Transportation—really needed?

Guests including the wedding party have transported themselves to and from weddings on their own for decades. Don’t go into debt providing it.


Be aware that you will lose some guests with a gap longer than driving time between venues.

I think it depends - do you have two friends you'd be ok be designated on the day? I personally prefer all my friends and family are not required to do any driving so they can enjoy themselves, and having a person to drive us from place to place which is booked in advance would ease my mind.

That said, it doesn't have to be a limo or a classic car or anything fancy, just a driver. You can even get an uber etc, which I think now does allow you to book in advance - but I know I personally would feel better with it taken care of.

I think as long as you designate who will be driving, I think it should be fine.


My situation was completely different than yours but after we did first look photos with my husband, my husband drove me and him to our wedding venue. It was really fun just me and him

This would probably depend more on your social circle than anything, but the fact that your wedding party has to be in four different locations throughout the day is a lot. In my social circle, transportation is almost always included for the wedding party unless everything is at one place. I would double check with your wedding party that they’re good to carpool/find rides for each place and be prepared that you might have some significant others at the photo location if that’s their ride.

I was in a wedding and we had to get from her house to the church (20 min) to the photo location (20 minutes back to near her house) to the reception location (her grandparent's land in the next plot over from her house - 5 min) and the bridal party carpooled. It was no biggie since we knew it was happening ahead of time! They also had a pretty large wedding party and hiring transportation would have involved a party bus of some sort and the wedding was definitely done on a budget (I think they spent $8k all in?).

I think just talking to your wedding party and getting a feel for their opinions on it should be enough, but I personally wouldn't be offended by being asked to drive to myself and some other bridesmaids to each location.

I think if you’re requiring the bridal party to be at multiple locations, it is particularly nice to provide transportation. I’d be annoyed if I had to drive myself to another location for pictures, as a bridesmaid. It would also mean no getting ready mimosas or anything fun like that. Another reason people often provide transportation for bridal party is because they’re often on a different schedule than their partners— if I was in a bridal party where my husband wasn’t, he’d arrive separately to the wedding , so we’d already have a car there. So for me to have a car too would mean we’d both have to drive home at the end of the night, which is a drag. So, personally, I wouldn’t want to ask anyone in my bridal party to drive themselves— they’re already doing a lot for me that day.

I 100% think you need to provide transportation in the situation. Were you planning on volunteering specific numbers of your bridal party to drive? That’s really not fair.

I'd talk to your wedding party and see if people are willing to volunteer to drive - no one wants to be voluntold! Especially since they'd have their car to drive home at the end of the night - if all of your wedding party wants to let loose and drink at the reception, it would be best to provide transportation.

I was a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding and they had a limo drive us from the church to the photo spots and then to the reception and it was a lot of fun to hang out and have a drink in the limo! We also had time to kill after photos and before the reception, so the limo also took us to a bar where we chilled, had snacks, and played games.

If you have someone that can drive you (parents, friend, family member, etc), I’d save your money on hired transportation.

It's totally up to you! If you feel like you want to save then don't hire a transportation service. If you feel like you can trust someone to drive you from here and there then definitely designate someone to do so. My husband insisted we use a limo even though we were not that far from venue and hotel that we were going to stay at for the night.. So, because he really insisted on it he just went ahead and arranged it and payed for it lol.

I think this really depends on your bridal party members, how many drive, and what parking is like in all those venues.

I have never heard of the bridal party having to make their own way from place to place and personally, I wouldn't want to run the risk of 6 different people being in the right place and the right time - if it were me, that would stress me out a fair bit.

I think it will be more seamless for you and your bridal party to have transportation provided - it doesn't have to be a limo or a fancy car, just a car that will fit everyone and is driven by a third party so as to ensure everyone travels together and is where they need to be at the designated times.

View Quoted Comment To clarify some points people brought up:


My bridal party and I aren’t big drinkers so not drinking before the reception is not a problem. People will likely have a drink or two at the reception but this limo-type transportation wouldn’t be for after the reception anyway. We will have to hire a shuttle from the hotel for all guests (including bridal party + their significant others) to take after the reception. This transportation would only be for pre-reception events.
Also everyone drives and has a car. Parking is also readily available at each venue.
Another issue I see for taking a single transport vehicle (ie limo) is what does the bridal party do when the couple is doing their photos? I’ve heard that can take like an hour so I would think they would rather go back to the hotel or chill at the reception venue (they have a nice lounge area for this purpose) until FH and I get back. Wouldn’t having another vehicle make this more possible?

View Quoted Comment

In my own experience as a bridesmaid, we were with the couple all the time and travelled with them and simply mingled when we were not needed for photos. Getting around was seamless and we were not in the slightest bit phased by sitting around at times when it was just the couple having their photos taken together.

Personally speaking, from both the perspective of being a bridesmaid and now a bride, I am not a fan of the idea of having my bridal party separated during the day and having to make their own way from venue to venue, but in saying this, I have never seen or heard of any scenario but the bridal party being with the marrying couple throughout the day and travelling with them.

Ultimately it is entirely up to you and what you think is best for your bridal party.