Can your vehicles transport children?
Carmen - Yes, but she does not have seat belts and cannot carry passengers under 3 years old, no exceptions. This is the law. We prefer not to carry children at all in Carmen and recommend her purely as a bride’s car. Any children that do travel must sit in the rear behind the driver seat. Woody - Yes, though no children under 6years old as he is fitted with lapbelts only suitable for booster seats. Mercedes - Yes, our Mercedes EClass Saloon & Mercedes MClass are fitted with seat belts, and we do provide car seats (all groups).
In all our vehicles, children must be accompanied by at least one adult passenger. We cannot transport children unaccompanied. Children must remain seated at all times throughout the journey.
How many passengers can your vehicles seat?
Carmen can seat 2 passengers in the rear. Woody can seat 5-6 passengers (5 in the rear, 1 in front). However, the front passenger seat is a high climb in/out, and not suitable for those with mobility issues. Our Mercedes EClass Saloon can seat 3-4 passengers (3 in the rear, 1 in front) though we only recommend 3 passengers for optimum comfort. Mercedes MClass can comfortably seat 4 passengers.
Do we get Champagne?
Yes. We are very pleased to say that we are officially licensed to supply/sell alcohol; thus provide a complimentary champagne service* to our newlyweds after the ceremony to toast the nuptials. We are also proud to say that we are the only licensed wedding car transportation company to hold such a license in North Lincolnshire & North East Lincolnshire.
And…don't worry if champagne isn't your thing. We will happily substitute the bubbly for something more to your taste. Please note that red wine and other similarly coloured beverages are not permitted in our vehicles or recommended. Disaster in the making for our beautiful interiors and any brides dress!
For those who don't/can't drink, we have a lovely selection of refreshing non-alcoholic sparkling spritzers. And naturally, all our vehicles carry Evian mineral water!
*as per the Licensing Act 2003, you must be 18years old or over to consume alcohol
How many wedding cars should I book?
Usually 2. We recommend one vehicle for the bridesmaids and bride & father. The second vehicle for the groom and his groomsmen. There is, however, no hard and fast rule and many choose to have a vehicle special to the bride only to avoid any unforeseen delays that would make the bride late. As an example, our own wedding car service performs as follows,
The first vehicle (main wedding car) provides for the transfer of the bridesmaids to the church first, followed by the bride & father. The onward journey in this vehicle to the reception venue is for the bride & groom only. Logistically, we allow extra time to get the bridesmaids to the church first, and they have to travel a little earlier to enable us to be back for the bride with plenty of time to spare.
The second vehicle (grooms car) provides for the transfer of the groom and his groomsmen to the church, and can be retained to transport the bridesmaids or parents or other VIP guests onwards to the reception venue.
In some instances, where journey times from collection address to church are lengthy (more than 10mins each way), the second vehicle is used to transport bridesmaids instead, reserving the main wedding car for the bride & father only. The groom and his groomsmen have to travel a little earlier to allow for this, but have to be at the church well in advance anyway to ensure everything is in place before the bride arrives.
Sometimes, the benefit of having a second vehicle serving you means it can be on hand to act as back up, just in case the main bridal car encounters problems during the day.
What extras do you provide in your wedding car service?
We have a range of post wedding signage and props in the form of Just Married signs, Mr&Mrs bunting, Happily Ever After signs and slate hearts…a 'Wardrobe' developed for each vehicle, and for you to utilise on your special day with our compliments.
All our vehicles are equipped with umbrella, tissues, bridal kit for minor emergencies (mirror, lint roller, band aids, hair grips, nail file, sewing kit, buttonhole/pins) and evian mineral water as standard.
Can you decorate the car for me?
Yes. Our vehicles are decorated with ivory bows as standard, but we can change the bows to your colour of choice, subject to stock availability. The interior of our vehicles are also dressed with ivory foam/silk flowers as standard, but we can accent them from our selection of coloured flowers to complement your colour scheme. We aim to please, and personalise your wedding car. It's all part of the service!
Is the wedding car hired by the hour? I want to know how long I can keep it.
There is no strict timeline as each wedding is unique. Simply put, the main wedding car is with you from time of collection at the pick up address to the church, waits at the church during the ceremony and whilst you have photographs afterwards followed by champagne service, and then transports the newlyweds onwards to the reception venue. Some sensible* time is provided for photographs on arrival at the reception venue too if required. Then the chauffeur and vehicle bid you adieu.
Where the ceremony and reception are at the same venue, the vehicle waits, the chauffeur then performs the champagne service after the ceremony, and takes the newlyweds on a privacy drive to allow for some alone time. This also enables the newlyweds to experience that traditional drive to the reception venue together.
