One of the most important, and often overlooked, vendors that can make or break your wedding day is the transportation you choose. Getting lost on the way to the venue could make you late for the ceremony, or depending on an in-the-moment provider like Uber can leave you stranded on the most important day of your life. That is why we have Meagan Peter of Rockstar Limo on today’s episode to help you navigate the twists and turns of transportation—literally. Choosing professional companies that know where they can and cannot turn, etc., will save you time and some awkward moments on your wedding day. So buckle up, and let Meagan steer you in the right direction!
Meet Meagan.
My name is Meagan Peter and I am the general manager for Rockstar Limo. We provide chauffeured transportation, basically for groups of any size wherever your needs might take you. This will be my 15th wedding season!
So, you are an expert in the transportation department!
If only I could change the oil and change tires too!
Fair enough. So let’s get into it! Tell me about wedding transportation.
Transportation traditionally used to be just a limo that takes the couple to and from the church. Now there’s so many different aspects of transportation for a wedding day. We’re bringing wedding parties to and from a church or to and from a first look or photo session. Sometimes, we bring them to and from a rehearsal, a rehearsal dinner, or welcome party. And don’t forget, there’s also all of your guests. Especially if it’s a destination wedding or you have a lot of people traveling – we’re constantly doing guest shuttles as well.
What type of transportation do you offer in regards to the actual vehicle?
We have all different size buses that people use for transportation for shuttles, but they also will use school buses and we’ll contract that for them. Trolleys are the most popular vehicle because they can do double duty. You can use it for wedding parties for photos, and then also use it to shuttle guests since they’re large capacity. It’s easy to get in and out versus scooting around a smaller limo. Limos are kind of fading away.
And you still do limos?
Absolutely. Limos are still a classic look, and they’re still fun. And they have everything inside that you need. They look nice and pretty on the outside, but they’re Party Central on the inside. Party buses are easy to get too – and that’s the same thing. You never know what’s inside. And it’s kind of like a nice surprise when it shows up and you step in. I love seeing the reaction of people when they get in and out of party buses!
What is the most popular trend right now that you’re finding when it comes to wedding transportation?
I’d say trolleys. They’re definitely the most popular because they’re also good in our area. It’s a tourist location – and you’ve got 360 degrees of windows. So, when your guests are on board and getting shuttled, they can see the sights. We also love the back porch there too, so that the couple can take photos there. So couples love that aspect of it. Ours are fully enclosed. They’re air conditioned and not open air like a sightseeing tour trolley. You get that feeling of tourism, but you get that feeling of nostalgia and classic trolley vibe.
So, how about the logistics of these vehicles? We’ve got a lot of historic roads in this area.
Especially those cobblestone roads – you wouldn’t want to be a passenger in a vehicle going down a road like that. I try to tell people that, too. It’s like we know where our vehicles are allowed to go, the chauffeurs especially and that’s their license that’s on the line. So, they’ll give us a head’s up in advance if they can’t go somewhere. We’re familiar with the area and we’ll detail exactly where we’ll pick up everyone – down to the side of the building. Our drivers are positioning themselves in a way that’s safe for customers to get on and off. So there’s very specific locations they have to go to throughout the day. And sometimes people are like, well, why are you going to that hotel before that hotel? It doesn’t make sense. But, it’s because of the way that the bus has to leave. Basically, we’re saying that they have limitations and we’re aware of them all.
So interesting because that determines a lot in the timelines of a wedding day. A 15 minute drive is a little longer because of those limitations.
It is such a common thing that impacts timelines. A location may only be 2 miles down the road. But, do you know how long it takes to get 50 people in and out of a bus? Or, if you’re driving – you can turn right on a red light. But, you don’t want to do that with 50 people onboard in their formal wear. So, there’s more patience involved. And I can tell you right now, absolutely nothing in transportation takes five minutes. It always takes longer than what anybody thinks.
Where does a couple begin with planning and booking transportation?
So we start with a question: are you looking for wedding party transportation, guest shuttles or both? A lot of people didn’t even consider the other when we ask. So then we will go into detail about wedding party transportation. The most common scenario is a pickup for one side of the wedding party, drop off at the ceremony so that they’re there early. They’re greeting the guests as they arrive, and then we use that same vehicle, turn around, go to the other side of the wedding party. Then we bring them to the ceremony. They basically walk off the vehicle and down the aisle. We wait. Then, we get them all back in the vehicle afterwards to go wherever they want to go for photos and drop them off at the reception. That’s traditional.
You can replace the ceremony drop off with a first look or you can replace that first location. But, it’s usually a chunk of time and we tell people don’t worry about it right now, if you don’t know the exact details. That’s okay. We don’t expect you to know them until nine months to 12 months in advance.
