Wedding Day Transportation

Knottie1456058884

Okay, I'm gonna really need someone to break this down for me...

I am going to book my wedding day limo soon but am unsure how big of a limo to book or what exactly the driver is expected to do.

We have 4 groomsmen and 4 bridesmaids and my fiancé and myself.  There is a limo that holds 10 people.  Is this enough space or do I have to make sure my parents are in the mix.

In addition, how does the timeline work-
Do the groomsmen get picked up and dropped off at the church and then the limo comes for me, the girls and my parents.

After the wedding we will go to our reception venue for pictures, do the parents come for that, or is it just the bridal party? (We plan to do family pictures in the church following the ceremony)

The timeline I was thinking is this-
1.Groomsmen get picked up by limo and dropped at church

2.Limo picks up bridesmaids, bride, and brides parents and brings them to church

3.Limo takes groomsmen, bridesmaids, bride and groom to reception venue where pictures will take place

4. Limo is done for the day and bridal party will ride home with their significant others/families in own cars


again, I have no idea if this is way off or right on, please give some samples of what worked for you.

If it helps it is a mile from my house to the church and less than a mile from the church to the reception so it isn't really much of a ride.

ShesSoCold

Knottie1456058884 said:

Okay, I'm gonna really need someone to break this down for me...

I am going to book my wedding day limo soon but am unsure how big of a limo to book or what exactly the driver is expected to do.

We have 4 groomsmen and 4 bridesmaids and my fiancé and myself.  There is a limo that holds 10 people.  Is this enough space or do I have to make sure my parents are in the mix.

In addition, how does the timeline work-
Do the groomsmen get picked up and dropped off at the church and then the limo comes for me, the girls and my parents.

After the wedding we will go to our reception venue for pictures, do the parents come for that, or is it just the bridal party? (We plan to do family pictures in the church following the ceremony)

The timeline I was thinking is this-
1.Groomsmen get picked up by limo and dropped at church

2.Limo picks up bridesmaids, bride, and brides parents and brings them to church

3.Limo takes groomsmen, bridesmaids, bride and groom to reception venue where pictures will take place

4. Limo is done for the day and bridal party will ride home with their significant others/families in own cars


again, I have no idea if this is way off or right on, please give some samples of what worked for you.

If it helps it is a mile from my house to the church and less than a mile from the church to the reception so it isn't really much of a ride.

I don't believe there is a "right" way to do this, but how are you and your parents supposed to get home? How are your parents supposed to get to the reception? Does everyone in the bridal party have a SO who will be driving?

[Deleted User]

We have our photos ahead of time and the limo is just bringing the girls there. The guys are getting dropped off by someone who offered to do that. After the photos, the limo will take all of us to the venue.  Parents are figuring out their own rides to the venue. 

A comment on the size though, if you have 10 people, I recommend considering a slightly larger limo. Wedding and bridesmaids dresses can take up a lot of space. Also, one of our photographers said that they would like to be in the limo to take some candids. 

ILoveBeachMusic

For DD's wedding we rented a shuttle to transport the wedding party together to the church from the hotel then from the church to the reception venue. DD and SIL did a first look. H and I took a cab to the church and reception as did SIL's parents. We felt it was important as hosts of the reception to be at the cocktail party so we weren't involved in post-ceremony pictures other than the ones at the church (15 mins or so). We also weren't involved in many pre-ceremony pictures (none after the getting ready pics) which was why we didn't take the shuttle to the church. I agree that you need a larger limo since you have ten people in the WP including yourself and FI.

ei34

Ditto PP that if you have 10 people that need transportation, a limo for 12-14 may be better.  We had a 12-person limo for 6 people...dresses take up space, everyone was staying at the venue's adjoining hotel so they had overnight bags, it's more comfortable spreading out.  DH and some of our BP members dropped off cars at the hotel the earlier in the day, others their SO drove to the reception (since if you're taking a limo to, you still need a ride home). 
Your timeline looks good just make sure that the limo company/driver have a great GPS  because my timeline was the same and the limo driver managed to get lost between the church and my parents' house (where I'd gotten ready), and it's less than half a mile down one road between the two places.  My dad ended up driving my sisters and me. 

OliveOilsMom

We had a church wedding and no first look either.  We did what you are proposing to do.  We did make sure the limo we had was big enough to also transport our parents, WP and us from church to the reception venue.  We did max out our legal capacity from the church to the reception, but had 2 children as part of that, so that helped a bit.

Rides home from the reception were arranged ahead of time.  

The only problem in your plan that I see outright is how are your parents getting to the reception?

MobKaz

As parents of the bride, we took all our family pictures at the house prior to the ceremony.  The limo came to the house to pick up our daughter and her BM's to drive to church.  My husband and I drove ourselves to the church, the reception, and back home.  We wanted/needed a car at the reception because we knew we would be responsible for bringing any gifts and some decor back home with us.  We also did not need to be at the church as early as the bride and wedding party.

All the groomsmen got ready at a nearby hotel.  Once the girls were dropped at church, the limo picked up the guys and brought them to the church for photos prior to the ceremony.  This is also where the majority of the groom's family had their family photos taken.  The parents of the groom also drove themselves to the church and reception.

A shuttle took most of the wedding party to the hotel at the end of the night.  Those that did not stay over night had arranged on their own to have transportation at the reception, either through their SO's or another way. 

Lulawife

We did almost exactly what you are proposing. My H and his party got ready at our house about 4 miles from the church and our limo bus picked them up first and dropped them off then came to my parents house a mile away to pick up the bridal party and bring them to church. The entire group took the bus from church to the reception. Like PP, most of the group took the hotel shuttle after the reception, and those who didn't had arranged rides ahead of time. 

cowgirl8238

All of this is why my H and I decided screw it and just drove our own cars from place to place!  Most everyone was OOT but all were within driving distance and I offered to drive people if they need a ride in the morning etc.  It took a little coordination but overall wasn't near as complicated as some other weddings I (or my H) was involved in.

In general I think it is best to provide the transportation for everyone in the WP (GM, BM, Parents, etc) throughout the event.  If the limo is taking the parents to the church how are they getting to the venue?  And how is everyone getting home?  I don't think it is required, but it makes life easier if there is a shuttle that takes the same group to and from ALL parts of the wedding.

As long as everyone knows the transportation plan, and can arrange to be driven by friends/other family/etc then you're fine.