3 Tips For Booking Transportation for Your Wedding Day
If you’re planning a wedding far away from parking or if you’re having a lot of out-of-town guests, you’re probably going to need to consider transportation for your wedding guests. This is such an important part of creating a good experience for your guests, and you don’t want to save it until the last minute. There are some key things to consider when you’re planning your wedding day transportation!
Your hotel
Your hotel might provide a complimentary shuttle for your guests. If your hotel provides a shuttle, you’ll want to check on three major details. These are:
1) How many people does the shuttle fit?
2) Will the shuttle make multiple runs?
3) Do I need to guarantee a minimum number of rooms in order to utilize the shuttle?
Asking your hotel these three important questions will help you plan ahead and make sure you have everything you need. You don’t want guests to be left behind because the shuttle was too small or only made one trip!
Bonus tip: If you’re using the hotel shuttle, you’ll also want to ask how guests will know which shuttle is yours and what time it will leave. Plus, do you need to provide that info already printed or does the hotel have a board they can put this info on for you?
The local traffic
Not from the area? Please do yourself a favor and check Waze and the typical traffic on the route to your venue. Be sure to check if there are any fairs, upcoming road closures, or anything of the sort. This is especially true if you are getting married on a weekday or it’s a destination area on a weekend, such as a ski resort during winter or the Jersey Shore during summer.
Bonus tip: Is there an annual fair near your venue? Put your ceremony time as a few minutes earlier on your invite or include a note on your wedding website so guests are aware. Trust me. In New Jersey, there is traffic on every road, all hours of the day, and you don’t want your guests kept from watching the ceremony by the traffic on Route 80.
Return shuttles
Don’t forget that return shuttles will always have more than the ones going earlier in the day! On the way to the venue, you will most likely have one shuttle per partner (typically one for the groom and his party and one for the bride and her party or for each groom & each bride). Then, you will need to get your family and guests, and the number of shuttles will vary based on the number of rooms booked and guests staying over.
Here’s the thing. The return shuttles going to the hotel after the wedding will need to not only combine both wedding party sides, but also their dates, family, and other guests. We always recommend having multiple shuttles waiting and having one leave before the end of the reception. You want to make sure that early birds who may want to head out a little earlier can depart then and still have a shuttle for the remainder of the guests (and possibly the couple!) at the end of the reception.
Wedding day transportation can be tricky, so it’s worth having experts who can help you. Personally, our top pick for transportation in New Jersey is Riviera Limo. We also love helping couples figure out the details and logistics of their weddings. We’d love to hear from you, so we can learn all about your big day and how we can help!