A lot of times, as the photographer, we’re one of the first ones to be booked and we help with the timeline. Those timelines are based on the pictures needed and the family structure, as well as locations. But, we can’t build those timelines until later on – closer to the wedding. We have couples telling us they have to let their other vendors know right away, but the truth is that there’s time to share that timeline still.
Exactly. We don’t want your details 7, 8, or 9 months in advance because it will change so many times. You’re not leaving until that last person gets their hair and makeup done anyway. It’s revolving. The ceremony and reception have set times but the rest is just a chunk of time we’re blocking off.
So at the first initial call, someone does not need to know everything.
Right. We’ll get the best estimate of your day and we’ll base our estimate off of the ceremony time. Typically, if it’s a two o’clock ceremony, I go like an hour before for drop off. And after the wedding party stuff, that’s when we start to usually talk about the guests.
What are the guest options?
A lot of times, if their ceremony is at a church, and there’s a long gap between the ceremony and reception, they won’t always do guest shuttles to the church. Because by the time they pick people up, bring them to church, they get out of church, they get back on the bus, and go freshen up.. they basically have to get right back on the bus. It’s not a good use of time. Now, if they don’t have that much time, they’ll have guests find their own way to the reception. But, couples will still book options for the reception since that’s when people are drinking.
So what we do is ask them where they have their room blocks because that’s a huge part of the puzzle. Room blocks help you kind of gauge your guest counts. Sometimes it can be tricky to get them if you’re in an area that has lots of festivals or other events where you’re booking. Other people are booking rooms, too. So we suggest booking those in advance. But what we do is we ask you for your general hotel locations. Don’t worry about guest counts – just give a rough idea of how many people you think you’re going to transport. And we’ll book a vehicle for a chunk of time based on that. We’ll figure out the timeline later.
How does somebody when it is time to get the final count?
The hotel will give you the room block numbers and sometimes they’ll give you the exact rooming list. Depending on the hotel, they’ll just give you the number of rooms that are booked in your block. It’s important to know that it’s usually two people per room. When you’re giving the information, looking at your numbers. It’s not five rooms -it’s likely at least 10 people. We would highly, highly, highly recommend a transportation RSVP on your invitation.
Talk to me about this. This is one of my favorite things in the world.
It’s like yes, I want to go to the wedding. Yes, I’ll have the chicken and yes, I’m going to take the bus to the wedding.
So this is you’re starting to see something that’s a trend: to actually put on your RSVP if they will be using the transportation and where they’re staying.
You’re giving them options. Don’t open it up to say: do you want to ride, but not knowing where they’re staying and trying to figure it out.
I love that idea. So that’s a little nugget. So we talked a little bit about the actual RSVPs and for the guests, but what about people who are using it just for the immediate family or wedding party? What are some little tips that you can tell people?
For that, I would say check your numbers. A lot of people now have a form on their website for booking transportation, asking how many people are in your wedding party. I had to change that for Rockstar Limo. It’s not how many people are in your wedding party, but how many people are traveling with you plus each side of the wedding party. So you’ve got four bridesmaids? Well, one of those bridesmaids has a daughter, who’s your maid of honor is your flower girl. You’ve got grandma, who’s coming with you. Auntie Carol is, you know, a reader in the wedding… the numbers stack up.
You want to be able to make sure you’re including everyone who needs to be included. And don’t forget to count yourselves. That’s so important. But, it’s definitely more than just how many people are in your wedding party.
Can you talk about the budget for wedding transportation?
It can be tricky. So for a lot of people, it’s not cheap. Let’s put it that way. And we’ve all seen gas prices go crazy.
Yeah, actually talk to me about that. What did the wedding transportation industry have to deal with because of gas prices?
It’s been a crazy fluid situation. Everyone’s still getting married and during the pandemic, we would see smaller groups. It didn’t make sense to spend a large chunk of change for a larger vehicle with fewer people. A lot of people have just started to add a diesel surcharge depending on the location.
Is it common in your industry to get into a contract where there’s not set pricing? Because it depends on a gas prices or is there a surcharge?
I mean, transportation in general always has to factor in that fuel cost, because it’s always going to be there. So we’ve always had a service fee, which covers a variety of things – the overhead expenses of paying the chauffeur to prep, vehicle prep, waters or champagne inside. That service fee has always been there. What we do is have a tiered structure where if the fuel is at a certain point, then you may see a few less fuel fees to be added later. That’s at our discretion.
So, you said transportation isn’t cheap. Can you tell us more?
It depends on what you’re doing. But I mean, we have 50 vehicles. So there’s some of them that are like $100 a for like a transfer, but you’re looking to spend probably between $750 to $2,000 for one vehicle, depending on the size and depending on the timeframe. Sundays and Fridays or Thursday events have more flexibility, but holiday weekends, not really. It’s just the demand is there and it’s gonna book fast.
What about gratuity?