All weddings from start to end take a minimum of 3hours to a maximum of 8hours to complete depending on the region we are servicing, hence the rate increases as we go further afield. Remember, duty starts for our chauffeur/vehicle from the moment they depart the depot until their return. Some weddings entail trailering of the older vehicles to a closer location, no matter whether your trip to the church is only 10mins down the road!
* please, please inform your photographer to take photos with the vehicle first however before you stroll off into the grounds of the reception venue for official photographs. It has been known for our chauffeurs to have to wait for more than an hour whilst photographs are taken before the newlyweds return to the vehicle for their final one or two shots. This is not acceptable especially when the chauffeur/vehicle have an hour or more drive home ahead of them still. Should you require an extension of time, a nominal charge of £15 will apply as mentioned in our T&Cs.
I have already booked but have now moved address and changed the number of passengers. How will this affect me?
It should not. When you inform us, we will update our records accordingly and nearer the date of the wedding re-confirm all the logistics with you again. Provided your new address is in or around the same area, and your passengers do not exceed the seating capacity of the vehicle, we will happily accommodate your changes free of charge. In very rare cases, especially if hopping from one county to another, or requiring multiple trips for extra passengers, a supplement of £30 may be payable.
I know what time I am getting married, but how do I work out what time I should be picked up?
We will work out all the logistics for you. One month prior to the wedding, we will email you a tentative driving schedule detailing the pick up and journey times for each trip.
Normally, we get the bride to the Church 5-10mins before the ceremony starts so that the photographer can get some shots of you on arrival; unless you have a particularly laid back Reverend who doesn't mind you being on the dot! If it is a Civil Ceremony, you will be required to arrive 10-15mins prior to the ceremony starts in order to complete some formalities.
It is our policy and practice to have your vehicle arrive at your collection address 15 minutes in advance of the allotted time on your schedule to ensure the car is ready and waiting, and permit the chauffeur any last minute walk around decorative checks/wipe downs. Being early and waiting on you is much more preferred to the other way around! Your chauffeur will prompt you when it is time to depart.
All timings are deliberately generous and take into consideration travel time from point to point, embarking/disembarking the vehicle, possible traffic/delays, quick pics, etc. Travel time may be quicker than stated but allows the car and driver some leeway.
One week before the wedding, we make a quick courtesy call to you and run through the schedule again, at which time we can make any amendments you wish. In some instances, on unfamiliar routes, we carry out a reconnaissance trip, especially where highway & traffic updates advise of roadworks, delays, etc.
I’ve had a change of heart. Can I swap vehicles?
We realize it’s hard to choose between our vehicles; your heart says one thing, your head another, and so naturally, we will always try and accommodate your requests if possible. Of course, subject to availability and any difference in price. Where booking fees only have been paid, we can change out a vehicle quite easily and transfer the booking fee over to the other vehicle, and confirm to you the new balance payment due. We would prefer however that you let us know as soon as possible because the vehicle you originally secured would have had interest from other prospective bookers, which we would have turned away, especially in peak periods. As such, should you have paid in full already for your original vehicle, and want to change to a vehicle at a lesser rate, there generally would be no rebate.
The cars are old. How do I know they are roadworthy?
All our vehicles are MOT’d, and undergo regular routine maintenance to keep them in tiptop condition. Bet you didn’t know that vehicles registered before May 1978 do not require MOTs, but we as standard carry out MOTs on all our vehicles regardless of age to ensure they meet road safety standards and are roadworthy!
MOTs, regular servicing and our annual winter TLC enables us to spot any problems immediately and rectify them, plus gives us a list of ‘to dos’ of replacements and repairs that need looking at shortly. We always strive to be proactive instead of reactive, after all, Carmen & Woody are our biggest asset. The loving care we bestow on our vehicles means that they really are in a better state of repair than many modern vehicles.
We use reliable, trustworthy local businesses to assist with maintenance, repairs and bodywork where our own expertise cannot, and have developed relationships with reputable parts specialists in the region. Remember, spare parts are not off the shelf, and need to be sourced.
Are you insured?
Our fleet are fully insured under a wedding car insurance policy. Wedding Car insurance specifically insures a vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire and reward for the purpose of weddings.
It is also a criteria of our insurance that our drivers all hold full valid clean driving licenses, have been driving a minimum 10 years and be over 30 years of age; all boxes we tick and adhere to.
I love Carmen & Woody. Can I book them for my Prom?
