When thinking about booking a traditional or vintage wedding car, one might be forgiven for thinking “it’s as simple as hiring a car isn’t it?” It can become much more involved than that, or not, depending on what the theme for your wedding is, and which company you hire.
The most important factor is the theme of the wedding. The classic chicken & egg puzzle applies here. What are the variables involved with the wedding so far? Some may need to build the wedding theme around what is available. For example, if you are having a traditional wedding and decide to have the popular Rolls Royce cars then you probably could take your pick of companies to hire. On the other hand, if you are wanting that extra special class with a vintage Bentley or similar, then they are much rarer and you will need to book far in advance to secure your booking. The vintage wedding car is currently a very popular choice. Others may already have set their heart on a theme and they will just have to get what is available.
Once you have decided on your theme, whether it is traditional or specially themed such as Medieval, you can look at what is available. Knowing the date will narrow down the search as there are a lot of wedding hire companies, but you can only hire what is available on that day.
Nobody wants to arrive at the church late (apart from the obligatory 5 minutes for tradition). One major problem with older cars is that they breakdown. Classic cars such as the 50s & 60s Rolls Royces & Bentleys and even more so, the vintage wedding car (20s & 30s cars), are extremely expensive to maintain. With all the best maintenance and good will in the world we cannot ignore the fact that wiring and internal components can be old & tired which is a breakdown waiting to happen. Very few wedding cars have undergone a full nut & bolt strip down & restoration. If you have the choice, book the car that is fully restored. Another option for the vintage cars is to look at the replicas available. Offering the best of both worlds. With their brand new, pristine interiors and bodies they feel fresh and luxurious. The immaculate new, replica body shell fitted to a modern chassis with modern reliable mechanics including engine, gearbox, brakes & suspension mean that reliability is not an issue. They look & feel like King George himself owned them in 1925 and you know you are going to get to the church. There are two very popular vehicles in the wedding market, the Beauford and the Regent.
Some people do not even consider the ease of access into the wedding car. Can you imagine trying to fit that traditional wedding dress & train into the back seat of a normal saloon such as a Jaguar. Rolls Royces & Bentleys aren’t too bad. The natural styling of the vintage wedding car lends itself to resolving this issue. The Regent is exceptional in this area due to the wide rear doors and the very spacious rear seating area. The Beauford does come in much tighter but isn’t an issue if the dress isn’t too large.
Some companies appear to pick you up, drive you to the church, then on to the reception. The driver may be dressed smartly and is efficient but never the less, this is not much more than a taxi service would offer… Other companies recognise that this is a once in a lifetime event which is incredibly important to the bride & groom and they need to feel special – all day! The better companies have some extra special touches to facilitate this. A period dressed chauffeur, Champagne, chocolates, flowers etc. Some companies even throw this in at no extra cost, with upgrades for the more discerning palette.