White Taxi Weddings

Four Weddings and a Few Miles!

Hugh Grant didn’t actually turn up, but the important people did – our lovely couples – for the four weddings we’ve just done in a week. It’s notable for us as we’d never had four weddings so close together, and we were determined from the outset that each one would get our normal level of service and involvement. Hopefully that happened!

Our first couple, Lucie & Matt, were married on Saturday 31st March at Royal Oak House, Derby, with the pick up at Hilton, just outside Derby. Betty was dressed in red ribbons and our role was to take Lucie, her Dad, the Maid of Honour, and two young Bridesmaids to the venue and then leave, as their reception was just a short walk away. In cases like these we don’t get to meet the Groom, but it was a real pleasure to meet the five we were responsible for!

Lucie was kind enough to send us this review afterwards, on behalf of herself and Matt:

“Absolutely stunning and different wedding car! Andy was so helpful and couldn’t help enough. Very highly recommended thanks Andy for making our day that bit more special and of course Betty.” Lucie & Matt

Next was the wedding of Paula & James, who were married at Leicester Town Hall on Wednesday 4th April, with their reception afterwards at the Belmont Hotel, leicester, and this time we were to wait and take the couple on to the reception.

On the drive down to Leicester, the weather was awful with some very heavy Spring showers. We always carry umbrellas, but thankfully they weren’t needed as the weather brightened just as I got to the Bride’s house. Betty looked grand with silver and white personalised ribbons, and we took Paula and her Bridesmaid to the venue.

I managed to give Betty a good clean during the ceremony, so she looked presentable for the photos, and again the weather was kind to the couple as they came out!

Once more we’ve had a wonderful review from the Bride:

“What can I say? Absolutely outstanding service. Beautiful car. And Andy is the most amazing gentleman I’ve met. He went above and beyond for me and made me feel like a very special bride. Thank you so much. I was honoured. X”

Friday 6th April, was the date for Christina and Sam. This was a wedding close to home in terms of the pick up as it was just over a mile from us. The ceremony was at the magnificent St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham, with the reception afterwards at The Walled Garden, Beeston.

Betty was dressed in white ribbons and we were hired to take Christina and her parents to the Cathedral, and then the Bride & Groom on to the reception. If Dad had any Father of the Bride nerves, he wasn’t showing it!

One oddity about The Walled Garden, was that unlike on the day when I did the dummy run to check out the route and venues, a barrier was put in place to prevent any vehicles getting access. The couple had to walk the last bit to the venue and of course the photographer wasn’t able to get any shots of Betty pulling up with the Bride & Groom!

Our final wedding of this wonderful week, involved Rebecca & Mark. With a pick up in Newark on Trent, we had a fair distance to travel, and it was with some foreboding that it was raining quite hard when I left. Again the gods were on the couple’s side as it was dry and very pleasant when I got to Newark, after giving Betty another clean en route!

It was an ivory day for ribbons and this time were we accompanied by a Black London Taxi from Blackmore Commercials, who have some great old London Buses too. Between us, we took nine people to the ceremony and reception at The Nottingham Golf & Country Club, Cotgrave, with Betty carrying the Bride and her parents.

Again, we’ve been sent a lovely review by the happy couple:

“Being a London girl living in Nottinghamshire, there was only one mode of transport that I wanted to travel in to my big day! Along came Betty and I knew she was perfect for the occasion! Andy you were just as fabulous, doing a trial run the week before to ensure you knew the route and taking so many lovely photos that we can look back on. To make our wedding day even more special, on the way to the venue, Andy explained Betty’s history and I could not believe it when he told us that she came from my home town – Chingford! We couldn’t believe it! Some things are just meant to be! Highly recommend Andy and cannot fault the services he provided. Thank you so much. Mr and Mrs Buckley”

So during the course of the week, we traveled a fair few miles – 231 of them which is a lot for weddings as most are fairly local. But more importantly, we got to meet some very lovely people, and four beautiful Brides. And I’m pleased to say that each wedding was still very special to us!

