I'd say, no it isn't a must (although it's always nice). But given that you've already said there will be, I don't think you can go back on it now.

I would say that you would need to provide transport as you have already told yoru guests that you will.

What size of bus do you need? I am hiring a 33 seater coach from a company in Paisley to take people from there via Balloch to our venue and then back again later in the evening and it's costing £230.

If you are trying to get a vintage bus, you may need to compromise on this in order to be able to provide transport for your guests.

You ARE obligated to provide the transport you promised!

However, the prices you have been quoted are massive, especially for such a short journey. Do you know anyone with a camper van?

As someone else said, are you picking people up to take them to the ceremony too? because if not how are they getting to the ceremony? if it's in a car they are unlikely to want to leave their cars at the ceremony venue, get the bus to the reception and then get a taxi back to the ceremony venue to pick up their car later on, if they aren't drinking they may as well drive...if this is the case then i would check with people who is planning on using the transport...

we are planning on doing a similar thing but we are picking people up from near our house (majority of guests live near) taking them to the ceremony, then taking them from the ceremony to the reception....meaning that they just have to get a taxi back home in the evening...

i would think now you have said you are providing transport you should...otherwise people may get dropped at the ceremony and then be stranded! i would find out how many people are wanting to use the transport and you may be able to have something different e.g a mini bus (better than nothing, and will be a lot cheaper)

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Have you tried Doigs of Glasgow? We used them for our venue outside of Glasgow (about 20 miles out) and they quoted us about £400 odd for the evening coach. If it's center of Glasgow, and it's not that far, they might give you a better quote??

We were going to have a vintage bus but the numbers we need to transport on the day proved impractical.

Our plan 'B' has been a couple of regular 52 seater coaches. I started getting quotes from various online coach sites for a 7 mile return journey from Reading to venue and back, they all came in at £750-£850 - a huge expense.

Eventually we found a local and very reputable coach operator who is doing as many 52 seaters as we need for £235 per coach for a return journey (church to reception, then midnight return)

When the online operators called me to try to get my business I told them all I'd struck this much better deal, all of them without exception offered to match it. There seems to be a huge mark-up with coach travel, my advice would be to haggle to death.

How many of your guests do you think will use the transport?

If it were me, I would phone a local taxi company and enquire, they might give you a decent price for say 15 taxis, even at £7 each, that would only be £105. if you get the black cab ones, they can take 5/6 people each, so thats 90 guests for £105.

Figures might be a little out, cant remember the cost of a Glasgow taxi!

We are providing transport from rec hotel to church, to venue and then return to rec hotel, but I do think of this as a special treat as we wanted to acknowledge the cost some will have gone to to st ay in a hotel, particularly as our venue has no accommodation and the hearest good hotel is about 10 miles. Having said this is a special treat, once we've mentioned it in the invitations it won't be something we would consider cutting. You are obliged to do as you've promised - even if that means shouting everyone a taxi. I'm sure you can find transport much cheaper than the vintage bus, whatever that may then be. Try calling some local mini cab firms, I bet they'll stick on a few mini buses for 250

They'd have to drive to the ceremony, get your bus to the reception, then find their car again after the reception. Or park at the reception, get a taxi to the ceremony... you see what I mean.

Right, so I definitely take notice of the comments regarding the one-way bus trip. There is very little parking around our ceremony venue, so we already knew that most guests were taking a taxi or the train there. Guests have to park at their hotel. And because the hotels are all spread out, we couldn't really offer a pick up service. If we offered a 'centralized' pick up service it would've meant that a lot of guests would have had to taxi to the 'central' spot anyways. The offer of transport from the ceremony to venue was more of a 'fun' thing than a convenience thing.

OH and I have talked about this all day. Won't bore you with the details but basically we can't find a replacement that we're satisfied with + can afford -- even coaches and minibuses were being quoted fairly high. We're not having a terribly large wedding (around 65 guests when you don't include the wedding party), and that 65 is by far mostly OH's friends who he works with + their SOs. He's already spoken to most of those about the transport situation and everyone's immediate response was apparently not to worry about it, they can hop on the train which is right next to the ceremony venue and lets off a minute's walk from the reception venue or hail a taxi for a few quid. Perhaps they're secretly 'put off' by it, but OH said that the responses didn't seem to suggest that. They are all our close friends and they don't want us to overextend ourselves financially or be stressed out by this. They understand that it is out of our control that the first company went into adminsitration.

I hear what everyone's saying about it being 'a promise', though I personally disagree with that circumstances can't dictate breaking 'a promise.' Obviously most will disagree (have disagreed) with me on this situation -- though I really do appreciate everyone's insights -- but in the end it seems we can't readjust our budget for various reasons (including contracts and deposits and family expectations), so we have to make do with what we can do. I think it help a lot that our friends are all very supportive.

I think as long as you inform everyone of the new decision then thats fine! that way they come armed with taxi/train cash and won't be left wondering where the transport is...as you say, people understand...situations change! x

It will be fine if everyone knows in advance that you are not providing transport.

might be an idea to get your ushers to call a few taxis for everyone when you get out the ceremony, they they should be waiting for u.

Although if your right next to central station, miight be as well just to direct people to the rank.

Thanks Mrs *W*2B and llindsey. There's almost a month and half until the wedding, so we'll be sending out emails to everyone, plus updating our wedding website with the info. And, as suggested, we'll get taxis called, though that should be no problem. We're having a 'mini' drinks reception first at the ceremony venue and then moving on to the reception venue -- people can move onto the reception venue at their leisure, so nobody should have to rush for taxis or anything.

Why not see if a local taxi firm will do you a deal on a block booking to pick people up from the ceremony and take them to the venue? They would be making their own way home from the reception anyway,wouldn't they ?