Whether you’re transporting two people or twenty, your options are as open as the road.
The horse-drawn buggy, the stretch limo, the red ferrari your groom has dreamed of since childhood: The options for making an entrance are as endless as your imagination. Planners recommend booking at least nine months ahead for summer weddings, especially if your date falls in prom season. To help you get started, here are some bright transportation ideas from private rides for two to buses for the whole crew.
Old Hollywood
You’ve seen them in the movies, now you want one for the wedding. Most car services carry a few high-end antiques from the 1930s onward including Bentley, Jaguar, Packard and Rolls-Royce. Demand runs high for these vehicles, so experts suggest booking classic cars nine to twelve months in advance. SUGGESTION: A 1954 Jaguar or a 1939 Packard from Newport Limousine Service (newportlimo.net).
Motorless
Make your fairytale fantasy real. Gilded, plush and manned by a driver in eighteenth-century attire, a horse-drawn carriage can make your big day truly magical. Just keep in mind that the trip to the ceremony should stay under four miles to keep travel time reasonable. SUGGESTIONS: How about a two-horse, four-passenger buggy from New Deal Farm in Exeter (newdealfarm.com) or if you want something cheaper but just as rare, rustic and memorable, opt for a vintage pedicab from Newport Pedicab (newportpedicab.com).
Classic
Admired for their timeless look, these cars have become the go-to for getting there in style. For just the bride and groom, consider the Lincoln Town Car or stylish Mercedes and Audi luxury sedans. Or, shuttle the entire wedding party in stretch limos with up to fourteen-passenger capacities. These come with lots of amenities: leather seats, surround sound, wet bars and often complimentary champagne (ask your service to be sure). SUGGESTIONS: A thirteen-passenger Mercedes-Benz Executive Limo Sprinter from A Airline Express of Saunderstown (aairlineexpresslimousine.com) will give you room to spread out, or get cozy in a four-passenger Cadillac DeVille from Professional Limousine of Westerly.
With Friends
Transporting out-of-town guests? A Salon Coach comes with all the luxuries of a limo and carries up to thirty-five passengers, which also makes it great for bachelor/bachelorette parties. Slightly less upscale, but still sleek and comfortable, are mini coaches that transport twenty to thirty-five guests. SUGGESTIONS: Rockstar Limo of Cranston (rockstarlimo.net) has a Rockstar Bus with room for thirty, perimeter seating, a fridge and Wi-Fi, and they also have a thirty-five passenger Limo Bus with wet bars and flat screen televisions. If that’s too big, All Occasion Transportation (alloccasionlimo.com) of Cranston has a twenty-six seat luxury Minicoach in its fleet.
Old School
Are you two high-school sweethearts? Make a long drive memorable by planning one big bus ride — a school bus ride, that is. Think about it: They’re perfect for large parties, and your guests will never forget arriving at the wedding in that iconic yellow auto! SUGGESTION: Rent a forty-eight passenger school bus from Fisher Bus Inc., Somerset, Massachusetts (fisherbusinc.com).