How to Choose a Limousine Service for Your Wedding (Part One)
Your wedding day is quite possibly the most important day of your life. For many this is the day they have dreamt of since they were children. With that said as great a day as it can be it can also be an incredibly stressful event to plan and to execute. So many different elements and facets and involved and it all costs so much money. The photography, the DJ, the Venue, the dress, and of course the transportation. Often times the transportation arrangements for your wedding day are saved until the end of the planning process. Unfortunately it seems to be something that is not highly prioritized. It is important to understand that without the limousine company your not going anywhere or doing anything, and that a snag in the logistics of your day has the potential to ruin everything.
This article is not meant to instill fear it is designed primarily to inform and to make future brides and grooms aware of the potential dangers of booking a less then reliable car service for their wedding. Several things to look out for when booking limousines for your wedding include unprofessional establishments and representatives. If you go to the limousine company and its based out of someone’s garage or they ask to meet you in a parking lot to show you the vehicle run the other way. Without a proper base of operations a service cannot run 24/7/365 last minute changes cannot be made and god forbid there is a problem who is there to address it? This is a luxury service that takes money to guarantee a satisfactory experience, a small operation is fine for a night out on the town or maybe for your prom (although I would put me kids in a vehicle that was dispatched out of someone’s garage) but definitely not for your wedding.
Make sure the company owns and insures all its vehicles. This might sound stupid but there is a term in the industry called “Farming Out” this means sub-contracting out a job to another company or an independent operator. You do not want someone farming out your wedding transportation. Primarily this is because then you have another company operating under the first companies name and they don’t’ care if something goes wrong because it is not their reputation at stake. In addition a job gets farmed out normally because a company over books at the last minute and then scrambles to get a job covered, sometimes they will take any vehicle they can find regardless of the make or condition.
When you go to visit the company (and make sure you go to visit the limousine company, this is not something that should not be booked over the phone) make sure you see the vehicles that you are contracting for. Many companies advertise vehicles they do not even own or carry and then switch them out at the last minute saying that they had a mechanical failure or some type of problem and then send you whatever they have available. The idea is to get you in the door and get your money by making false promises, and then when the day of comes around you have no choice or recourse but to take whatever they give you.
All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2014 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!
by Jarrad Kulick