~* Ash *~
Lu and I aren't exactly "limo people."
Or even this car that I'm not sure what it is, but my cousin saw it at a car show and thought it'd be up our alley:
Don't get me wrong, limos are beautiful, elegant, and traditional... especially for weddings. They break out the red carpet, the champagne, and the whole nine yards. However, true to our style, we wanted something beautiful, elegant, and... different.
A limo came with our package at the Atrium, so we figured that we might as well take advantage of it. That is, until we went to a tasting at the reception venue and found out that our package had been changed to include videography.
Technically, our package was the same but the events coordinator told us that we could substitute videography for the limo. Since Lu's mom really wanted us to have a videographer and Lu and I weren't the biggest fans of a traditional limo in the first place, our immediate response was, "Let's do it!"
A limo came with our package at the Atrium, so we figured that we might as well take advantage of it. That is, until we went to a tasting at the reception venue and found out that our package had been changed to include videography.
Technically, our package was the same but the events coordinator told us that we could substitute videography for the limo. Since Lu's mom really wanted us to have a videographer and Lu and I weren't the biggest fans of a traditional limo in the first place, our immediate response was, "Let's do it!"
So we began our search for something "different."
We immediately found a company in DC, Regal Limousines, that rents classic Rolls Royce and Bentley limousines for only $95/hour with a two-hour minimum and a 20% gratuity. Perfect!
We immediately found a company in DC, Regal Limousines, that rents classic Rolls Royce and Bentley limousines for only $95/hour with a two-hour minimum and a 20% gratuity. Perfect!
However, like most things in the Wedding Industrial Complex, "perfect" comes with a footnote. When we emailed the company, we were quoted $918 for four hours... without gratuity. Huh?
Well, it turns out that there's a "maintenance fee" for the car that makes the actual rental double the price on the website. They call it "preservation," but I call it "false advertising."
Not to be deterred, we emailed local car clubs and contacted various car lovers that we know and found these classic beauties for a fraction of the price that we were quoted before:
1954 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible:
1951 Cadillac Fleetwood:
Lu and I are actively considering all of these cars for our reception. We're leaning toward the Eldorado. Maryland weather in October can be fickle, but a classic black convertible with red leather interior.... What says elegant-funky-vintage better than that?!
This is a really good idea! I have a vintage wedding theme and my fiance' and I have been searching all over for a classic car for our wedding. We, too, called Regal and received the same false advertising. I really do not want to get a regular limo. When you emailed the clubs, what did you say? I would like to see if I can get a classic car for my wedding that way as well! Thanks!!
Congratulations! We went with a man named Richard Sisson, the owner of the first car posted, and he was excellent! I emailed him (rdoubleus@aol.com) with the date, time, and place of our wedding; and I told him who referred us. (You can say Ashley and Jeremy who got married last October.) It was $100/hour and included his driving time time to and from the wedding. On one hand, it's $300 for some pictures and a 10-minute drive from the wedding to the reception. BUT still cheaper than a limo, all of our guests loved it, and we got some gorgeous pictures. In fact, our parents were in the car behind us and snapped a picture of us laughing -- top down, "Just Married" sign, veil blowing in the wind, all smiles. It's now the cover of our wedding photobook. :-)
Thank you! I'm going to try this out! Did they require a minimum time for the booking? Similar to your situation, our hotel is down the street and around the corner from our venue, so we are worried that it will be difficult to get someone for such a limited amount of time.