Transportation Question

SandDD

I'm trying to figure out this transportation and needed some help.

We're getting married at the View next September. I will be getting ready at the Hotel in Nanuet, the boys will be meeting up at our place in N. Jersey (about a half hour away). We're going to be doing pics before and then going straight to the venue, so I haven't quite figured out how we'll be handling the process of getting everyone to the photo location (which I'm thinking will be the pier NYBride used) and then to the venue.

Should I have the boys just meet at the hotel and have the transportation take two trips over? That way they have their cars there.  They can check in at 3, and we're targeting first look at 4 so they can check in and leave immediately after.

Also, I know this may be a stupid question but, who did you provide transportation for?  Were your parents/in laws transported with your BP? I'm thinking we could just do 2 or three trips and take the essential family over for photos before, right? Does it stink having them wait for the transportation to do the loop back and forth?

kristinanddan

This is what we did:


Everyone got ready at the same hotel. The guys used the suite my parents reserved, which was just like the honeymoon suite where I got ready.

We got 2 limos - one picked up the guys to bring them to the photo site, then went back to the hotel to get our parents and the dates of our bridal party (so that they could have a ride to the ceremony, since none are from the area).
The girls and I took a second limo to the  picture site.
Both limos took us to the church, then the smaller of the two left.
After the ceremony we all rode in the bigger one to the reception, then had a shuttle bus back to the hotel at the end of the night.

mrsredmoose

We used a hotel in Nanuet and our venue was in Stony Point.  We had 2 limos and 1 shuttle bus.  One limo picked me and my BMs up at my house and took us to the hotel where the boys were already waiting.  We took some pics (that's when I saw my hubby for the first time) and then one limo took me and the girls and the second limo took the boys to the venue.  As we were taking our formal bridal party pics, the 2 limos went back to the hotel and picked up my Mom and our Aunts, Uncles and cousins to get them to the venue early for family portraits.  My Dad drove his own car and we had a car service for my husband's parents and SIL (they live in Orange so we didn't want them to have to stop at the hotel for no reason). 

Try to make a list of who you want/need to get where and see how many trips you can squeeze out of the limo (give yourself a buffer, especially if there is still costruction on rt 59). In your case, if most of the boys are steaming at the hotel anyway, have them meet you there so there cars will be there for the next day.  Are you having a shuttle for guests?  It's hard to plan this, especially when you consider your bridal party's partners- that's when the shuttle comes in handy. (In our case, the GMs carpooled and their wives came later with the cars, checked in and chilled out until the shuttle brought them to the venue. Most BM's partners were already at the hotel for the rehearsal dinner as they were OOT). 

Just Jen

We went a little atypical here... We didn't have a limo, but rather a classic car adn then a big-ass 55-passenger shuttle bus.

We all got ready at the same hotel. So:

1) Shuttlebus took boys over to church for Trip 1.

2) Shuttlebus came back and picked up rest of bridal party, their dates and our parents and took them to our church for Trip 2.

3) At the same time, classic car took me and dad to church.

After ceremony, Me and DH traveled in the classic car, and everyone else went in the shuttle bus to the reception venue.

We opted for the bus, rather than a limo, because we just had too many people to transport. Plus, we used that bus, along with another 55-passenger bus, to transport guests from the hotel to the reception and back.

TerriandJoe

We only had a rolls royce for us. Everyone else drove themselves. (The car picked me and my parents up at my house. DH drove his own parents to the church! and then we took the car to the reception.)

All the girls have given you some great ideas on how to coordinate. I'm no help for that area so I'm not sure how the time line would work.

But another suggestion would be to have one limo pick up you and your girls and a shuttle to pick up everyone else early. (Have the guys go to the hotel and check in and take the shuttle with all the important family members)

The limo with you girls and the first shuttle trip get to the picture area  first. In the meantime, the shuttle leaves and goes back to the hotel to get your guests. Takes the guests to your ceremony. reception site. Drops them off and them comes back to the picture site for the guys (and possibly girls) and important family. The limo can take you and your parents or you and your girls to the ceremony/ reception site site.

Then, depending on the size shuttle you get, the limo can leave and you have the shuttle to take everyone back to the hotel at the end of the night.

HTH! GL!