WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...

polichik · July 2010

Title edited for too many acronyms. Sorry, I think this got long.

Up until a few days ago, we thought that FILs were going to take care of transportation for the wedding party during our pre-ceremony photos. We're going to a few different locations in Minneapolis with lots of one-way streets and tricky parking, so we were so grateful to be able to hire a limo or van with a driver. When we called them to confirm reservations, it sounds like they decided that they'd rather not cover it. Fine, totally their call, but now we're in a tough spot, since there's not any more room in the budget, and FI and I can't afford to hire a limo.

They had also mentioned providing transportation for guests to and from the reception to avoid some drunk driving episodes that have happened at previous weddings, and that's no longer happening as well.

I'm kind of lost about what to do about this. Our BMs and GMs won't have their own cars there, so we can't just ask them to drive to the photos. Has anyone used taxis? Do you think we should keep trying to find something for our reception guests to prevent DUIs, or should we just leave it to them? I'm worried my parents (the hosts) could be held liable if something happens.

Eek

danieliza1127 · July 2010

I don't think it's your responsibility to worry about your guests leaving the reception. They're adults.

As far as the wedding party and pictures, yeah that is a tough one. That really sucks that his parents backed out on that. I think taxis would end up being just as expensive as just hiring or renting a van in the end. Are you sure you can't afford to just rent a van or hire one? Also what about just you and your FI doing the pictures at those places instead of taking the whole WP with you?

LP11509 · July 2010

That sucks that your FIL's changed their minds. You seem to be taking it well though so kudos to you.

How many people are in your wedding party? We're renting a minicoach bus, and while it's still expensive, it costing us less than a limo would. Maybe you could check into that option? i'm just thinking it might require quite a few taxis, depending on the number of people, and it might be more compilcated.

As for transportation from the reception, honestly, your guests who are drinking are all adults and hopefully they are responsible enough to not get drunk if they drove. If they do make the decision to drink and drive, I would think it would be on them and not your parents - but I'm honestly not sure of how that situation is viewed legally. Maybe you can have the number of some cab companies on hand in case anyone needs to call one?

Kristin789 · July 2010

1. Pre-cere photos. Here are some ideas:
A. Go to a grandparent or aunt/uncle or someone else and ask them to pay for the transportation.
B. Ask the hotel where you have your rooms blocked if they can use their hotel van to transport your WP to these four locations on this particular day for two hours.
C. Call the local cab/taxi company and see if they have two of the van-style taxis that they could use to do this transport for two hours on a Saturday afternoon.

2. Tranporting guests to and from reception:
I have never heard of this in real life. People transport themselves to and from the reception. If you are truly worried about adults using a religious/spiritual event as a frat party to get totally drunk and then be so stupid as to drive, here are two suggestions:
A. Coffee bar. At the last wedding I went to, about 1 hour before the reception was to end, the venue turned on the lights in a corner of the room and opened a big coffee bar there. Several flavors of coffee, several flavors of cream, hot water for tea, etc.
B. Wedding insurance.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

Can you rent a van or something for the day? A 15 person passenger van is quite roomy.

I wouldn't worry about guest transportation. Wedding guests have been getting themselves to and from weddings forever. I don't go out to other fancy parties (like work parties) and expect a ride back if I overindulge. Maybe just have some business cards for cab companies in the area for people.

akhensley81 · July 2010

First, that was a really annoying thing for your FILs to do. It's one thing to decide against something they volunteered to do... but for God's sakes, tell someone when you make that decision! (My FMIL did this to me with our camo vests that she was supposed to make for us, and we ended up having to go over our budget on the vests to buy them.)

Definitely take care of transporation arrangements for the WP first. Try to figure out exactly what you can spend (even if it's not much), and then see what your options are. A taxi could work. A lot of limo companies in my area charge by the hour and you might be able to work your schedule around to minimize the amount of time you'll actually need the limo.

Would it be cheaper to rent a vehicle?

I decided against dealing with transportation for potentially drunk guests. It was starting to stress me out and I decided that people can arrange their own rides if they know they'll be drinking. So worry about that one last.

danieliza1127 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-wwyd-trying-not-nervous?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:c5c9b0ef-e0f8-4f75-bb67-abaad4f5bb11Post:7c6d616f-3367-416f-b392-31e1c9009f45">Re: WR: WWYD? Trying not to get too nervous...</a>:
[QUOTE] B. Ask the hotel where you have your rooms blocked if they can use their hotel van to transport your WP to these four locations on this particular day for two hours. C. Call the local cab/taxi company and see if they have two of the van-style taxis that they could use to do this transport for two hours on a Saturday afternoon.
Posted by Kristin789[/QUOTE]

Also good ideas! Most taxi companies have mini-vans.

kikibaby · July 2010

Well, you know people always say on here to not count on money until it's in your hand...

I would check with somewhere like Enterprise and see about renting a van. It may not be very expensive for 1 day, but you would need to get someone to drive everyone around.

polichik · July 2010

We have 11 members of the WP, so 13 counting FI and me. I'll definitely call the hotel... I hadn't thought about that! It's really tough since FI and I are strapped for cash as it is, since we're moving right before the wedding and don't have a lot of savings.

