Blast Off! Shuttling Your Guests

Shuttling guests is a chic way of handling parking restrictions from the venue and/or making sure that your guests have a safe ride back to their hotel at the end of the night. However, shuttling can throw your whole timeline off by as little as 15 minutes (no biggie, right?) or as much as an hour (yikes!)… Here are some tips to making your day + shuttling = a smooth ride (pun intended!)

1. Choose a shuttle company that is helpful, professional and has preferably worked with the venue that you are renting
2. Choose the shuttle size that works with the size of your wedding guest list (coach/bus, mini-bus, trolley, limo, etc.)
3. Find/determine the location where the guests will be picked up (hotel where the guests are staying, nearby parking lot, etc.)
4. Drive from the shuttle pick-up to the shuttle drop-off to determine how many minutes the ride will take (add 5-10 minutes for the size/speed of the shuttle)
5. Determine how many shuttle pick-ups will be necessary to get all of your guests to your location
6. Add 15-20 minutes PER shuttle pick-up to accomodate guests getting on/off shuttle, traffic, guests arriving late, etc.

If your guests will be at the ceremony/reception site for more than 30 minutes between their arrival & the ceremony start time, you should have refreshments (to eat & drink) and possibly some activity(ies) for them to enjoy (suggestions: bocce ball, ping-pong, croquet, photos of the bride/groom/family, etc.). Your refreshments could be as simple as lemonade & cookies. I don’t suggest alcoholic beverages be served before the ceremony.

Some suggestions for companies to contact in the Santa Barbara area:

— Santa Barbara Airbus – http://sbairbus.com
— Limo Link – http://santabarbaralimousinelink.com/
— Santa Barbara Trolley Company – http://sbtrolley.com