Top wedding transport tips

Your guide to a smooth ride

Getting the wedding transport right involves a little planning. You might want to bear a few key points in mind when you decide what to have.

• Wedding transport should be in keeping with the rest of the wedding. If you're planning a very sophisticated event, turning up in your dad's old banger won't hit quite the right note. 
• When hiring a car, make sure you see it before booking or paying a deposit. Photos and leaflets don't show marks, dents or a scruffy interior. 
• The wedding car will be the backdrop for wedding photos, so make sure the colour doesn't clash with the bride's bouquet or the bridesmaids' dresses. 
• Buy the ribbon for the front of the car well in advance and ask a reliable (and handy) member of the bridal party to attach it to the car on the day. This can be surprisingly fiddly, so for a professional result, practice is essential. 
• If you're using your own car or borrowing one from a friend or relative, have it valeted before the big day. You don't want to have to scramble over empty crisp packets or end up sitting on the dog's blanket! 
• For a stylish effect, colour co-ordinate the ribbon on the car with your flowers and/or the general colour theme of your wedding. 
• In the excitement of booking your car, don't forget the other members of the bridal party. You will also need transport for your mum and the bridesmaids. 
• If you're going on honeymoon straight after the wedding, remember that you'll have to take your luggage with you to the reception. Taking care of all these practicalities is traditionally the best man's job, so liaise with him to ensure that all goes smoothly on the day. 
• Have a bottle of Champagne chilling on ice in the back of your car for a post-ceremony celebratory drink as the pair of you travel between the ceremony and reception. 
• Always remember to confirm any bookings the week before the big day -- you don't want to find out that your vintage Rolls has been double-booked on the morning of the wedding!