Renting a Wedding Limo: Tips from Someone Who's Been There

Well, my wedding could have gone a lot smoother, and it's pretty much all owing to the limousine rental company. In an effort to both vent my personal sufferings and prevent potential future ones for innocent and ignorant brides, I've compiled the following list of things to be aware of when renting a limo for your wedding. First off, I'd better tell you that I'm pretty cheap. I wanted the least expensive service possible. I didn't think that would also imply the least competent service possible.

Limo services don't rent for just one hour. I thought it would be a great idea to rent a cheap limo for an hour's service during my wedding. It was a small ceremony, and I basically just wanted a big white car to be sitting out in front of the church for Steve and me to run to while being pelted with bird seed. What the limo service didn't tell me was that not only was I to pay for my own personal use of the limo, I had to rent it for any time period that the car may be waiting-or not being rented by someone else. Most limo companies, I have learned, ask you to reserve at least 3 hours for a wedding. That was how long my rental ended up being. Paying triple the amount I was expecting was NOT what I had in mind.

If your wedding is in the spring, plan FAR in advance. I thought a springtime wedding would be beautiful, with flowers blooming and birds singing. However, I didn't think about the springtime being PROM season. By the time I got around to renting a limo, around 5 months before the wedding, I had an excruciatingly difficult time even finding a limo service, let alone at a reasonable price. Rentals skyrocket during Prom season, and I was not prepared. When I finally found a service that could take me, I jumped on it. Subsequently, I ended up with by far the worst possible limo I could have dreamed of. -Not good on what's supposed to be the best/happiest day of your life. I learned later that most limo companies suggest that spring marriages plan at least a year in advance for securing the limo.

Get a contract! Thank goodness I had this thing. I've heard that if you don't get a contract with your limo provider, there's no insurance that they'll actually show up. And who wants to ride away from the relatives in a Volvo with tin cans tied to it? Nobody, that's who.

Multiple limos require advanced planning. This wasn't an issue for me, but if you're planning to have multiple cars to transport everybody, you should MAKE SURE that your selected rental company can handle that far in advance. Think how odd it would look if you had a caravan of a stretch limo, a stretch Hummer, and one of those bus things riding down the road to the church or reception. Unless you're going for that kind of look. Plus, the different cars are priced very differently. Stretch SUVs can come as much as $1000/rental, where the regular white cars are usually from $250-$350.

Consider the size of the limo. Fortunately, my bridal party was really small. The service said the car could hold 10 people, but that didn't factor in the mountains of tulle and bouquets that are built into your typical wedding party. We barely got 6 people in there. If your wedding party is large, plan accordingly. And remember it gets hot when everyone's overdressed. So, you should probably just assume that the rental company is embellishing the truth a bit and opt for the bigger limo if you have any doubts as to whether you'll all fit.

Well, that's what I learned through the whole fiasco. In the end, despite a few setbacks, my wedding really was the happiest day of my life. You can't let the little nuisances get you down. But hopefully, this list will help any future couples out when they begin planning for their big day. I mean, it can't hurt.

If you are considering using a wedding limo service, Yodle Local can help you find reliable, luxurious limo services in a city near you.

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