And Hugh Grant wasn’t missed one bit!

For more information about our services, please visit www.whitetaxiweddings.com

Spring is in the Air!

Yesterday, was the first Wedding since last Autumn where I didn’t have to wear a jacket! It wasn’t particularly warm, but the bitterly cold, snowy weather has gone (for now) and it felt a little more appropriate weather for a wedding.

I’m always amazed that whatever the weather, most Brides wear their dresses without covering up, usually leaving arms and shoulders exposed, so it’s the least I can do to be there in my normal shirtsleeves and waistcoat wherever possible, but I do have my limits!

It was time for the marriage of Paula and Steve, and a lovely couple they were. The ceremony was at Glenfield Register Office, Leicester, and then on to the reception back in the Bride’s home village of Newbold Vernon.

After chatting to them during the day, they weren’t initially going to have hired transport as the wedding was low key for family and a few friends, but the Groom Steve, saw one of our adverts on Facebook and decided that he wanted Betty as she fitted in with the relaxed style of their day. Also she could carry the four people who needed to be taken to the ceremony venue quite easily, especially as the Mother of the Bride has limited mobility and Betty is well equipped to deal with this, having either a step or a ramp for access, and plenty of grab handles inside the cab.

So, we arrived at the Bride’s house in Newbold Vernon, early as usual, and when everyone was ready, we got the Bride, her parents, and her Sister who was her chief Bridesmaid, aboard and off we set. We got to the Register Office just a couple of minutes early, and waited briefly for the Groom to disappear from doing his official bit, and we then got the Bridal party inside.

It wasn’t long before they were back outside as a newly married couple, and plenty of photos were taken before the Bride and Groom were ready to be taken on to The Swan Inn for their reception.

That was the end of our input for the day, but after a meal they were going to have a karaoke evening and were ready to really enjoy themselves.

We thoroughly enjoyed playing a part in their special day, and we wish them the very best for their future together!

For more information about our services, please visit www.whitetaxiweddings.com

A Winter Wedding!

As you’d imagine, most weddings in the UK take place during Spring, Summer & Autumn, with a steady trickle keeping us going through the Winter months. You have to be pretty hardy and an eternal optimist to schedule a Winter wedding, given that most Brides and Bridesmaids will still want their fairy tale dresses, and want to show them off rather than cover them up with coats!

In our short time in business we’ve been hired on quite a few cold Winter days, and fortunately Betty’s heater is a good one! Last week though, was the first time we’ve been involved with a wedding in the snow! And it was freezing cold too, thanks to the Beast from the East!

Weather

We were hired to take the Mother of the Bride and Bridesmaids to the venue only, and in the days leading up to the wedding day, a rather nervous MOB was in frequent contact asking how Betty was in the snow (we didn’t know), and should we leave earlier than planned etc. The pick up address was on a road which was still covered in snow and ice, and as it was not too far away, I drove up there to see for myself and it was definitely very slippery.

I didn’t go up in Betty as she’s been valeted and prepared for the big day, so it was still going to be guess work as to how she would cope in those conditions. I felt pretty confident she would be ok though.

Snow

Come the wedding day and conditions hadn’t worsened, which according to the forecast had been a possibility! Betty was duly dressed in her ribbons, which being pink, certainly added a touch of colour to the wintry scene.

I arrived a bit early at the pick up road, and had the opportunity to test Betty stopping and starting in the icy snow. I decided that I’d find a bit of clear road surface close to the house if I could which would at least let us get away!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

With the MOB and Bridesmaids on board, we steadily made it off that road and from there on the roads were pretty clear of snow and ice, so we had no dramas, thankfully. We got to Colwick Hall Hotel, the wedding venue, in very good time, after which we left and let them get on with their special day – in the warm!

For information about Betty and our services, please visit www.whitetaxiweddings.com

Unexpected Delights!

