Cutting Transportation Costs

If you're reading this, i'm assuming you're engaged and planning your dream wedding! Now that you have your venue, caterer and maybe even your dress, it's time to start thinking about how you and your bridal party are going to get to and from your ceremony and reception. There are many options when it comes to means of transportation, so we'll discuss a few as well as how I completely cut the cost of transportation altogether.

First, the most traditional means of wedding transportation is of course by limo. Whether it's a standard black limousine, a stretch Hummer, limo-bus, vintage car or even a horse-drawn carriage, the odds are, it's going to cost you several hundreds of dollars. Typically, the bride, her bridesmaids as well as the mothers will ride in one limo while the groom, groomsmen and fathers ride in the other. Some choose to work things a little differently, but that is the most common. According to Wedding Wire, the average amount that brides and grooms spend on transportation is $750, but most spend between $500-$1,087! To some, this price might not seem so bad and it may be worth ditching the hassle of having to arrange other rides, but to others on a budget, these numbers can downright make you cringe.

Another way to get to your wedding and back home is Uber! Apparently this is a growing trend for the modern day bridal party. If you're like me, you may find this hard to believe, but hey, it's cheap and it gets you to where you need to be safely. Most bridal parties choose to consume alcohol while getting ready for the wedding, and typically this party continues through the reception, and sometimes even an after party. Please always keep in mind that you should of course never drink and drive, so if you cannot afford the traditional limo service, you should definitely consider Uber!

The final way I will discuss is actually the method Brad and I chose. We simply told our bridal party that everyone needed to find their own way to the wedding. What we ended up doing actually worked out flawlessly! All of the girls got ready at Brad's mom's house, so a few bridesmaids and moms volunteered to drive the rest of the girls. Once the night ended, the girls left with their family or their dates, and the guys also did the same thing. However, once the night ended, Brad and I were left wondering how WE were going to get home haha Our venue was about a mile from our apartment, so the walk wouldn't have been too bad, but it was 1:00 am and we were exhausted. Luckily, Brad's cousin Ben, (he was also a groomsman), and his wife Erin offered to give us a ride home! With me being such a planner, I do not know how a detail as important as the bride and groom getting home slipped through the cracks, but it's safe to say, it all worked out!

Shoutout to Ben! Thanks for the ride home haha (Brooke Mattingly Photography)

In conclusion, I must say that I do not regret not having hired transportation. Arranging our own rides worked out perfectly, and all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were 100% on board with the idea. To me, it was definitely worth ditching the $500-$1,087 worth of transportation costs. However, your means of transportation is ultimately up to you! Your wedding is such a special day, so if you have room in your budget, why not have the limo experience? At the end of the day, no matter which method you choose, you will get to and from your wedding, and have the day/night of your dreams.

Until next week...

xoxo

Gabby