We roll it in as a convenience. But that is a good question. It’s discretionary. We put it in there so you don’t have to worry about another envelope at the end of the night. Our drivers are not accustomed to receiving tips – and you don’t see most of them the day of the wedding anyway. So they’re paid a higher wage. It’s they’re not expected to get 20% like the rest of them. So, if you want to throw them 50 bucks, go for it, they’ll appreciate it. But, it’s certainly not required.
So these chauffeurs are different from Uber drivers or taxi cabs, right?
Chauffeurs become part of your wedding day. They’re talking with you, offering compliments, giving you a mint. Your Uber driver isn’t going to be trained for wedding services. It’s not someone you should rely on. Look for those chauffeurs.
Just a quick disclaimer, please. What your guests do is your guests do. But for the VIPs – you, your family members, the important people participating, please do not rely on Uber for your wedding day. I cannot tell you how bad of an idea that is. These drivers don’t know the historic areas and aren’t always available, or have enough room for everyone.
It’s not worth it. You have planned SO long for this day and you don’t want to be stuck in the back of a random car.
So tell me a little bit about comparing apples to apples. How does somebody who’s not in the world that you’re in even understand if they’re getting the same price from one company to the other?
That is such a good point because someone may just look at the number and say we’ll go for the lower one because they’re on a budget. Understandable – but what are you actually getting? Check for fuel surcharges, gratuity, or are you expected to have an envelope at the end of the night. What about taxes or charges for travel time? Watch for travel time, especially. Some companies will charge for the time it takes to leave their garage and get to you. If you have a four hour block and they’re an hour away, you’re down two hours.
Ooh, that’s a good one. I didn’t even think about that.
Yeah, it’s common in some areas. Not all, but you never know until you ask. Something that we used to do is send people a sheet to help compare companies. But don’t forget to ask these questions: Do they have insurance? Every transportation company has a DLT number or Department of Transportation number printed on the side of vehicles. You can search those, make sure they’re valid and make sure they’re actually licensed and insured. You asked for a certificate of insurance for so many of your vendors. And I’m so shocked that more people don’t ask for transportation certificates.
Do you train your chauffeurs or is that outsourced?
Well, I would hope everyone would follow the same suit. But there are some companies that work with affiliates all over the country or all over the world. You’re managing your expectations as a company to make sure that your affiliates are providing the same level of service that you provide to your clients. We manage those expectations by vetting our affiliates. How they dress, if they’re trained in the vehicles they’re driving, and so on. We want to make sure that they are asking the same questions that our chauffeurs are asking.
We then match people up based on personality for wedding days or we match people up based on the location that they’re more comfortable with or more experienced with.
Let’s talk about the end of the night transportation.
So, we take the wedding party to the ceremony but after the reception, they’ll go home with whoever they came with. So you don’t need to really plan for transportation for the whole kit and caboodle that you brought over. Most of the time, I would say it’s really just the couple that need to account for themselves. A lot of people do like a getaway car and a grand exit. It just depends on what you’re looking for. But definitely don’t try to plan for everyone in the wedding party to have a ride back with you. They don’t want to go home with you, trust me.
At the end of the night, you’re dealing with people who have had fun. What happens if someone gets sick?
Oh, you mean if they have a little too much fun…Yeah. What we do here is a lovely thing called a cleaning fee per occurrence of sickness. It totally happens. People are sometimes mortified. They feel horrible. There’s sometimes that chain reaction as well. When one person gets sick and someone else gets sick.. we do have to charge for it.
Fair enough. And honestly, I would hope for you all who are listening, you don’t balk at that cleanup fee. Because if someone has to clean up your guests or your mess, it’s just how it’s paying it forward. It’s helping the next person who has to hop on that car because you would want it to be sanitized for you.
Exactly. You do not want a beer bottle rolling over your foot as you’re sitting in your trolley seat or something.
Wrap-Up Question
What are some key points that couples should be asking their transportation company when they are inquiring to make sure that they are working with a professional company to ensure that their wedding day is an absolutely perfect event?
Ask about all costs involved so there’s no surprises later and find out when payments are due.
Don’t forget about insurance. It’s great to know you know the color of the vehicle and the amenities, but you do want to make sure that they’re compliant with any kind of government and federal rules or requirements. They have the proper insurance for the vehicle and licensed chauffeurs.
Finally, you want to confirm when everything needs to be finalized and who is finalizing it. If they should be the one that’s taking care of that and working with you and helping you to determine the schedule.
What We Discussed
Meet Meagan (2:19)
Wedding Transportation RSVPs (13:47)
Surcharges (17:34)
Ubers and Wedding Days (23:22)
End of Night Transportation (36:40)
Wrap-Up Question (38:54)
Links Mentioned in the Episode
Find Rockstar Limo at Website | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook
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