You guys are probably right about not worrying about the guests' transport... It just really sucks, since it's been a problem before for their side of the family. It's even worse because many of them are police officers, and I would just hate for something to happen. I should just let it go and let them deal, but it's been a worry during planning and I thought it was all set :P

I'm glad I have you guys. I'm such a dork, I'm tearing up about this :P

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

Also? I am hiring a guest shuttle, but it's mostly so my OOT guests don'e feel like they need to rent cars. I'm not worried about people driving drunk. At all. And my friends and family like to drink. I just know that they all know how to not drink and drive.

georgia_bride09 · July 2010

[QUOTE] A. Go to a grandparent or aunt/uncle or someone else and ask them to pay for the transportation. Posted by Kristin789[/QUOTE]

Coming from you, I am shocked by this sentence. Or is that one of those "Southern traditions" you're always talking about?

polichik · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-wwyd-trying-not-nervous?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:c5c9b0ef-e0f8-4f75-bb67-abaad4f5bb11Post:0c4cce1d-0f71-4e3c-8362-2a138b334306">Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...</a>:
[QUOTE]Also? I am hiring a guest shuttle, but it's mostly so my OOT guests don'e feel like they need to rent cars. I'm not worried about people driving drunk. At all. And my friends and family like to drink. I just know that they all know how to not drink and drive.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

I wish this were the case...

Lisa8888 · July 2010

That is horrible that your FILs backed out. Did your FI explain to them what a problem they have created? Did you have a contract with a limo place?

I think you have to just find the money and get a limo or bus. Normally you shouldn't be concerned about regular guest transportation. If your reception is in a regular venue, you wouldn't be responsible for any liability.

Kristin789 · July 2010

LOL at GeorgiaBride. I'm actually coming up with some modern ideas this afternoon.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-wwyd-trying-not-nervous?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:c5c9b0ef-e0f8-4f75-bb67-abaad4f5bb11Post:5c57a59e-990e-4ae4-828a-ff171c3f155a">Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous... : I wish this were the case...
Posted by polichik[/QUOTE]

:-/ Taxi numbers, then, I guess. So like 1/2 your guests are cops and the rest are lushes? Sounds interesting. :-P

Pirata13 · July 2010

And typically, the hall has insurance to protect themselves against lawsuits in case of accident. If your reception venue is the one providing the bartender, then the bartender/venue is the one liable. It's their job to cut people off if they feel it's necessary. Our venue has insurance, and they stop serving shots the last hour of reception if you have full bar (we don't, we're doing just wine & beer). So as long as your venue is serving the liquor and not your best friend, don't worry about it.

polichik · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-wwyd-trying-not-nervous?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:c5c9b0ef-e0f8-4f75-bb67-abaad4f5bb11Post:4b282de4-543a-4077-8dbb-1b12f2287693">Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous... : :-/ Taxi numbers, then, I guess. So like 1/2 your guests are cops and the rest are lushes? Sounds interesting. :-P
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

Ha, it's definitely not half and half. I know it's only a few people who might make some bad choices. I'm very excited to have all of our guests there, but this is just a worry that I know has come to a head before. Ugh.

squirrly · July 2010

Well, while most of the advice is good, do NOT go asking your family members for money. The only thing that might be remotely acceptable on that front is to ask if your FILs could cover the transportation for now and if you all could repay them over the next 6 months or whatever. A loan, since you hadn't budgeted for it.

carrieoz_76 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-wwyd-trying-not-nervous?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:c5c9b0ef-e0f8-4f75-bb67-abaad4f5bb11Post:5c261105-283e-403c-8542-0ec33d504cf9">Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...</a>:
[QUOTE]Well, while most of the advice is good, do NOT go asking your family members for money.
Posted by squirrly[/QUOTE]
In almost all cases I agree with this, but I had a really close relationship with one of my Grandmas (who's since passed away), and if this happened to me while she was still around, she'd have been ok with me asking. So if poli has someone like that and feels ok because of that relationship to ask, this might be an acceptable time to do it.

But yea, I wouldn't ask all willy-nilly. :)

amconnor · July 2010

This may not fit your situation but because I'm in a small town I've basically been able to rent out two taxis for a per hour flat rate ($50 per taxi per hour). Guests will have to make their way to the reception but from 11PM until 2 or 3AM there will be two cabs going back and worth from the reception site to the hotel where all out of town guests are staying. It might be worth inquiring about or just asking a cab company to have cars outside your reception site. If they are right there, your guests may be more inclined to use the service. GL!

polichik · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-wwyd-trying-not-nervous?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:c5c9b0ef-e0f8-4f75-bb67-abaad4f5bb11Post:66260cc6-5dbf-4e71-8d79-f900fca04bd4">Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...</a>:
[QUOTE]And typically, the hall has insurance to protect themselves against lawsuits in case of accident. If your reception venue is the one providing the bartender, then the bartender/venue is the one liable. It's their job to cut people off if they feel it's necessary. Our venue has insurance, and they stop serving shots the last hour of reception if you have full bar (we don't, we're doing just wine & beer). So as long as your venue is serving the liquor and not your best friend, don't worry about it.
Posted by Pirata13[/QUOTE]

This makes me feel a lot better. I'm still concerned from a safety standpoint, but this takes care of the liability issue.

And I like the idea of asking some cab companies to send some of their cars to our venue towards the end of the reception. That could definitely help.

sweetpea6603 · July 2010

I don't know about your area, but around here i can get a limo for $200 + tip for 3 hours, which isn't too terribly bad. And they will split the time say 1 1/2 hours for pictures, they leave, then come back at the end of the night to transport guests for another 1 1/2 hours.

WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...

Re: WWYD about transportation? Trying not to get too nervous...

Choose Another Board

Search Boards