The bride's family is traditionally responsible for covering the cost of transportation on the big day. If you're the one who's actually paying for it, you'll have some research to do before you choose a vehicle. While limos have had their day in the sun, there are many other options available for shuttling your entire crew around from the church to the picture sights to the reception.

Limos

Once available in regular and stretch, you can now super-size your limo ride. Today's super-stretch limos can seat twelve or fourteen of your closest pals. Most up-to-date limos will include media entertainment (in the form of a state-of-the-art stereo, DVD player, and TV), telephones, and neon lights. You probably won't need all of this for a short ride from the church to your reception, but it's nice to know it's there if you want it.

Many limousine companies offer wedding packages, which will typically include champagne, a red carpet, and a set number of hours. You will be required to pay hourly for any amount of time over and above the package price. Three hours may sound like plenty of time to you right now, but on your wedding day, you may need that limo for five or six hours (depending on any delays between the ceremony and the reception).

If you need an early morning lift to the airport to get started on your actual honeymoon, many limo companies offer this service as well.

In the event that you don't want to break up the wedding party into two separate limousines, some livery companies can now offer you modified SUVs that will seat more than twenty of your closest pals.

Another option is to hire a party bus, which resembles an airport shuttle, and has plenty of room for the entire wedding party to move about the cabin. If you choose to hire an old-fashioned trolley, you'll find comparable seating and lots of fresh air.

Going in Style

Even if you think a limo or a trolley is the best choice for your wedding party, you're not bound by any sort of wedding by-laws to travel with the gang. After all, this is your wedding day and the only person you want to be with is your new wife. Consider hiring a classic car (like a Rolls Royce or a Bentley) for you and the Mrs. to ride in while the rest of the gang fiddles around with the moonroof in the limo. Or perhaps you'd like to travel from the church to your reception by horse-and-carriage.

Checking Things Out

Before you hire any sort of transportation service for your wedding day, do your homework — thoroughly. Again, you can start with word-of-mouth recommendations, but that's not nearly enough. You'll want to go and see the fleet of limos (or the horse that's supposed to pull your carriage) with your own two eyes. Any reputable limo company will not hesitate to allow you to inspect their vehicles.

Ask about their maintenance procedures — how often are the limos serviced? Are they insured? Look carefully at the license plates. Are they “Livery” tags? How do the cars look from the outside? Do they appear to be well cared for, or are there scratches and dents all over the doors?

Now get in. Stretch out. Take a look around. Don't be afraid to ask for a test ride. At the very least, the manager or owner of the company should be willing to start the engine so that you can see that everything is in working order. You don't want to find out on your wedding day that the stereo doesn't actually work, or that the TV isn't real. Take your time.

If the limo is squeaky clean, it's modern, everything works, and you can just see yourself sitting there in your tuxedo, flashing your new wedding ring … this may be the car for you.

When checking out a party bus or a trolley, similar rules apply. While you should expect a certain amount of cleanliness (and absence of odor), you can't expect a huge vehicle like this to be detailed the way a car can. Again, feel free to ask for a ride around the parking lot. Is there smoke coming from the engine? Does the vehicle lurch violently when shifting gears? These are utilitarian transports, for the most part — you want a big vehicle your whole wedding party can sit in. Style falls by the wayside. (A nice plus, to be sure, but hard to find in large-sized shuttles.) What you're shooting for is reliability. Ask for references.

Signing the Contract

So you've checked out this particular limo in a fleet of twenty. How do you know that this one is the one that will arrive to pick you up on your wedding day? Get it in writing.

Some companies may lease limos from another company, and therefore may not be able to guarantee you much of anything, let alone which car will show up at your home. Try to find a company that has its own fleet of vehicles. These companies know where their cars are going (and when), and more importantly, where they've been. The owner of a limo company is going to keep his cars in good repair — it's his bread and butter.

Some companies have vanity plates on their limos — this is how their limos are easily identified. For example: You've just checked out the most unbelievable limo — you'll accept no substitutes. Whoever writes up your contract (the owner or the manager) should write the plate number on your contract: “ABC 1” or “ABC 12,” or whatever the number happens to be. (And where are you going to put that contract once you've signed it? Into your Wedding Headquarters File.)

Other points to look for in the contract:

Time. Number of hours you're paying for up front, and the hourly charge after that.

The driver's attire. Most companies will outfit their drivers in tuxes for a wedding. Make sure this company follows suit.

Contingency. What if “ABC 12” has an accident the day before your wedding? If you're paying absolute top dollar for this particular car, will a partial refund be made?

Gratuity. Is the tip added into the contract (a nice plus if you don't want to be bothered with it later; a minus if you get lousy service on the wedding day), or will you be required to fork it over to the driver yourself?

The Driver

Whether you're hiring a limo, a trolley, a horse and carriage, a classic car, or you've asked your cousin to drive you around in his van, you need to recognize the driver as a human being and not as your slave for the night. Yes, he (or she) has been hired by you to cart you and your pals around. No, this person should not expect to take a whole lot of abuse from you.

Though this poor driver is used to seeing his fair share of drunken revelers, you may not address him as “Jeeves.” You may not moon him through the glass partition. You may not incessantly page him on the intercom and tell him to “put the hammer down, 'cause Smokey's in the woods.”

Above all, remember to tip your driver well (fifteen to twenty percent of your total bill), especially if you have ignored the previous admonitions.