Unfortunately, not presently. All our vehicles are currently available for hire for weddings only. It is worth noting that all prom or special occasion vehicles must be licensed by their local authority as a private hire vehicle applied for by a Private Hire Operator who must also be licensed, and then can only be driven by private hire licensed drivers. Wedding cars being the only exception to the rule.
Always ask when booking your prom transport, otherwise you may be travelling in a vehicle whose insurance may be invalid and the operator is then open to prosecution, civil action in the event of an accident and the police can immediately impound the vehicle leaving you stranded!
Can you tell your chauffeur not to take photographs?
It is company policy that our chauffeurs do not take photographs on their mobiles or other devices during your special day. We believe this to be quite intrusive. The chauffeur’s duty is to ensure the safe and smooth transportation of the bride, bridal party, groom, groomsmen, and ultimately the newlyweds. He should be busy ensuring the vehicle remains clean and presentable for you throughout the day. Your chauffeur should be on hand to assist you in and out of the vehicle, serve you champagne, coordinate with your photographer on positioning the vehicle for photographs, provide general support where required, and above all remain discreet!
This is why we rely on the generosity of our newlyweds and their photographer to provide us with wonderful images for us to share with our future brides and grooms.
If we wish to use any images of our vehicles on our website or other material, we always request permission from you and/or the photographer, most of whom are happy to oblige, and we in turn are most grateful.
I want to cancel my booking. Can I get my money back?
You may cancel your booking at any time, but the booking fee you initially paid to secure your choice of car and date is non-refundable. We would have locked that vehicle and date in for your sole use and would have turned away many prospective bookers looking for the same vehicle and date. In some instances, for unfamiliar routes, we would have carried out a reconnaissance trip, especially where highway and traffic updates advise of delays, roadworks, etc.
Once the balance is paid, this payment too becomes non-refundable; the balance payment is due one month prior to the wedding for your benefit. Hopefully, by that time, your plans should be determined with no unforeseen issues.
Of course, there are some exceptional circumstances that we will listen to on a case by case basis, if for example, you have had to postpone/change the date of your wedding. In such a case, we may transfer the booking fee over to your new date subject to availability of your chosen vehicle and a new quote at the time of re-booking. If your chosen vehicle is not available on your new date, we will offer an alternative vehicle. A booking fee will be held for a period of 12 months from your original wedding date, and will then become null and void.
If you have permanently cancelled your wedding, we may offer you a choice of other services we provide to the value of your booking fee. Again, this is on a case-by-case basis and is at our discretion. Cancelling a booking simply because you changed your mind is not an exceptional circumstance.
If you do need to cancel the booking of a vehicle, we do request that you let us know as soon as possible.
Remember, it is probably worthwhile taking out wedding insurance coverage.
What happens if my wedding car breaks down?
The dreaded question. Hopefully it will not, but as with all older cars there is an element of risk of a breakdown. Even new cars are not immune to mechanical problems.
Rest assured all our vehicles are MOT’d and serviced regularly, and go through a weekly checklist of mechanical tests prior to going out on duty. We spare no expense to ensure our vehicles are at their optimum. However, it is not possible to detect and foresee everything.
We take our responsibilities to you seriously, and so, should a breakdown occur prior to your wedding day, we would do our utmost to get your car up and running immediately. Spare parts for classic cars however are not always readily available off the shelf, and if we are unable to get your wedding car up and running in time, we would offer you one of our other vehicles as a substitute.
In the event of a breakdown on the wedding day itself, we would utilize the additional vehicle you have hired and/or substitute your wedding car with another of our vehicles.
Should the breakdown occur during the course of the day, and cannot be rectified, and you do not have an additional vehicle booked, we would send another of our vehicles out to you, subject to availability. You will run late as a result, and sometimes distance and time constraints may make this impractical. In such instances, we would request a taxi to get you to your destination. A passing motorist and/or wedding guest may be asked or offer assistance to get you on your way too. We do also have a good relationship with a number of other wedding car providers, and if in your area, we may be able to coordinate and have them step in in an emergency.
It is wise however to have a back up plan yourself should the worst happen on your wedding day for any vehicle you may have booked. Check that you have family or friends available to step in in an emergency to take you to your ceremony 'just in case', and have your regular taxi contact on hand (all our vehicles do carry a comprehensive list of taxis). By working together, we can get your schedule back on track and/or avoid huge delays and distress. Apportioning blame in the heat of the moment will not remedy the situation, or make the vehicle perform. Remember, your chauffeur will be feeling the pressure too, but will do his utmost to keep you comfortable and have everything moving forward as soon as possible.
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