Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Seal
more by Mrs. Seal (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Seal
Mrs. Seal's Picture
Mrs. Seal, San Francisco Age and Occupation: 25, Personal Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support Specialist Engagement Date: December 12, 2009 Wedding Date: November 2011 Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently Reserve About Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
About Mrs. Seal

Mr. Seal does a pretty fantastic job of not only letting me indulge in all of my unbridled wedding-day dreams, but of being just the right amount of involved. Without being controlling or, on the other end of the spectrum, mindlessly grinning and nodding, he gives his honest opinion—reason 3,476,301 why I love him.

I don’t want to give away all of his amazing contributions right off the bat, but I’ll at least introduce you to his unparalleled ingenuity.

The Hitchhiking Bride and Her Genius Fiancé: Wedding-Day Transportation :  wedding san francisco Seal1 seal1

Mr. S being a goofy/slightly creepy, creative genius

Remember how our wedding party is 543 people large? OK, I exaggerated a little bit, but I was close—25 (including us, our two flower girls, and our ring bearer). In typical me fashion, I started to get anxiety trying to imagine how we would affordably and comfortably transport all of us, plus our parents, to and from the ceremony. Crazy, I know, but I am ridiculous by nature.

Getting to the ceremony wouldn’t be an issue—we’d obviously be making two trips anyhow, first to let the guys head over and then the girls. It was the getting to the reception that gave me a headache. Mr. S really wanted a vintage Rolls Royce to transport the two of us after the ceremony and, seeing as how he rarely requests anything, I was keen to oblige to his request. (Plus it fit the vintage feel we are going for.) So this now meant that we could deduct two people (us—duh) from the group transport back to the reception, but we’d have to add in a whole new cost for the Rolls. Yikes.

The Rolls Royce he had in mind:

The Hitchhiking Bride and Her Genius Fiancé: Wedding-Day Transportation :  wedding san francisco Seal2 seal2

Image via Silver Lady Wedding Car Hire

Though at this point our wedding was still well over a year out, that didn’t stop me from requesting quotes from just about every limousine company in the greater Bay Area. I’m fairly sure our wedding date is going to be a popular one, and my competitive side really did not want to lose out on the best deal just because I waited too long.

Anyhow, after months of discouraging Rolls Royce quotes (Three-hour minimums? Seven hundred dollars?) and equally depressing limousine discoveries (Even the stretch SUVs only held a max of about 16 people!), I was ready to throw in the towel and hitchhike to our ceremony and reception. It was just not in our budget to spend almost $2,000 on transportation for a vintage car and an ugly limo bus.

The Hitchhiking Bride and Her Genius Fiancé: Wedding-Day Transportation :  wedding san francisco Seal3 seal3

Image via MixNews

Enter Mr. Seal’s innovative savvy.

One day, while driving to who knows where, I was sideswiped—and no, not physically by another driver, but by the most wonderful idea EVER. The Sealman casually asked, “Why don’t we rent a cable car for our transportation?” Ahh! Why hadn’t I thought of that?! Iconic San Francisco themed transportation that would likely fit our entire wedding party! He even said he’d be willing to forgo the Rolls if we managed to charter a trolley car.

I researched and requested quotes from a few different companies as soon as I got home. As fate would have it, the company (Events West) with the best reviews came back with the most affordable rate I could have ever hoped for. After improvising a couple of love songs for Mr. Seal in light of his fantastic idea, I put down the deposit and signed the contract.

Events West’s fleet of cable cars:

The Hitchhiking Bride and Her Genius Fiancé: Wedding-Day Transportation :  wedding san francisco Seal4 seal4

The Hitchhiking Bride and Her Genius Fiancé: Wedding-Day Transportation :  wedding san francisco Seal5 seal5

Images via Events West

The rates were so affordable and their seating capacity so generous that I am even considering (if my rapidly increasing budget allows for it) chartering a second car for the guests.

Is your ceremony in a different location? How will you get you and your wedding party to and from? Are you providing transportation for your guests as well?

Tags: san-francisco |
advertisement below
Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Seal
more by Mrs. Seal (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Seal

21 Responses to “The Hitchhiking Bride and Her Genius Fiancé: Wedding-Day Transportation”

1 2 

1.
MissLam
Member
MissLam (message)  81 posts, Worker bee

Do you mind sharing the cost per an hr? I’m looking into rental options for 3-4 hrs too in SF! Thanks!

 
2.
Guest Icon
Guest
Michelle Marston

What a fabulous idea!!! And your flower girls and ring bearers are just going to love it! My two girls would just adore riding on a trolley car.