If you follow us on Social Media, you’ll know that we love what we do and that it doesn’t feel like work. Also, as we set our own prices, we’re happy with what we charge, so that alone is enough enough recompense for what we do. That couples are happy enough with our service to give us what so far have been glowing reviews is an added bonus for which we’re very grateful!

In recent weeks though, we’ve had some unexpected Thank You cards from couples, which I must add we don’t expect at all, but to get them out of the blue has just been delightful and gives us a lovely boost!

The first one came from the lovely Laura & Rania. For their wedding, we were hired just to take Laura and her Bridal party from her Parent’s house to the wedding venue, Kelham House Hotel, and then leave, So we didn’t get to see Rania, but from the photo on their card, they make a wonderful couple. Rania wrote these kind words on the card on behalf of them both:

“To Andy

Thank you so much for your wonderful kindness and service on our wedding day. We had an amazing day and Laura loved her White Taxi journey to our venue.

Love Rania & Laura xxx”

The next card to arrive was from the lovely Jessica & David. This time we were hired to take the Bride and her Father to the Wedding venue, at Swancar Farm, Trowel. Time overran them, so the married couple didn’t make it back to Betty for photos, but we’d already met David when the booking was made, and he wrote this on their behalf:

“To Andy

Thank you so much for the wonderful service you gave us on our wedding day – everything went perfectly and we had the best day ever! Thanks for all your help in making it run smoothly and help transport Jess in style!

Jessica & David” (No love and kisses this time, David? 🙂 )

And finally, the most recent card to arrive was from the lovely Dawn & Gary. All three of these weddings have one thing in common, in that they’re single venue weddings with the ceremony and reception at the same place, so we weren’t needed to take the couple on to a reception somewhere else.. This time we were hired to take the Bride Dawn and her Mum to the venue at Rufford Mill, Rufford Country Park, and Dawn has written this:

“To Andy & Betty 🙂

Thank you so much for the amazing service you provided on my wedding day. I could not have chosen a better company to go with, and I’m so glad I came across your stall at the wedding fair.

I wish you well in the future.

Best wishes, love Dawn -x-“

Can you see why we enjoy what we do so much?

To see more reviews from our lovely couples, please visit us here

The Wedding of Allison & Simon

If you have your wedding in early February in the UK, there’s a fair chance that the weather might not go your way, and unfortunately that’s what happened for Allison & Simon on Saturday.

The ceremony and reception were held at Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, at Calverton, Nottingham, and in terms of weather alone it was a very unpleasant day, with high winds, lots of rain and very chilly temperatures. We were hired to transport the Bridal party from the Bride’s hotel to the venue, and then wait until after the ceremony so the married couple could have photos with Betty.

The miserable weather meant that outside photos weren’t a real option, but the photographer did manage to get a couple of small group shots outside before the Bride froze, and they did make it to Betty for a photo inside the nice warm cab!

In spite of the awful weather, everyone was in good spirits and we’ve no doubt they had a great day and evening to celebrate the wedding of the lovely couple.

For more information about our Wedding Car service, visit www.whitetaxiweddings.com

Season’s End

The main wedding season is now over for the year, and after the current flurry of October weddings, we only have a handful left until the New Year. This will be the end of our second year, having been asked to do our first wedding in June 2016.

Thankfully, we’re even more hooked on enjoying what we’ve chosen to do, and for us, each wedding we’ve been lucky to be involved in has been unique and enjoyable. No two weddings are ever the same, as obviously there are different people each time, in different parts of the region and many different venues. They’ve varied from the relaxed and casual to the more dressy and formal.

Once again, we’ve been fortunate and have had lovely couples and shared some lovely moments with them. There’s been a good mix of ages, from very young to middle aged, and although they’ve been mostly Brides & Grooms, we’ve had two more same sex weddings, both of them with two Brides. We did have a male same sex couple booked for this year, but unfortunately for them, they had to cancel their wedding.

