Weddings

The Mornington Peninsula has become a favourite place to get married, with ceremonies among the vines, receptions in winery restaurants and celebrations at coastal venues and private properties. What many couples discover during planning is that getting guests between those places is harder than it looks. Venues are often spread out along rural roads, accommodation is scattered across several towns, and nobody wants a guest driving home after the speeches. Taxi Peninsula helps by moving guests and wedding parties safely through the day and night.

How we help on the day

• Bringing guests from their accommodation to the ceremony
• Shuttling guests between the ceremony and the reception venue
• Taking older relatives or families with young children home earlier in the evening
• Late-night runs back to hotels, holiday houses and homes at the end of the reception
• Airport transfers for interstate and overseas guests arriving for the wedding
• Getting members of the wedding party to photo locations or the venue

We supply taxis, not decorated wedding cars, so we are a practical partner for the guests rather than the bridal arrival. Many couples use a wedding car for themselves and us for everyone else.

Looking after older and less mobile guests

Weddings bring together grandparents, great-aunts and friends who may not find a long day easy. A rural winery with gravel paths and a ceremony on a sloping lawn can be a challenge for someone using a walking frame or wheelchair. Our wheelchair accessible van has a rear ramp for one wheelchair plus four seated passengers, and the Maxi WAT has a hydraulic hoist for two wheelchairs and six seated passengers. Wheelchairs are held by four-point restraints and every guest wears a lap-sash belt. Drivers help guests from the vehicle to the door, and a family member or carer travels with them. Having an accessible vehicle on hand means a grandparent can arrive with the family, and leave when they are tired rather than when the last bus goes.

Planning wedding transport

The earlier you talk to us, the better, because wedding season on the Peninsula overlaps with summer holidays and the busiest weekends of the year. To help us plan, gather the date and times for the ceremony, reception and finish; the addresses of each venue and the main accommodation; the approximate number of guests needing transport at each stage; and anyone needing a wheelchair vehicle or extra help. We can then suggest a plan using sedans, our accessible van and the Maxi, and provide a fixed quote on request so you know the cost before the day.

For larger guest numbers, we coordinate several vehicles running in rounds rather than one large coach. It is worth thinking about which guests need transport most, such as those staying further away or those who will not be driving, and planning around them.

Who pays?

Different couples handle this differently. Some cover all guest transport as part of the wedding budget, and a fixed quote makes that easy to plan. Others simply recommend us to guests, who then book and pay for their own trips using the online form, which shows a fare estimate and takes about two minutes. You can also combine the two, covering the shuttle between ceremony and reception while guests book their own trips home. Tell us which approach you prefer and we will set things up to suit.

On the night

Late finishes are no problem because we run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Nominate a contact person, perhaps a groomsman, bridesmaid or the venue coordinator, who can call us if timings change, so the couple are not answering phones during their own celebration. Guests who are leaving can be collected from the venue entrance, and our drivers will make sure everyone gets back to their bed safely, whether that is a hotel in Mornington or a holiday house in Rye. The morning after, we can also help guests get back to the venue to collect cars they sensibly left behind, or take interstate visitors to the airport for their flights home.