Wedding Limo Rental Tips

If you are planning a wedding you will want everything to go off without a hitch on the big day. A very important detail in planning a perfect wedding is renting a limo service. There is nothing worse than a horror story about the bridal party waiting for the limousine to show up and they never do, or wathing is disbelief as a beat up 1985 stretch lincoln rolls up. Read on to make sure that you plan this important part of your wedding right.

Don't wait till the last minute.

To be able to have more choices and flexibility in your decisions when it comes to renting a limo service, you'll need to start looking for a limo service well before your wedding day. Anywhere from six to nine months in advance would be playing it safe. If you wait until anything less than six months you might be cutting your options short. You also want to book early to ensure that you will be able to get an appointment for a limo rental from a highly reputable limo service company. The better limo service companies are busy and booked very often and far in advanced. You don't want to be stuck with an undesirable looking limo from a less-than-reputable limo service company. It is a great idea to book a limo service appointment well in advance, although it isn't a good idea to book a limo service for anything further in advance of nine months because anything after nine months in advance is farther than most limo service companies feel comfortable making appointments for.

Pay the right price.

What are you willing to pay for this limo service? Do you want a classic limo or a showy Hummer, Expedition, or roadster style limo? The prices range greatly from one style of limo to another, so you may want to take that into account before booking a certain style of limo. It's also good to remember that at the end of your special event when your chauffer is done driving you'll most likely need to tip your driver. (Some limousine companies include the tip in the price for wedding limo rentals, be sure to ask!) The going rate for such a tip is expected to be anywhere from 15 to 20 percent. This is done with cash. So be sure to set the necessary amount of money aside for that.

If your limo service company is willing to negotiate on price, this should be a red flag.  Any professional limousine company has set rates that they know will cover their expenses and make them a fair profit.  A limo service that's quick to negotiate will have to absorb that reduced amount somehow so you need to decide whether your comfortable with taking that chance or not. You will also have to consider size when you're booking a limo service. If it's only going to be the bride and groom in the limo, you might do okay with a traditional smaller limo, but if you plan to chauffer a large wedding party of people, you should go with one of the larger limos to save your wedding party from feeling cramped or uncomfortable. Even worse, you don't want to have to split the wedding party into two groups and make two trips back and forth because not everybody fit in the limo together.

Another reason that it's good to book your limo service appointment fairly early is that usually as you get ever closer to your wedding day, you will have so many other details to take care of that you may become so overwhelmed. This could cause certain details to fall through the cracks and go by the wayside. You sure don't want one of those forgotten or last minute details to be your limo service appointment. Types of limousine service providers to avoid are the airport limo service providers. Their schedules are far too busy and unpredictable at best. They could be waiting for a client whose plane is delayed or canceled altogether. This could cause a delay or no-show by them at your wedding. If it's at all possible, try to go with a limousine company that specializes in only weddings.

You can also ask around about specific limo service providers' reputations, whether they showed up on time or not, or if they were no-shows. You can get tips like these very often from your professional wedding photographer, or wedding caterers. Also, if you know anyone who has recently gotten married and has had a good experience with a certain limousine company, you may want to use the limo service provider that they used just to play it safe.

When it comes time to book your limo service appointment you'll have to settle on a timeframe of how long you and your partner will need the limo service. It's a much better situation to have booked the limo for longer than you needed rather than booking the limo service for an amount of time that isn't enough to make it through the service and reception. Something little thing always goes wrong, or prolongs things more than you expected. Travel times can vary due to things that are completely out of anyone's control, like traffic, dreary weather, and roadway accidents. Special guests you expected to be in your wedding party could be running late which would more than likely unexpectedly prolong the use of the limo service. Booking the limo service rental for a longer time period will safeguard foreseeable and even unforeseeable issues, and keep them from ruining any aspect of your perfect dream wedding. Most limousine service companies require their clients to reserve a minimum of three hours anyway.

There are some things you may want to ask the limo service provider before accepting their services. Ask if there is any sort of discount offer that might help you save even a little bit of money, group rates, weekday or weekend discounts? Ask the limo service what kind of amenities will be coming with your limo ride, such as free champagne, phone or TV. Will your chauffer be in formal attire? If you have a special needs passenger in your wedding party, will the limo be able to accommodate them?

Make sure to ask the limo service provider for a written booking confirmation that they can send to you. This will provide protection for you as a consumer, incase problems arise. Is the limo smoking or non-smoking? Do they have a special package for certain events like weddings? Does the limo service provider have an affiliation with any certain organizations? Where exactly will the limo be picking your wedding party up at and dropping you off at? Is there a separate fee for the limo driver to have to wait for you through the service and reception? If you have to cancel for any reason, you may want to ask the limo service provider if they will be willing to return your deposit or not. Life can throw unexpected situations at us. It isn't that uncommon for cancellations to occur. Also, just to make sure that you will be accommodated for on that special day, you might want to ask the limo service company exactly how many limos they have in their fleet. How much is the deposit to secure your limo service appointment?

Another thing that you may want to do to make sure that everything is perfect for your wedding day is to get a written contract from your limo service provider. This will help to ensure that they follow through with all that was promised beforehand when you booked the limo service. Try to get your contract signed by the limo service business owner or a family member of the business owner. They will be even more persuaded to follow through with their written promises if their personal reputation is staked on it. Also, once you are booked with a limo company, take a trip to their place of business to inspect their limos at least one time to make sure their won't be any little unhappy surprises when it comes to the type of limo they will be using to pick you and your partner up in. This is especially true for those people who plan on using a special kind of limo for their wedding, such as a Rolls Royce roadster, an Expedition, or a Hummer limo. You'll want to make sure that you will be getting the exact model that you requested and paid for.

When your wedding day is just around the corner, about a week away, call and confirm your limo service appointment with your limo service company. This is just to ensure that everybody is still on the same page and that you can expect them promptly on time on your special day. It can feel a bit overwhelming, but by making your arrangements for limo services early and thoroughly, you may be able to avoid any problems or confusion on your one special day.