Getting In & Out Of Your Wedding Car
It’s great to arrive at the ceremony in a cute vintage Austin or Morris Minor but size really does matter: if the bride has a large dress with umpteen layers of fabric, it may be a challenge to get in and out of the vehicle gracefully.
The last thing a bride wants is to look ungainly in that ‘car photo’ or, worse, her pristine look that has taken hours to achieve ends up dishevelled. There is an art to gracefully getting in and out of a wedding car. With a few simple tricks it’s possible to avoid mishaps once that car door opens.
Keep a natural posture
Whatever the type of vehicle, the bride should enter bottom first so she can slide into the car backwards.
The foolproof way to ensure your legs are always together while keeping a natural posture is to focus on keeping feet and toes pressed together. Keep the shoes parallel with the floor, lift them just enough to clear the sill and swing your legs into the car. As the car is low, it’s essential to keep the legs together before swinging them to the side and standing with feet together.
It’s trickier with gull-wing doors. The bride should exit bottom first and then sit on the door ledge – chauffeurs will usually have placed a rug there to protect the bride’s dress – before swinging her legs out of the car and onto the ground in one movement; the feet should always be together.
The secret of getting out of a Rolls Royce or Bentley elegantly is to remain seated, swing both legs to the side with shoes touching together, soles down, and exit on the diagonal.
Let your bridesmaids help
Give the bouquet to someone else as it makes it easier in getting out of the car. To protect the hair, veil and tiara, if you have one, gently place a hand above the head as a guide to the headroom. Dip your head to avoid catching yourself. A wedding gown and train must stay on the floor, allowing enough slack to be free of its weight when swinging legs out of the vehicle. Let your bridesmaids or other helpers collect the train, check make-up and hand back the bouquet.
You can now applaud yourself on the most graceful of exits and the best ‘car exit’ photo for the album. Phew!
What is the right car for the day? The key criteria is that the bride needs to be able to sit back comfortably. For example, Rolls Royce Phantoms with coach-style doors are ideal for giving a bride plenty of room to manoeuvre wearing either a large full-skirted dress or a tighter fitted gown. Vintage cars look glamorous and are head turners but unfortunately don’t have oodles of legroom. The length of journey from home to the ceremony or venues is crucial for comfort. Short journeys are perfect for the vintage car while modern cars are bigger and better equipped for longer rides.
Timing is everything
It’s worth considering the type of dress and height of the bride before taking a retro ride.
On a hot summer’s day you want to remain cool so air conditioning is a must, while for those brides who love the vintage classics a convertible is a good choice.
Timing is everything on the big day, so check the small print before the signing the car hire contract: how long do you have the vehicle for and does it allow time for not only the pick-up and drop-off, but also photography prior to departing for the ceremony and inevitable delays. Cutting back on car hire time due to costs can be risky and stressful. Using a reliable company that provides comfortable transport gives peace of mind. And when the car arrives, the focus should be on the bride, photography and a stress-free journey.