Wedding Transport for guests

Hi Cheryl,

I'm in a similar situation. We're getting married in a Church about 30 minutes away from where most of our guests live and the reception venue is another 30-40 minutes away from the Church. It wouldnt be so bad if our reception venue was a hotel but as its not we've decided to provide transport in the form of an old-school London bus ?

Its costing just under £550 for the total hire. We did get quotes for a normal modern coach that came in between £290-£350 but we thought we'd pay the extra money for the fun factor that comes with having the bus.

Hope this helps

x

The problem with organising transport is getting them back at the end of the day.

If they've been drinking anyway then providing a bus makes no difference.

You won't be able to take everyone to their home, at the time that suits them, so my personal opinion is that "guest transport" is a bit of a waste of time and money.

I am providing a Routemaster (old fashioned red London bus) to take guests from local hotel (where most of them will be staying), to Church, wait for an hour then onto reception venue and finally drop them all back at the hotel at midnight! If people choose to drive then they can do so easily between venues and go home as and when they please though. I really don't think it is a waste of money, as I want my guests to feel special on the day and feel looked after so I am doing everything I can to make sure that this happens. I also want my guests to have a few drinks (if they want to) and not to have to worry about taxis at the end of the night.

In total it is going to cost around £700.

I see where you're coming from but I have to disagree lol.

Even if the coaches/buses do not drop guests back home or at their hotel at the end of the night it prevents people having to return back to the venue the next day to pick up their cars. It also helps create a really fun atmosphere, gets the party started extra early and makes your day that bit different for your guests.

I asked the majority of guests who are likely to use the transport whether they thought it was a good idea and they all said yes ? I forgot to mention this before Cheryl - maybe its a good idea that you canvas some of your guests opinions before you pay a deposit x x

I'm sure if you asked them to contribute £10 towards the costs they might have a different opinion...

I have hired 2 coaches at £165 each guests are paying £4.00 each and will pick up at 3 stops and drop off at the same 3 stops on the way back, one of my friends is the operational manager at Bath city sightseeing and they cover big cities all over the country and hire out the big red busses for £600 a bit out of my price range but an idea of prices for full day hire x

my guests still appreciate it! i think its very helpful if you venue is remote or far from the church

x

We booked a 16 seater for NYE to take us from here to the registry office and then back here again and i asked the family if they wanted to chip in towards the cost and they all said yes...so we can drink while getting ready and no one misses out on a glass of bubbly this way!

Where in suffolk are you cheryl?....I know we went to a wedding about 4 years ago and they hired a coach from beccles and it picked up at several stops and dropped us all off again....it was great not to have to worry about parking and drinking.

fi

xx

We're getting a vintage bus and its costing 295 for the day

We're in Suffolk Cheryl and we are hiring a London bus to get the guests 14 miles from the Church to the reception. Cost is £550. I want people to be able to have a drink without worrying about getting their cars the next morning. Most of our guests have said they will cab share to get to the Church and back from the reception. It's definitely not a waste of money. I hate weddings where I have to drive!

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your thoughts. I'd love to hire a vintage bus but from speaking with a couple of companies they can only go as fast as 30-40 mph...which would double the journey time so i think I'm going to go with a standard modern coach. I definately think it'll be worth while putting on transport for our guests to get from Ipswich to Thorpeness and back- from asking a few friends they would definately be up for paying £5 for the return journey- as it wold cost more in a taxi or in petrol costs.

Thanks again everyone!

Whereabouts are you getting married in Ippy Cheryl?

Are you getting married in Thorpeness? Ours is at Thorpeness Country Club.

I know you guys are talking further away but we are looking at hiring minibuses for either the while day or just the evening return journey for those staying at hotels - (there are quite a few) but that is costing us just over £200 for just the evening (with as many trips as needed in this time) or £450 for the whole day. The distance isnt too far but we want people to enjoy and stay as long as possible!!

I really want to a hire a vintage bus but can't find anyone local enough. if anyone comes across anywhere in the north east please let me know!

i think it's a fab idea

Yes! we're having ours at the country club too, not until March 2013 tho.

It's such a lovely venue! my fiance and I both fell in love when we saw it. And right by the beach and the meare- which are perfect for photos!

I really hope you have a fantastic day!

xxx

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