Wedding Blog

I had always seen myself as a vintage limo type of bride. I could see Mr. S and me running off to an elegant classic car while our family and friends cheered us on in my dream… an outrageously expensive dream, that is.

Source: Wedding Guide Chicago

Classic limos don’t come cheap by any means. And I scoured the internet for every single company in the Chicago area that might have classic limos, hoping for the perfect car at a bargain basement price. Let me tell you - the amount of limo companies out there is astounding and overwhelming. I searched over a few months with mounting frustration (and yes, I definitely put the cart before the, err, limo and was working on this side project before my florist, baker, and dress had even been found).

I understand why I was finding such high prices - I can assume that the cost of maintaining these cards warrants the high hourly rate. But spending $700, $800, even $900 on a car (and then gratuity!) was not in the cards for us.

The other downside is that there is no 1930s version of the Hummer, and with our 10-person bridal party, plus Mr. S and me, even if I could fork over the cash for a classic limo, our bridal party would be left to fend for themselves.

Getting a limo - any limo - was something that I then began to debate. Our church, reception site, and hotel are all within a mile of one another. That’s one aspect of our wedding day that I love so much - everything is so close together and accessible for us and our guests. So, do we even need to shell out hundreds of dollars on a limo? That money could certainly be allocated somewhere else, or better yet—saved!

However, I still will need to get from the hotel to the church. The thought of scooting into the back of my mom and dad’s car in my wedding dress wasn’t incredibly appealing. And do we then ask our wedding party to drive themselves around that day? Should I rent a Lincoln Town Car just for Mr. S and me to get around? There were so many decisions!

Source: Deja Vu Limos

More scouring of the internet revealed that it’s incredibly hard to find a limo for 12 people that’s not a stretch SUV. Mr. S and I just aren’t fans of stretch Hummers or Expeditions and really wanted to find something to keep more within our wedding aesthetic.

I finally landed on the website of Deja Vu Limos in Chicago and found a 12-passenger stretch Chrysler 300… amazingly within budget! We’re getting it for 4 hours at $600 (including gratuity!). Since our ceremony starts at 3PM and our reception starts at 6PM, this will allow plenty of time for picking us up at the hotel beforehand and taking us around for photos after the ceremony.

Sure, it’s not the sweet vintage ride that I had dreamed of. But I think some compromises are worth making. Will I look back on my wedding day and bemoan the fact that I didn’t get the car that I wanted? Most likely not. Sure, I won’t be posing for pictures in front of the Chrysler 300 as I might in front of a classic car, but we’ll be surrounded by friends and sipping on champagne…what could be better?!

How are you getting around on your wedding day?