How To Choose A Wedding Limousine Service

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Tips to help you choose the perfect limousine for your wedding. All about premium limos, and what to look for. All the caveats to avoid, questions to ask, scams to watch out for, and what you should have included in your contract.

Many people use a limousine service for their wedding. If you have the budget, consider using a limousine rental. This takes the load off of who is going to drive who where. Plans change at the last minute and now you have to scramble. But with a limousine service, the plans are not going to change. They will pick up anyone you want and take them anywhere they need to go.

Here in Florida the rates are competitive and unless they offer coupons, or discounts on multiple cars. Most services charge 20% gratuity for the driver up front, so be sure you are getting quality before you sign. The biggest complaint about limousine services is the "no show", or late show. When you spend money, you want a professional who knows where they are going. Why do no shows happen? Let's not kid ourselves, we all know why. They didn't forget, everything is written down. They know where they have to be. They over booked on your date or at the last minute needed your limo for a bigger more profitable job, or else they would be there. Airport limo companies are not good to use for weddings as their schedules are too hectic, and there's too many last minute changes in flights and travel plans. You are much better off with a company whose specialty is weddings. The wedding limo is scheduled for you, and cannot change.

When To start Looking For A Limousine Service
A good time is 3-8 months before the wedding. We gave a deposit 7 months in advance because we chose an Excalibur and a Rolls Royce Limo, and wanted to be certain they were available. If you are using a standard limo, then 3-6 months in advance is fine. Allow 1 week to call and interview all the limousine services, and reserve one Saturday to inspect the operation of 3-5 good candidates.

Ask people you know who were recently married.
They can recommend the limousine service they used if they were happy. They can also warn you about companies they rejected as well. Also, ask your photographer. Studios know who shows up on time and who does not. In the wedding industry vendors know each other. Another source is the yellow pages. Try to pick only the companies who specialize in weddings. Visit the limousine company and view their cars
You must make sure the cars are kept in good condition. If the are in bad shape, you can bet that they'll break down on the way to your wedding. If you plan to use a Rolls Royce, Excalibur, or other unique car, make an appointment with the limousine company at a time when you can see the car. This is usually early on Saturday and Sunday mornings before they leave for a wedding. You want to make sure the car you are going to pay top dollar for is in good condition. Believe it or not, many old fashioned Rolls Royce limousines are in sad shape, because they are too old. The average life of a limo is only about 3 years due to mileage. Some of the fancier old fashioned limousines can no longer be repaired for rips in the seating, or have other parts replaced, so you want to ensure you are paying for a car that is in good shape. If you just want plain Lincoln type limousines, they all look the same. But also ask to see the premium cars listed in their ad and see if they really own it and is it all they touted it to be. One company advertised what I call a "gimmick limousine" with an extra wide "Bridal Door", to allow the bride with a wide dress to easily pass through the door. But a friend checked it out and reported that the car was in terrible shape. So don't just get sucked in by gimmick limousines with the beds and tubs in the back, check them out first. Don't sign the contract for a premium limo unless you have seen it, and sat in it first. This is why you must visit the limousine service to inspect their cars.

BridalTips.com Consumer Alert: Rolls Royce Limousines

While shopping around you'll notice many companies in the yellow pages that claim they have have Rolls Royce or Excalibur limos. We discovered that many do NOT own the limousine, they contract it out from another source. In fact, most companies only have standard Lincolns and contract out the Rolls or Excalibur, while claiming in their ad that they have the car. They are just acting as brokers. If you want a Rolls or Excalibur, do like us and avoid dealing with these people. If they don't own the car, they have no control over whether it will show up or not. This is a major root cause of limousines not showing up. Avoid the middleman and go right to the source. Suppose you sign a contract for a Rolls Royce. The day of your wedding Elton John flies into town for a concert and needs that Rolls Royce. Who do you think will get it? You think you will, because you signed a contract? Don't be so naive!

Ask to see their package plans if they have any. Get flyers with pricing and limo photos on them.

Sample Wedding Limousine Packages:

Basic Stretch Limousine Package
One Lincoln type limousine for 3 hours use with six passengers. Some packages include free champagne, but it is usually the most awful brands like Chateau Toilet.

Basic Rolls Royce or Excalibur Package
2 hour service. Plan all your travel time accordingly leaving time for the ceremony, pictures at the church, and travel time to the reception. If you think this will run longer, try to negotiate up front to include more time. Otherwise, expect to pay $140 per hour and up for overtime. Be real careful with this plan, as the ceremony, picture time, and TOTAL travel time must be <2 hours or you will pay overtime.

Upgraded Rolls Royce or Excalibur Package
3 hours of service, and that usually includes picking up the bride. Make sure you planned all your travel time accordingly leaving time for the ceremony, pictures at the church, and travel time to the reception. If you think this will run longer, try to negotiate up front to include more time. Otherwise, expect to pay $140 per hour and up for overtime.

Combination Pack (1 Rolls Royce and 1 standard limo)
The catch here, is the Rolls is usually for 2 hours and the regular limo for 3 hours. This may be fine for most cases, as the regular limo can be used to ferry several people to the church, while the Rolls is brought in last to transport the bride to the church, then to the reception with the groom.

Top Of The Line Package: (1 Rolls Royce and 1 standard limo)
Only this package gives you the Rolls for 3 hours as well. You may need this package if the reception is far from the ceremony. Usually the Rolls is for the bride, and the stretch limo is for the bridal party.

Fantasy Package: Market Price.
Some limo services may have a totally outrageous, off the wall limousine in their fleet that we call "gimmick limousines". The service we chose boasted "South Florida's Longest Limo". Seating 15 people with 2 axles in the rear, this car turned heads wherever we went. People on the road were taking our picture, and passing cars on the freeway video taped the car. Priced at $295 for a three hour package, we knew it was costly, but we wanted to go out in style, and I partied on with 14 family members and groomsmen during our ride to the church.

