Wedding Transportation

Do not underestimate this task! Arranging wedding transportation for your guests can prove to be a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, we’ve been there and done it and know the pitfalls. This hack will save you (literally) hours of needless correspondence and prevent any transportation disasters from occurring on your wedding day. Trust me, your guests not being able to get to your wedding is one of the most stressful things that can happen on the day. Here is how to avoid it and make sure everything goes smoothly.

1. Download our Wedding Planning spreadsheet – complete the guest list

Download our wedding planning spreadsheet(if you haven’t already) and go to the tab titled “Guest list 2”. Ideally, you should have completed this already. If you haven’t sent your invitations yet, do this as soon as you can and put a box for them to tick if they require transport. Alternatively, you can ask your email list/facebook conversation with all your guests. When you have all the responses, add the info into the column titled “Need transport?” and add contact numbers for all guests who require transport.

2. Count total number of guests

This step is pretty easy. Count the number of people in the ” Need transport?” column who have confirmed they need transport.

Tip: Pass this spreadsheet onto a bridesmaid or best man. If there are any problems with the transport company on the day of the wedding, this will allow them to easily contact all the affected guests.

3. Download our Guest Transport spreadsheet

4. When do you need to arrange transport for?

There are 3 main times on your wedding day when you may need to arrange guest transport:

To collect guests from a central location and take them to your ceremony venue. This is mainly if your ceremony venue is in a difficult to reach place.
Between the ceremony venue and reception venue. If your ceremony venue and reception venue are more than 5 mins walk away from one another you will probably need to arrange transport between them.
To return guests to a central location(or near their house) at the end of the night. Again, this is mainly only needed if your reception venue is in an area with no transport options. A coach company may be willing to take a route with a few drop-off points to deliver your guests near their homes.

Once you have determined the transport options you need to provide, it’s time to email your guests.

5. Create email list – contact all

Create a new email list(or Facebook messenger conversation) with only the guests who require transport. Contact them all and ask whether they require transport:

a) to take them to the ceremony venue?

b) between the ceremony venue and the reception venue?

c) to return them to a fixed location at the end of the night?(this would be if your reception venue is in an area with no transport options)

d) a selection of the above

As you receive responses, add them to the Guest Transport spreadsheet.

6. Ask your venue if they cater to coaches?

Some venues may have small entrances which can only cater to small vehicles or may not allow larger vehicles on their grounds. Check with your venue if they have any restrictions.

7. Contact transport companies

Do a Google search for some local transport companies and send them all the following email:

“Good afternoon,

I am emailing to enquire whether you could provide a [number of guests] seat coach on the date of [your wedding date] to provide transportation for my wedding guests.

The trips I would require would be:

[number of guests] going from [location A] to [location B] at [time]

repeat further trips if needed

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks”

8. Receive replies and work out best price

As you receive replies, add the details to the Guest Transport spreadsheet and work out the best price.

9. Make the booking

Book the transport company and make sure to get an email confirming all the details.

10. Email list to advise of pick up times/locations

Finally, send an email to your email list confirming all the details(pick up times/locations) and transport company name so they know what to look out for. You may even want to send them your guest transport spreadsheet so they have all the details and they know who else is travelling with them.

Follow these 10 steps and you will successfully book your guest transport with as little effort as possible and will have secured yourself in the eventuality of something going wrong with the transport company on the wedding day.