Reliable transportation for your Colorado wedding is an important piece of the timeline puzzle. I'll be blogging about your wedding day timeline soon, but today, we are chatting limos, vintage cars, helicopters, UBER, and more!

When do you *NEED* transportation for your Colorado wedding? If you answer YES to any of these, you might consider hiring a professional company or driver to handle things for you:

Your getting ready rooms, ceremony, and/or reception are taking place in multiple locations over the course of the day
Your wedding is in a busy city area where parking is limited and sparse
You have a huge wedding party and need to easily move everybody from point A to B
You want to go off-site for photos
You plan to drink or partake in other legal recreation
You want to make a grand entrance or exit
You want more time to celebrate with your wedding party and/or partner
Your venue is in a hard-to-access or hard-to-find location
You have a lot of out-of-town family who would love not having to drive themselves
You want to because it's FUN!!!!

Wedding Day Transportation - Colorado Wedding Planning Tips & Advice

Read on for ideas and advice on choosing wedding day transportation for your Colorado wedding! Here are some FAQ to get us started:

_______________

At my friends wedding, the van driver was LATE. So late, that everything ran behind after that. Any advice?

Yikes! I've heard this play out so many times. While there are no guarantees with anything, professionalism and track record rules in the wedding transportation field.

If you are looking to hire a transportation company for your Colorado wedding, don't just shop on price. Low price often = overbooked drivers, poorly maintained vehicles, and unprofessional standards in contracts, invoicing, and appearance. This is definitely not a gamble you want to take on your wedding day!

If you are working with a planner (like me!), we can guide you towards companies that we have worked with and trust.

_______________

What are some common wedding day transportation hangups?

Great question! One of the biggest ones that tends to pop up is actually related to the timeline. People often don't consider that it not only takes 12 minutes to drive from point A to point B, but it also takes 15 minutes to rally people from the hotel room to the car, load everybody up, find out that the photographer doesn't have a seat, wait for a bridesmaid to run back up and get her bouquet, drive, unload, and get started.

Make sure that the 'transportation' pieces of your wedding-day timeline includes buffers for getting to the car and loading up, not just the actual 'drive time' listed on Google maps.

________________

Transportation sounds expensive. I don't want a limo. Can we just DIY this?

Wedding day transportation is one of those things that may not be super fun to spend money on, but it can really help a lot with making sure people get where they need to be in a stress-free way. For some weddings, DIY is absolutely fine - for others, it becomes a massive headache and that is the last thing you want. Read on for tips and ideas, and no, you don't have to use a limo!

Party Buses & Trolleys

Party buses and Trolley's are a great spot to kick back with your wedding party as you move from getting ready through the reception. They offer everything from lights & champagne and TV's to open air guided tours of the city.

Your driver will know some great portrait spots, and will work with your photographer to hit up a few great locations along the way. This is not only super fun, but makes sure that EVERYBODY gets where they need to be at the same exact time.

Limousines

A limo on your wedding day is a classic option for some especially formal weddings. Limousines run the gamut from your standard stretch limo (perfect for a romantic exit from your reception), to more of a party-oriented limo that will easily seat your entire wedding party on the way to the reception.

Classic Cars

Classic cars make for a PERFECT portrait opportunity, and believe it or not you can rent classic cars for your wedding in Colorado! A Bentley or Rolls Royce may be perfect for a more classic and traditional wedding, while a vintage farm truck would be great at a Colorado farm wedding.

Self-Transportation

Self-transportation can include everything from arriving to your ceremony or first look on your private boat, to driving yourself in your regular car.

Don't be afraid to think outside of the box here! Does your Uncle own a gorgeous muscle car that would give you some bonus memories? Can you make your grand exit in your own convertible? Is there a vintage truck in your family that can be parked at the venue for photo opportunities?

Perhaps you are a helicopter pilot and can leave your wedding ceremony together in grand fashion (yes, this has been done!).

If you are choosing to transport yourself on your wedding day, or forgo all forms of professional transportation, make sure you've covered all the details (see below for tips and advice!).

Vans

Vans are a phenomenal, budget friendly option for moving LOTS of people. If you need to move not only your wedding party, but guests as well, transport vans are the perfect choice.

When working with a transport company, talk to them about how many vans are needed to move all of your guests from point A to point B, and then make sure that guests are also well aware of where they need to be and when.

Vans can even be used to transport guests to off-the-road ceremony sites and gondolas.

(I can help with this! Get in touch and as your wedding planner I can help walk you through the process of hiring and coordinating vans and transportation for your Colorado wedding).

4-Wheel Drive

Believe it or not, some off-road Jeep tour companies can and WILL transport you and your guests to insanely private and gorgeous locations for your wedding ceremony.

Consider this option if you are getting married in a Jeep-friendly spot (think, Ouray, CO or Moab, UT) and want your wedding ceremony to be as stunning as it is private! This option may not be for the faint of heart, but it is a unique and memorable choice for adventurous souls who want privacy and incredible views.

UBER

I wouldn't recommend UBER for any time-sensitive transport requests that require moving a lot of important people (example, getting mom, bride, and two bridesmaids to the ceremony in time!) however it can be a great option for leaving the venue after the reception, especially if you are in a busy Uber-friendly area and have been drinking.

UBER is a free app for your phone that allows you to request transportation in real time. If a driver is available and interested, they will pick you up and take you where you need to go.

Many couples choose to leave their reception this way (and encourage their guests too as well) to keep themselves, and the roads safe after a long day and fun-filled reception!

Tips for DIY wedding day transportation

If you decide to forgo professional wedding day transportation, read on for tips and advice.

Make sure your car is clean (you don't want to get the dress or suits dirty!)
Full up the tank! The last thing you want to worry about is being low on gas during an already jam-packed day, so fill it up the day before
Check the map. Make sure you know where you are going and don't add stress to your day by getting lost - especially if you are going places where GPS signals may be weak
Have a back-up plan for if something happens (you know how cars don't start when you have somewhere to be, or traffic is backed up when you are running tight on time? Yeah, about that. . .)
Check the parking situation; make sure finding and paying for parking won't add to the stress of your wedding day
Think about your wedding party, guests, and family. Are they going to need help getting places? Is there enough room in the available cars to move everybody (including the photographer, and other vendors if needed)? Are the people you love going to be able to have a stress-free day too?
Consider how you will get the cars and people back to where they belong, if carpooling was part of the plan
Make sure your timeline is written to allow plenty of time for driving, traffic, parking, and moving from the car to the next place. If you need help with your timeline, let's chat!

Colorado Wedding Day Transportation

For personalized recommendations on choosing, hiring, and working with wedding day transportation options, send me a note and let's chat about planning options!

I would love to look at your ideas and offer some hands-on advice for the kinds of transportation you may want or need for your Colorado wedding, as well as recommendations to my personal favorite & highly recommended transport vendors.

I offer day-of and full-service planning and would love to be a part of your amazing day!

Leave a comment below! Did you hire transportation for your Colorado wedding? Do you have any tips, advice, or fun stories to share?

Colorado Wedding Planning - Get in Touch