Depending on where you live in the country, the prices could be much higher, or lower. In metropolitan areas like New York, Washington D.C., and Boston, the cost is most likely much higher.

You Must Have A Clear, Concise, Written Contract!
If you end up in court disputing your limo driver, the judge will say is "Where is your contract?" Make certain there is a written contract and that everything you expect of them is in writing. If they refuse or give you nothing but a bunch of verbal claims, get up and leave. Do you think they will remember 10 months from now what they promised you? A written contract will help them remember. You want the contract to state the type of limousine, how many it seats, and what package you chose. The contract must also state how long you have the limousine for. This is very important. You don't want the driver holding out his hand for more money when you least expect it. The contract must also state what the overtime rate is for each vehicle. If they refuse to do this for you, get up an leave. Any reputable business would have this information on a standard contract without question. The contract should also list who your driver will be. Now is the time to pin them down. Then you have a basis for a claim later. If you interviewed any drivers that you liked, then have their names placed on the contract. The contract should show how much deposit you gave, and how much is owed. Most usually require payment in full 2 weeks before the wedding.

A couple of sample complaints we have heard in the past:

Instead of the $70 per hour quote, he now expected $100 per hour... When I called to ask for a refund, both the driver and the owner of the company basically told me to check my contract, "the one that I did not have" because they never sent it. Yes, I am stupid for not having a contact, but I had used them in the past for rides to the airport, so I did not believe that I would have a problem. They would not give me a partial refund, or even credit me with a couple of rides to the airport. They'd rather loose all referrals for weddings, and me as a business account.
Well, he was supposed to pick me up at 10:30 AM to take me to the church. 10:30 came and went... My stepfather told the driver he had missed us, and instructed him to go to the church... The limo driver gets into the driver's seat and says to me "so, where are we going"? Well, we finally got the country club (some of the last to arrive), and the driver went around and opened the door for my maid of honor, but failed to do so for me. Then he proceeded to follow me (wanting to either be paid or tipped, it was never clear to me.) My Aunt Anita saw this and intercepted the fellow, telling me to go inside and asked him what he wanted. She got my dad who told him that he was not going to get paid at all, given that he didn't bother to arrive in time to get me to the church. And that is exactly what happened: my father told his credit card company not to pay, and they didn't.

One week before the wedding, call to confirm the date and time.
Fax a precise set of directions to the limousine service, on how to get to your house, reception, church, etc. Any maps or mapquest printouts you include will be helpful. It helps even more to type the instructions, so the driver can't show up late and say you gave sloppy instructions. Get the driver's cellular and pager numbers also. They usually call you from the limo when they are on the way to get you.

Keep a copy of the map and directions with you on the wedding day.
You may need to give them to the driver if the limo company sends a different driver at the last minute and you don't want to hear "so where are we going?" from the driver. Just give them the map!

Questions to ask the Limousine Company:

How many cars are in their fleet? Some services only have a few cars, but book several weddings, and contract out cars from other agencies. Our limousine service did 17 weddings the day we got married and had to contract out extra cars! But we had a contract stating the owner was our driver, and that we got their cars, so we were pretty much guaranteed he would show up. Usually the owners will be more reliable as their reputation is at stake.

Ask them how much deposit they require. The company we used only required a $20 deposit.

Ask for a flyer that shows prices in writing. You don't want them making up inflated prices on the fly. You want a rate that is fair. Do they have a flyer with photos of their cars? If they don't have it written down on a flyer, chances are they are unscrupulous, you should scratch them off your list, and move on to the next limousine company.

Can you bring your own champagne? The champagne they give you is barely useful for cleaning your toilet. You'll want to bring your own maybe water for your ride, you will be thirsty after the ceremony. They provide the glasses.

Have them describe the worst wedding situations they have been in, and how they handled it.

How much is the overtime rate? Some weddings could run longer than expected, and you want to know how much the overtime rate is per vehicle that you use. You want no surprises. This is a huge source of problems for many newlyweds.

Who will be your driver? We found the owner to be a very nice gentleman and his name went on the contract to drive our Rolls. His son's name went on the contract to drive the Excalibur. Try to get the owner or their family members to be your driver. Family members have a reputation. Always try to get the owner!

If you cancel, can you get your deposit back? Most companies will not refund deposits, so choose one with a low deposit, and be certain before you signthat this is the company you want. Don't be a moron, give a deposit, then research limo companies. The correct order is Research, Choose, Deposit. Avoid limousine companies that charge high deposits. The company we chose however, will allow you to apply the deposit toward their services within one year. Luckily, they only require a $20 deposit. There is no reason for any limousine company to require 50% deposit.

So what limousine package did we go with?
We chose a rather unusual package of three premium limousines. We had "Florida's longest limousine" with a bed in the back, that seats 15 people, used for the groom, groomsmen, and several family members for 4 hours ($350). We also had the Excalibur limousine pictured below, seating 6 people for the bride and bridesmaids for 4 hours ($350). And lastly we had the antique Rolls Royce to take the bride and groom to the reception from the church with a 2 hour time limit ($175). Because we used all 3 of their top cars, we were able to negotiate a lower price with them. These prices include about $125 in savings, as they let us use the 15 seater and the Excalibur for one additional hour free. We also had to pay an additional 20% gratuity for the driver.

There really is not a whole lot of science here, just try to negotiate your cost down, and get everything in writing. This is easier if you are using 2 or more limousines. And remember, if they don't put it in writing, it means they won't do it!

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