Renting a School Bus for Your Wedding

Photograph by Allegro Photography

Looking for a fun way to get your guests from church to celebration? During back-to-school season, consider renting a school bus for your wedding transportation—one serious blast from the past, while you and your guests help you celebrate your future.

“It’s such a fun thing to do, in my opinion,” says Judi Berry of Newport Limousine Service in Newport, Rhode Island. “We have had several teachers hire a school bus for their weddings, which they were excited about. It’s also always a solid, safe, reliable form of transportation.”

Holding 48 to 50 people (with the cool kids sitting in back, of course), school buses are mostly used to pick up guests from hotels to bring them to the venue and return them after the reception, considering that many of today’s ceremonies and receptions are held at the same venue. “They’re usually rented in eight-to-10-hour periods,” explains Berry, who charges $600 to $800 depending on availability (a much lower price tag than motor coaches and vintage trolleys).

To ensure you don’t find a fourth grader’s homework or sticky chewed gum under the seat, ask your bus company of choice about the cleanliness of their buses. For instance, Newport Limo only uses immaculate, almost-new versions of the ones that get Jack and Jill to and from school.

Although most state laws prohibit limo services from providing booze for your guests, check with your rental company on whether you can bring a cooler full of mini-champs or beer. Add a boom box with some festive tunes, and it’s off to the wedding you go.

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