10 Cost Savings Tips for your Wedding Limousine

The wedding limousine has been part of the American tradition at weddings for over half a century. When a young lady hops into the wedding limousine the moment hits her that she is transitioning into a new life. On the ride to the wedding ceremony, the bride often reflects on her past life and all the events that leads her to this special moment. It's the one day in your life you want everything to go perfect and that includes the ride that brings you to the altar.

You want to start out by renting from a limousine company that has experience and has focus on weddings. You might not believe it, but many limousine companies will send your limousine driver to the airport to pick up a business client and if the plane gets in late, the limousine driver may be late for picking you up for the wedding, you may end up with another limousine driver or the limousine driver may not show up at all. Limousine companies are notorious for lame excuses if they miss their appointment. The bottom line is to find a limousine company that is dedicated to your wedding and stay away from the companies whose priority is to the business clientele at the airport.

Also to note, even though GPS is now available in many limousines, always have all the routes you want the limousines to travel written out with the times, fax the directions to the limousine company and have the directions on or near the bride and groom and available to give to the limousine driver, on the day of the wedding. You may never know, but you could get an alternative limousine driver who has none of the directions, your anticipated limousine driver is stuck at the airport. Having extra directions could very well save the day.

The following are 10 cost savings tips for your wedding limousine on your wedding day:

Tip 1 - Make Sure You Hire a Transportation Company that specializes in Weddings
The limousine companies that specialize in weddings have limousine drivers that have trained in proper wedding day etiquette. These drivers know the routes they are suppose to go, are on time for all their appointments, dress the part, act professionally, know when to have a conversation and not, and help all bridal members in and out of the car. A good wedding limousine company has limousines that stand out for weddings and chauffeur drivers that will leave a positive image to the bridal party and to all the wedding guests. Some limousine companies are most geared to business clientele and these companies change the appointments for their drivers constantly. You want a company you can count on for your wedding day.

Tip 2 - To the Ceremony, Bridesmaids, From the Ceremony. Married Couple
For a bride getting ready for the wedding, have all the bridesmaids meet at her home and ride from the bride's home to the church or ceremony location. After the wedding, let the newlyweds ride the limousine. Let the bridesmaids team up in other cars possibly with the groomsmen partners. Make sure you are getting a great deal for you only need the same limousine, you just are using different riders.

Tip 3 - Consider Using a Family or Friend's Fancy Sedan
If a family member or friend has a roomy backseat that can accommodate a bride's wedding dress, maybe they can let you borrow their car for your wedding day. Make sure the car is spic and span. Assign a friend to drive the car with the owner's okay. The car has to look the part of a wedding limousine. The owner might feel honored that you are borrowing their car for your special day.

Tip 4 - Go with the Smaller Limousine
You don't have to necessarily get a large limousine for your wedding. You can get a smaller limousine but the limousine needs to have enough room to leave enough room for the wedding dress. You want to make the decision based on the type of dress a bride will be wearing. The last thing you want is a rip or tear or dirt getting on the dress for the bride's wedding day. If you are looking to save money, you don't have to go prestigious, you can go for a smaller wedding limousine.

Tip 5 - Don't Use a Limo After the Wedding Reception
A typical wedding reception often lasts between 4 and 5 and a half hours. Having a wedding limousine hanging at the wedding reception can get a little bit costly. If the bride and groom aren't directly off to their honeymoon from the wedding reception, it might save quite a bit of money to not use the wedding limousine later. You could arrange to have someone special such as an uncle, to drop you off to the hotel. The limousine did it's part getting you to the ceremony on time and to the wedding reception and you got pictures. Save some money and don't book the limo for the bulk of the day.

Tip 6 - Consider a Fancy Rental Car
You might have never thought of it, rental car companies now have cars that look similar to limousines. As you begin your search for a wedding limousine, check out what rental car companies have to offer. You might just find a vehicle that will suffice as your wedding day limousine. You could have a family member or friend dress up as the chauffeur and you have a vehicle that can handle your wedding weekend needs.

Tip 7 - Use a Party Bus or Trolley over a Few Limos
Party Buses and Trolleys today are designed for fun. They tend to be cheaper to get all the bridal party to where they need to be and are a fun experience. Party buses and trolleys will likely be cheaper than renting a few separate limousines and the keep the whole bridal party together. Don't go to a transportation company and ask just about limousines. If you have to move many bridal members ask them about party buses, trolleys, vans, and regular buses and find the vehicle they will best meet your needs.

Tip 8 - If it's a Long Wedding Reception, Book the Limo Twice
If the wedding reception is going to be longer than 4 hours, you probably would save money if you book the limousine twice. Also after the wedding reception you should book a smaller limousine, but that depends if you are wearing the wedding dress, also you may need to consider a more roomier limousine in the event the wedding gifts need to travel with you. When you book the wedding twice, you are better off on padding the time a little, you never know what can happen at the wedding reception, dinner could be delayed, speeches and toasts can go longer than anticipated, there might be relatives that want to talk some, and time might be needed for the couple's first dance, bride father dance, groom mother dance, and finally the bouquet toss. It's always better to book the limo late than a little too early.

Tip 9 - Inspect Your Personal Limo and Driver Before Booking
When you book your limo, to be safe, you should get to know your driver beforehand and have a little knowledge of their background beforehand. You should also know the limousine that's going to be picking you up, insist on a limousine you like, if the limousine company wants your contract, you should demand the exact limo that you want and if the limousine company can't accommodate your wishes, there are many other limousine companies that will want your business. Also, when you check out your limousine, if you know of a mechanic bring them along at your appointment. Check your limousine out 3 times, when you book, a week before the wedding, and the morning of or the day before the wedding.

Tip 10 - Make Sure the Limo you Book is 3 Years of Age or Less
A good limousine company keeps up to date on the limousines they use. Limousines often pile the miles quickly and get a lot of wear and tear. If you have a limousine that is more than 3 years, at this point there is a greater chance of the limousine of breaking down. For your wedding day, you want to reduce the risk of your vehicle breaking down, you don't want to leave things to chance for any possibility of your wedding limousine breaking down on your wedding day and ruining your wedding.

Also, many limousines offer extras such as champagne, liquor, beer, and bottled water. Fully understand the extra charges that go with the limo, understand all that is included in the contract and what things are not included before you sign on the dotted line. Enjoy the ride in your wedding limousine and reminisce thinking about your family as you begin a special moment in your life.

See you on the other side!