Just married – bridal transport

THE GETAWAY CAR

CELEBRITY WATCH

Nicole Kidman did it in a vintage Rolls Royce. Megan and Harry picked an E-Type Concept Zero Jaguar. Jon Snow, the darling of Game of Thrones, fighter of dragons, chose a Land Rover Defender 90. If your mind is rolling around in the gutter right now, let’s save the moment. We are talking wedding getaway cars.

Photo credit: Getty Images

With endless effort spent on the finer details for the wedding, the bride’s brain often stops working round about the time the bouquet flies through the air and lands in an unsuspected Singleton’s hands. With so much on her plate, we can’t really blame her, and that is why the fun part of the bridal transportation is traditionally the responsibility of the best man and his groomsmen.

Photo credit: Always Classic Cars/ Easyweddings.com

WHOSE CHOICE IS IT ANYWAY?

The decoration may fall in the hands of the groom’s men, but it’s still a pretty personal choice of the couple as to what the bridal transport will be. Maybe it’s a boat. It could be a bicycle for two or a Harley. It’s guaranteed to be a choice loaded with sentiment and memories. My personal favourite includes vintage cars and little sporty numbers. If you grandpa has a vintage Alpha Spider under wraps, now is the time to dust off the cobwebs and send it for a service.

LAS VEGAS HERE WE COME

Limousines have always been a huge favourite as bridal cars – for obvious reason. Aside from making a larger than life impression, it has space for the whole bridal entourage. And if you choose well a mini – and snack bar. What on earth is not to like about that? Need something to calm the pre-nuptial nerves? No problem, the mini bar has solutions in varying mini-sizes.

If traveling Las Vegas-style doesn’t excite you in the least, “Betsie” and “Meraai” may well tug at your heartstrings:

HINTS OF VINTAGE

Travel photographer and financial advisor Willem Dapper de Wet has a deep love for his collection of Vintage Mercedes.

Betsie, the white 1970 280S Mercedes with its Cognac brown leather seats, is Oupa Dapper and Ouma Betsie’s car and has been seen sporting fabulous feathers a-la Moulin Rouge,  since its Rouxville farming days.   De Wet’s black 1960 220-Fintail Mercedes, lovingly named Meraai, is often seen whisking brides off to their wedding destination surrounded by the luxurious smells of the rich earthy burgundy red leather seats.

De Wet points to the gleaming ivory steering wheel of old “Meraai”: “Some of the best things in life are old, rescued and loved. It’s only then that the personality and character comes to light. Vintage cars all have a story to tell.”

FRILLS AND SPILLS

Bridezillas may want to subtly guide the bridal car planners, especially as far as the car decoration goes. If subtle doesn’t work, bluntly sharing a Pinterest board with ideas won’t be frowned upon. Sometimes a bit of quality control is in order. (Share our Pinterest board with gorgeous ideas by clicking on the link.

To get the creative juices flowing, we found 10 Gorgeous Ways to Decorate Your Wedding Getaway Car on  Weddingonline which include:

1. Add Some Old-School Tin Cans – Personalise Them to Make Them Extra Special!
2. Hang Some Super Pretty Floral Garlands.
3. Or add a fab Floral Wreath.
4. Hang Some Bows for a Touch of Romance.
5. Break out the Bunting.
6. Tie On Some Celebratory Balloons.
7. Pop on a Pretty Rosette.
8. Leave a Trail of Streamers.
9. Pretty up the Car with Pom Poms
10. Scribble ‘Just Married’ on the Window with Lippy or a Chalk Marker

TELL THE WORLD

A personalised “Just Married” number plate is a super option for your getaway car. Not only will you create smiles and hoots all around as you drive off, but you also have a lovely keepsake for years to come. The modern version of this is to apply cut out vinyl to the back window or side of your car. Speak to your local signage or branding company – it’s an easy process and just as easily applied and removed. The idea of driving around with this for the first 6 months of your married life brings a smile to my heart.

While the female touch to the getaway car decoration typically includes beautiful flower wreaths and ribbons flowing freely in the wind as the couple drives off in the sunset, the men-folk are more inclined to stick to tradition, which in this case include noise. A lot of banging and scraping noise.

WAY BACK WHEN

So what’s up with the tradition of tying empty tins, cans, pots, and pans to the back of the wedding getaway car? Nowadays we tend to believe that it spooks off any nasty energy or spirits hanging around. But even more interesting is the origin of this tradition, dating back as far as the 1600s in France.

Catalyst Wedding editor Liz Susong’s dives into the crazy history behind common wedding traditions we may take for granted:

“Back in the day, guests would actually accompany the newlyweds into the bedroom, “help” them undress, and cheer them on. Can you actually imagine the expert level of obnoxiousness it would require to crowd into a bedroom and “encourage” your friend on her wedding night?”

Susong continues by quoting wedding historian Susan Waggoner: “This tradition gave way to the “shivaree” in the 18th century, a practice of following the newlyweds home while banging pots and pans. Long after the couple fled inside and closed the door, the crowd remained, celebrating, shouting encouragement, and making as much commotion as possible.”

Photo credit: Weddingchicks.com

Being an Instagram driven society, we cannot gush enough about the fabulous photo opportunities a bridal car provides. Style your wedding car as a photo booth prop and your guests are guaranteed to have fun with it long before it drives off into the sunset with the newlyweds.

Your wedding is the ultimate expression of your life, your choices, and your passion. Don’t let it stop with your table decor and colour themes –  make sure your arrival and departure make a lasting impression for years to come.

She knows her Merlot from her Mojito, her hotel from her motel. From craft food to caviar, her innate curiosity about life and wanderlust provide inspiration for her blogs, articles and press releases about the travel, wedding and Spa industry. Over twenty years in the hotel marketing & PR arena with impressive hotel groups, from Dubai to Durbanville, has evolved into the pure enjoyment of freelance projects under the banner of About Branding.