 
3.
Miss Tartlet
Bee
Miss Tartlet (message)  3,207 posts, Sugar bee

*squee* I never tire of cable cars being used for wedding transportation! Our ceremony and reception are in the same place, so no transportation arrangements necessary. However, I am SO excited for you! Hooray for ultra-fab photo ops!

 
4.
Mrs. Meerkat
Bee
Mrs. Meerkat (message)  3,216 posts, Sugar bee

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I have seen this done once before and the photos were amazing!

 
5.
toshella
Member
toshella (message)  644 posts, Busy bee

*sigh* Things like this really make me wish we were getting married in a city big enough to have good rental options! We want to provide transport for our guests and right now it looks like our only option is a school bus or a really expensive charter bus.
Still, AWESOME choice and perfect for your SF wedding theme! Good job Mr. Seal!

 
6.
Member Icon
Member
phoszoe (message)  11 posts, Newbee

I have always pictured renting a trolley for my wedding transportation–but I can’t seem to find one in Dallas! It’s perfect, you’ll love it on your big day!

 
7.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Sparkler (message)  423 posts, Helper bee

Great idea, Seal! We are using a trolley, which is sorta similar :)

 
8.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Candy Apple (message)  1,465 posts, Bumble bee

Love it when people do this!!

 
9.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Ostrich (message)  1,948 posts, Buzzing bee

oh gosh, Miss S, now i’m officially obsessed with your wedding. my gal pal did this for her sf wedding and it was AWESOME. YAY!

 
10.
Guest Icon
Guest
kme

I went through this exact same process yesterday! Called every limo company in town, planned to have a nice car for me & the Mr, with the ugly limo bus for everyone b/c it was the only thing that would fit everyone. And just like that, a bell went off… duh…trolley!

Then realized many are not air conditioned, and for our August evening wedding in the Philadelphia suburbs, that wouldn’t work. So. We are back to ugly limo bus. Oh well.

Hope you enjoy yours! It’ll go perfectly with your San Fran wedding!!

 
11.
mrsbowieii
Member
mrsbowieii (message)  693 posts, Busy bee

Those look amazing… We are having an all in one place wedding so we won’t need transportation but just for one of those I would think about changing.

 
12.
Sunlavender
Member
Sunlavender (message)  553 posts, Busy bee

Those will make for some pretty fantastic pictures.

 
13.
ladyliath
Member
ladyliath (message)  37 posts, Newbee

What a great idea!!! My company rented one of their trolley cars for a business outing around SF - they are spacious, fun and will def fit everyone! The driver was super nice and informative on the tour too, great pick!

 
14.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Snow Cone (message)  1,026 posts, Bumble bee

ok, enough is enough. one of your posts has to have an idea that doesn’t make me go slack-jaw in amazement. start dropping the ball any time now, seal!

 
15.
Crown
Member
Crown (message)  548 posts, Busy bee

Mr. S is, in a word, AWESOME. I lurve the cable-car idea!

 
16.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Pain au Chocolat (message)  1,698 posts, Bumble bee

This is the perfect mode of transportation for your vintage San Francisco wedding! Alas, we won’t have a need for transport because it’s all happening in the same place.

 
17.
Miss Seal
Bee
Miss Seal (message)  1,179 posts, Bumble bee

Thaaank you, thaank you! Mr. Seal definitely saved the day (if not wedding) with that one. I’m super excited about our transportation now!

@MissLam: No problem! I’ll PM you some information :)

@Miss Sparkler: You’re my big-city-wedding, trolley sister!

@Miss Snow Cone: Oh you! ;)

 
18.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Gazelle (message)  994 posts, Busy bee

Cable cars? Fantastic idea!!!

 
19.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Hyena (message)  1,882 posts, Buzzing bee

Love this idea! There are only 8 people in our bridal party, so … we’ll all get there somehow. :)

 
20.
Miss Elephant
Bee
Miss Elephant (message)  6,182 posts, Bee Keeper

Love Trolleys!!

 
1 2 

Leave a Reply


You can also just...

Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Seal
more by Mrs. Seal (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Seal

Visit our sister sites eHarmony
Online Dating
eHarmony Advice
Dating Advice
Project Wedding
Wedding Songs
JustMommies
Pregnancy Calendar

Copyright 2004-2012, Weddingbee.com
 

Find your vendors on Weddingbee

Real reviews from brides in your area!

Favors by Weddingbee

  • Favors by season

Shop Now »

Mrs. Seal
Mrs. Seal

Mrs. Seal, San Francisco Age and Occupation: 25, Personal Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support Specialist Engagement Date: December 12, 2009 Wedding Date: November 2011 Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently Reserve About Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.

Boards
Classifieds

Blog Calendar
February 2012
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2930311234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
26272829

Weddingbee Bios
by machop93
by IsaiahFountain
by greencl3
by ymaldonado
Wiki
More