“Brooke, we already are over budget for our wedding.” Yes, I know you’ve spent an arm and a leg on your wedding day already, but hear me out when I say it’s worth the extra money to get the party bus. The memories that are made on that bus will go down as some of the best moments you’ll look back on for years to come. Not only is this coming from a wedding planner who has helped execute countless shuttle bus itineraries, it’s coming from a bride herself who bit the bullet & got the bus, AND the bridesmaid who rocked being the DJ on all of the friends’ party buses…. I just know what the people wanna hear. The party bus gives off a whole different vibe and sets the tone for the rest of the evening. It allows you to let loose with your friends; hitting the ‘pause’ button and truly being able to soak up those moments. Before you know it, in the blink of an eye, the whole day will be gone and if you don’t put in the effort to make these priceless moments count, I promise you, you will regret it!
Now let’s talk logistics. You went as far as renting the bus, now you need to put it into play with how the bus can be most effectively used. Time is limited on wedding day, we all know that. You have two options where it makes the most sense coming from a timeline perspective:
Option One: Take the party bus around town in the timeframe you have between the ceremony and the reception. Immediately following ‘I Do’ and snapping a couple family photos at the altar, you and the crew should be running towards the bus! During this time, you can drive around town, making a couple stops with your photographer to grab photos with the bridal party while dancing to your most favorite 90’s throwback hits and enjoying some drinks. Now from the planning side of things, you will need to send an itinerary prior to wedding day over to your shuttle driver/shuttle company. They need to know how much time you have between your pick up and drop off location(s), how many stops in between those locations, and exactly how long should be spent at each stop to ensure you are at your final destination before the announcement for grand entrances.
Option Two: The ‘not so traditional’ option you can also take is waiting until the very end of the night to rally up the crew and take the bus around town for the after party! Yes, wedding days are long and exhausting, especially for you ladies waking up at 7am to start hair and makeup. However, you’d be pretty surprised what adrenaline… and a couple drinks can do to keep you going all. night. long. This takes less planning on your part. Just make sure the bus is at the venue when the lights come on, take the leftover alcohol from the bar, and continue that party on the bus! If you reserved a block at a local hotel, you could even have the bus makes its final stop there if that is where you all chose to stay. No one has to worry about how they are going to get home. Everyone is safe at the hotel and can hitch a ride with another friend to their car in the morning, or call an Uber.
Key component to either option you choose above is to NOT forget the alcohol. Designate a point person that is responsible for getting the cooler(s) of alcohol on the bus so you all can thoroughly enjoy that ride! It wouldn’t hurt to think about opting for the bus that has the bathroom on it. Alcohol means more bathroom breaks and nobody ain’t got time for that when you spent far too much money on this dang bus to spend half of the time stopping at a local McDonald’s for potty breaks. Pay for the add on of the bathroom.
I get it. Sometimes, there isn’t much flexibility with the budget, no matter what. A workaround for these instances when you really want that shuttle, but just can’t swing those final costs alone? Have those friends pitch in $20-$40/person who are going to be on the bus with you. More often than not, they are happy to contribute, and that can lessen your final cost significantly based on the size of the shuttle.
So go on now, get! Get that party bus and make sure to send me a video of you jammin’ to Ignition while you ‘toot toot & beep beep’ all over town… While running your hands through your fro too of course.
Who are my top shuttle recommendations? Let me tell ya!
Download this playlist to for the ultimate party bus experience:
We are the ‘catch all’ for your event day needs! The Groom’s boutonniere fell off and they need an extra pin? Easy peasy! Taking too long getting those dang loopholes around the buttons on your dress? Girl, don’t sweat it, we have a crochet hook just for that purpose!