There’s been quite a range of employment too among our Brides and Grooms, with them being Teachers, Factory Workers, Nurses, Care Workers, Doctors, Builders, Journalists, Scientists, and even a former GB athlete, and those are just the ones we know about!

We’ve covered the East Midlands pretty well this year, with weddings in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and also into Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Betty’s fame spreads, and we’ve even had enquiries from Gloucestershire and South Wales, but these just aren’t practical for us to do. Some have been right on our doorstep and others a fair distance away. This weekend, one wedding has a record 50 minute drive between the ceremony and reception venues!

(Photo courtesy of Ufniak Photography)

The range of venues we’ve been to has been extensive – including Village Halls and Churches, Grand Cathedrals, former Miner’s Welfares, Register Offices, Pubs and Clubs, Castles, Private Houses, Hotels, County Cricket Grounds, and even a Tipi and a Zoo! We’ll never get bored!

Betty has performed well. Being an old lady there’s always work to be done on her and improvements to be made, and she’s now well known at our local garage. These London Taxis are built to last though, and with all the TLC she’s now getting, there’s no reason why she won’t keep going for years. She’s now a film star too, having featured in a Training Video for the Taxi Industry. As the above diverse mix of people and places she’s been involved with shows, she’s pretty egalitarian and can’t be pigeon holed into any particular sector.

The London connection has played its part. We’ve had quite a few weddings where either those involved were originally from London and now live in the area, or are from the area, but now live and work in London, and are coming back to the family to get married. We’ve also worked on a couple of weddings with an old London Bus.

Thankfully, there have been almost no problems (touches wood!) A Bridesmaid’s dress splitting needing last minute repairs is about the only drama so far, and we’ve only had to use our umbrellas once! It’s raining hard as I write though, and we’ve a wedding tomorrow and the next day…

We’ve no regrets at all about starting this venture, and the old saying often attributed to Confucius, “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”, is very true!

For more information about Betty, please visit here

Getting to know you, East Midlands

Although Jules, my wife and business partner in White Taxi Weddings is a Derbyshire girl, I’m still a bit of a newcomer, having lived here for just five years. Having been born and raised in the Cotswolds, and then lived for a long time in rural and scenic Shropshire, I could have been hard to please. One of the joys though of running a wedding car hire business, is that you get to know the area and see lots of places you might not otherwise get to visit, and I have to say the East Midlands can certainly hold its own for natural beauty.

Yes, it has its wonderful industrial heritage, from coal mining, and railways to the world conquering lace industry, but rural East Midlands is an ongoing voyage of discovery to me and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

As far as weddings go, we haven’t quite got into the Peak District yet, but the rolling countryside of North West Leicestershire in Spring takes some beating. One of the most pleasant journeys I’ve had so far was taking a Bride from Sutton Bonington to a church in the delightful market town of Ashby de la Zouch, on country roads on a sunny April day, and then the hardship of having to take her and her new Husband back again.

The architecture of wedding venues varies so much too, from new and old hotels, and village halls and private homes, and we’ve weddings coming up in a couple of Castles, at Tutbury and Belvoir, the latter being just a couple of days before Christmas. We’ve also got a church wedding in Nottingham with a photo stop at Nottingham Castle.

In terms of grandness, Nottingham Council House is right up there, inside and out, and we’ve done a couple of weddings there so far. We just had to get the hang of the driving and parking restrictions around it!

One of the nation’s great rivers, The Trent, is right on our doorstep at our home in Long Eaton, and we’ve been involved with a few weddings at various venues along its course in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, including one coming up at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. If it’s a match day, I could be persuaded to stay…

So, East Midlands, I’m starting to get to know you well, but fortunately there’s still so much more to discover. So come on Brides & Grooms – hit us with your venues and locations!

To find out more about our wedding car hire services, please visit us at www.whitetaxiweddings.com

	Season’s End… on And the Oscar goes to…
	Season’s End… on Getting to know you, East…
	And the Oscar goes t… on Will you marry me?
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	White Taxi Weddings on Rites of Passage!