Congratulations! You’re getting married! Let the planning begin!
You’ve got flower arrangements to select, cakes to taste, and dresses to try on. There are so many fun parts to wedding planning, so we understand that organizing transportation can sound like a drag. Sure, chartering a bus is no champagne tasting, but it’s a lot simpler than you’d think. Armed with these tips and the Bus.com booking tool, chartering a bus for your Toronto wedding can be quick and painless. So calculate your guest list, tell us where you’re going, book your bus, then get back to hors d’oeuvres sampling, engagement photoshoots, and playlist creation.
Do you need a bus for your wedding?
Renting a school bus for your wedding shuttle service is very much on trend, but it’s not the only wedding situation you’ll need a bus for. Beyond the shuttle, there are so many ways to use your bus rental. You could replace the classic limo with a minibus, chauffeur your inner circle to all the wedding weekend events, or cover transportation for the bachelor(ette) party, engagement party, and bridal shower.
Looking for a way to transport only your wedding party that is both stylish and economical? Bus.com offers luxury sprinter van rentals in Toronto for this purpose. A sprinter van is a small transportation vehicle that can fit up to 15 passengers.
Wedding shuttle service
Yes, shuttle service is a luxury for some weddings, but when you’re moving a large group of people through the GTA, the shuttle becomes a necessity. Sticking to your schedule is of the utmost importance, especially if you want to avoid delaying your first dance. Don’t give your guests the chance to get lost. After the ceremony, pile them onto a school bus and ship them straight to the reception where cocktails and snacks await.
Rent a minibus instead of a limo
Limousines in Ontario can cost around $200 per hour, and they only hold 10-12 people max. That sounds like a lot for one vehicle but it doesn’t accommodate an entire wedding party. A Toronto minibus, on the other hand, can transport up to 21 people at half the price. That’s enough room for groomsmen, bridesmaids, the happy couple, the ring bearer, the officiant, the parents, and the photographer. Imagine trying to fit all that and a taffeta gown into a limo!
A weekend’s worth of wedding events
These days weddings are so much more than a single event. From airport pick-up at Pearson to Sunday Brunch in Liberty Village—cover the transportation to all your nuptial events. Add a bridesmaids morning at Elmwood Spa and a rehearsal dinner at Dandylion. Your guests will feel like royalty as you chauffeur them through the busy streets of the 6ix.
Other wedding events outside the weekend
On top of your wedding weekend events, you should consider the transportation necessities for your other wedding-related activities. Do you need a bus for your engagement party, your bachelor(ette) party, and your bridal shower? Make a list of all the events for which you’ll need transportation then talk to your booking specialists about setting up a wedding bus itinerary that covers it all.
City vs. country weddings
Toronto offers a wealth of wedding locations to choose from. Every borough has its own unique feel. Reach just a little further than the GTA and you’ll find a vast network of idyllic small towns eager to host your wedding. Whether you’re a city mouse or a country mouse, there’s a Southern Ontario venue just a short bus ride away. Here are a few of our favorites:
City
Kew Gardens
Nestled in the center of The Beaches, an affluent neighborhood on the shore of Lake Ontario, is Kew Gardens. Its beautifully groomed lawns are the perfect setting for a garden party wedding. Think English lace, tea service, and a stroll along the lakefront.
The Globe and Mail Centre
Catering to a more cosmopolitan group, the Globe and Mail Centre in downtown TO offers a photogenic rooftop terrace that overlooks the city. It holds up to 300 guests, so feel free to go big and host the social affair of the year.
Country
Lumina Resort
Hidden down a dirt road in Dwight, Ontario, Lumina Resort is a family-friendly venue with enough cabins to house all your guests. Hold the ceremony by the lake, pose for photos in a canoe, and play a game of shuffleboard on the morning after.
Violet Hill Farm
Only an hour outside of Toronto sits the very small town of Orangeville, home of Violet Hill Farm. The Farm is affordable, cute, and quaint. Host up to 100 people in this rustic barn surrounded by golden Ontario forests. It’s the perfect spot for an Autumn wedding.
Choosing the best wedding bus rental
Managing all these trips sounds like a lot, but if you take it one step at the time, it gets easier.
Start by listing all your bus trips—ceremony to reception, reception to hotel, hotel to Sunday brunch, and so on. Figure out which trip is the longest. If that trip is longer than two hours, book a Toronto coach bus. If that trip is short and sweet, a coach bus might be excessive, so chartering a school bus or minibus (depending on the size of your guest list) would be your best bet. For more bus selection tips, use our helpful guide.
Link to infographic
Let your guests know about your wedding bus
Optimize the value of your Toronto bus rental by making sure every seat has a person in it. The best way to do that is to spread the word so all your guests know their transportation options. Post your bus itinerary near the door of your venue so it’s right in your (dr)uncle’s face as he stumbles out. Drop a note in the invitation. And of course, there’s good ol’ fashioned word of mouth. However you need to let people know, do it. In fact, over do it.
Pro tip: Put the itinerary on your wedding website so guests can refer to it on their phones.
A few final tips
Add 15
When you’re calculating how long your trips will take, add fifteen minutes to account for chatty aunts and errant groomsmen.
Decorate your bus
Ask your wedding photographer to travel with you so he/she/they can capture candid shots on the road. Make your bus as photogenic as possible, decorating it in your wedding colors. Whatever you do, don’t obstruct your bus driver’s view.
Hand off the itinerary
Planning a wedding is a very big job, but it ends on the morning of your special day. The bride and groom are responsible for one thing and one thing only: getting hitched. So hand off your itinerary to someone else. There’s bound to be a boss in your wedding party who’ll jump at the chance to help out.
