This has been the single item that I have spent the most time thinking about during this wedding planning. Even more than the ceremony (yikes!). Even more than the flowers (gasp!).
How will we get our friends and family down the mountain after an evening of partying?
Perhaps I'm a worry wart - but the thought of someone attempting to drive down that mountain after just one drink is rather frightful...it's a very topsy turvy winding mountain road. My mom's solution - no booze. Not an option (but thanks for your input mom). We want people to drink and be merry at our celebration!
So. I made a couple calls to shuttle services in Phoenix (as I didn't find any local to Flagstaff) and one quoted me:
$3152. 16
Seriously.
And this was only to transport our bridal party. No lie.
In that case, I think we can trust our friends and family. They have been attending weddings, parties, and keggers for years. They are responsible. They are intelligent.
Was this a concern for you? I'm still nervous about it. Might keep looking.
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We were afraid too, but chose to trust our family and friends because we didn't have the resources to provide anything. Most of our family were totally fine, and the ones that weren't had someone to drive them. Our friends, gosh that was a different matter, but being the responsible smart resourceful people they are, hired a cab company that had a van to drop them off and pick them up. Of course they all chipped in and took care of it. It's a way cheaper option though, something to think about.
ReplyDeletehey... drop my hubby a line. He has vans for his tour business and on occasion does gigs like this. He's local... reasonably priced and I'm sure he'd be happy to give you a quote for the evening.... wes@walkgrandcanyon.com .
ReplyDeleteHow about renting a 15 man van and hiring someone to drive it? Cheaper than going through a service!
ReplyDeleteOR you could look into renting a school bus! They DO do that sort of thing and would probably love the extra revenue for the school district!
We are in the same boat. We thought we could trust people to drive themselves, but then we went to a wedding this weekend where the bride and groom rented vans. They called them the drunk bus and everyone rode them. Their fathers drove. Everyone was smashed and danced like animals. They said they rented the vans from a car rental service, like Budget or National.
ReplyDeleteWe would like to do the same, but I don't want to spend a lot of money. Also, we have no one in our families who could drive the vans since everyone is a lush.
Let's keep each other posted. Maybe one of us will come up with an ingenious solutio ;)
Have you considered a school bus? Maybe check with the local schools to see if they rent them. That's what we are doing and it's about $500 - still an expense but worth the peace of mind for you and guests...and fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm having a mountain wedding too and have the same concern. I echo some of these other posters who suggest renting a school bus or large van. We are thinking about renting a large van and either hiring someone or enlisting a really super generous family friend to shuttle people back to the hotel at the end of the night. We'll make the option available and maybe even have sign-ups so we know if there's a need for more than one van. (We're close enough to the hotel that it would be about a 30 minute round trip, and I'm sure people won't all leave at the same time.) Good luck!
ReplyDeletewow that's really expensive
ReplyDeleteDefinately in the same boat...especially since there could be snow and ice on the roads. yikes!
ReplyDeleteoh no! 3K is crazy! i can't believe it's that much. i think you're sure to have some responsible friends and family who can do the trick, right?
ReplyDeleteI am also having a mountain wedding but we decided to have it at a camp with a gorgeous lodge, so there are cabins on site. We are going to encourage guests to stay the night or camp on site if they are planning on drinking (which many will i'm sure). The location is off of a rural highway where accidents happen frequently, so I am hoping to convince many to stay on site to be safe...
ReplyDeleteI also live in the mountains and have thought about this. I bet you could hire some college kids with cars to drive them. Mucho cheaper.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting married in Canmore, Alberta (I know, very far away from you but...) our reception is on the side of a mountain too and the town isn't large enough to handle all the taxi calls. What we are doing is using the local "party bus" company, alot cheaper but of course it is probably going to be a school bus, but it will get everybody up and down safely for under 500. We were also considering calling any local sport teams, who knows maybe there are parents who would be willing to work a couple hours to raise money for the team.
ReplyDeleteTotally concerned about this myself. You know, being 30, I thought our friends and fam would have more sense, but two people under those labels proved to us just last week that they aren't that responsible after they told us there were spending the night, I readied the guest room, they drank a fifth, and then snuck out and drove home just after my Beau and I went to sleep.
ReplyDeleteSo now, we're figuring it out too.
Best of luck to you, and cheers to knowing you'll find a better price/option!
I'll ditto what other people have said--school bus!! It would be fun, I think!
ReplyDelete