“Get me to the church on time!” Lowe and Lerner’s famous song from My Fair Lady is a sentiment that once resonated with many on their wedding day. That’s just one of the reasons why wedding transportation service is such an integral part of this important day.
Booking wedding transportation is one very important part of wedding planning, and today there are choices. From vintage limos to modern stretch Hummers, we take a look at the history of the wedding limo and how wedding transportation has evolved over the decades.
Wedding transportation service – the first horseless carriages
The first wedding limousines date back to the dawn of motoring and were manufactured in 1902 by French manufacturer Mors. What differentiated the Mors limo from a regular motor car was that the driver sat separately from the passengers. Other European manufacturers like Daimler and Rolls Royce soon copied the idea, and by 1910, limousines were trending, not just for weddings but also among everyone from royalty to business leaders.
However, the only difference between these early limos and regular automobiles was the screen or barrier between the passengers and the driver. They were otherwise no larger, and they seated at most four or five passengers. That was fine for a bride in all her finery with the groom and perhaps her father. But there was demand for luxury wedding transportation service with greater capacity.
Enter the stretch wedding limo
Stretch limos are part of the wedding landscape today. But the first one came to market in the late 1920s, when the automobile industry was more than 40 years old. It was created by Arkansas-based coachbuilder Armbruster. The company was commissioned to build a special long-wheelbase version of a Cadillac Fleetwood with extra seating capacity. The Extended Wheelbase Multi-Door Automobile Coach” was designed as a local city bus for short routes on which full-size buses were running half empty.
The name was a mouthful, but the vehicles proved popular. Enterprising Americans were soon finding other uses for Armbruster’s long wheelbase specials. These included airport runs, VIP business travel and, without abandoning wedding transportation service.
As the market grew, luxury automakers like Packard and Cadillac joined the party, creating their own factory-made stretched limousines. However, Armbruster continued to make its own limousine conversions from a range of base vehicles. As well as the traditional Cadillacs they converted cars from Mercedes, Rolls Royce and others. In the 1980s they even created Toyota Camry limos. The company continues to operate as a successful coachbuilding business to this day.
Wedding Transportation Service – Increasing levels of luxury for the bride and groom
The first stretched limos had comfortable leather seats and plenty of legroom. But that was as far as the luxury went. Any extra technology and gadgetry was confined to the dashboard, so was only of use to the chauffeur.
As the years went by, car designers realized that the journey should be part of the experience when it came to riding by limo. That was as true for royal dignitaries as it was for a bride on her wedding day. Soon, extra luxurious touches started to appear in the back of stretch limos. These started with air conditioning in the late 1930s, and facilities like drink cabinets and refrigerators soon followed.
By the late 1970s, the tech age was dawning, and wedding limos came fitted with sound systems and portable TVs. These 1970s monstrosities look quite archaic by modern standards, but they were the precursors to the multimedia systems that passengers can enjoy today in our stretch limos and party buses.
A century of history to choose from
It is 95 years since that first stretch limo was created. The handful of surviving Armbruster conversions from the 1920s are now museum pieces, but otherwise, there are stretch limos from every era in living history that are still in regular service as wedding transportation service.
Those with a sense of vintage style might choose a Rolls Royce from the 1930s. If you’ve a passion for Americana and the rock n roll years, a classic Cadillac Fleetwood or Lincoln Continental would definitely fit the bill.
But the biggest choice is for those who enjoy the unrivalled comfort and luxury of a modern limousine. These include traditional sedan-style limos and special SUV limousines based on the Hummer. You can even book a limo bus, which revisits the concept first devised by Armbruster almost a century ago. Whichever you choose, you are guaranteed absolute luxury and the latest accessories including fiber optic lighting, beverage bars, flat screen TVs and more.
Contact Delux for the ultimate in wedding transportation service
Whatever type of wedding transportation you’re dreaming of, we at Delux would be honored to be part of your big day. Check our fleet of vehicles or give us a call on 516-883-1900 to speak with one of our wedding transportation specialists to discuss your transportation needs.
