FREE DOWNLOAD!
If you have a large number of guests staying at a nearby hotel, it would be courteous to set up a shuttle bus to take them to the residence – and one to take them back again at the end of the night. It is appropriate to let all wedding guests (and not just hotel guests) know about this shuttle and its itinerary, so I recommend that you put the details on your wedding website. Guests who aren’t staying at the hotel may opt to park at the hotel and take advantage of the free and safe ride.
If you decide to get married in a house of worship, you may consider using buses or mini-buses to transport your guests the evening of the wedding. If the guests are using a hotel very close to the ceremony, you may only need to use a bus from the ceremony location to the home where the reception will be. If the hotel is not close to any of the wedding locations, it is courteous to offer transportation between all three places (hotel, ceremony and the home), particularly if many of your guests are not local to the area.
If you decide to use buses, you will need to make sure that the bus can actually get to the designated entrance of your event. Buses make much wider turns than the average car, and may not be able to navigate tight spaces around the home easily. When planning a route for any large vehicle, take note of the position and height of awnings, overhangs and other items near the driveway such as basketball hoops. And when considering the travel itinerary, note that large buses also travel at a lesser rate of speed than a passenger car. Depending on the restrictions of the travel plan, you may need to get a couple of mini-buses rather than one large coach bus. You should think about these things before you sign a contract with the transportation company, as they may not have the correct inventory for your needs; later changes to the contract may increase your costs.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stoops.
