5 reasons to sack the chauffeur on your wedding day



We're not in favour of anyone losing their job, least of all wedding car chauffeurs.  But we are in favour of wedding couples saving some money on their big day.  Here at Great Escape Classic Car Hire we've seen a massive increase in demand for our self drive wedding car hire services, so much so that we've decided to stop offering chauffeur wedding car hire and only provide our cars on a self drive basis.  Frankly, it seems to be what people want.

If you're not sure why the traditional chauffeur is losing out on wedding days, here are five reasons we've spotted.

1. Government Legislation
The Government is planning to update the laws covering private taxi hire to remove the exemption for wedding cars.  This longstanding exclusion has meant that cars used for weddings don't have to undergo the same checks as private hire taxi cars - `nd the same goes for the CRB checks on their drivers.  The Government wants to close this loophole, which has created a grey area also surrounding cars used for proms (they're not exempt, although many are not properly licenced).  This change, which is due to come into effect in November 2013, is expected to result in a significant reduction to the number of chauffeur wedding hire cars available in the UK because owners will not want the hassle or cost of conforming to the new legislation.





2. Value for Money
Most couples budget at least £300 per car for chauffeur driven hire, which typically buys 4-5 hours waiting time and a short drive of up to 1 hour in total.  For around half that you can hire a classic car on a self drive basis for 36 hours with a generous mileage allowance and insurance cover too.  In today's economically straightened times that's good news for wedding couples - reduced cost and more for your money.

3. More Flexible
Chauffeurs do their best to help but generally you pay for what you get - a set amount of time, specific start and finish times and a pre-defined route.  With self drive wedding car hire you don't have any of those constraints.  You're not hanging around waiting for the car to arrive on the day, you're not tied to any agenda other than your own and you choose your route, and however long or short you want it there's really no change to the cost.



4. More fun
Chauffeurs love their job, and there's a reason why - driving a classic car is great fun.  Why let the chauffeur have all the fun when you could be behind the wheel.  There is never a shortage of people queuing up to drive a self drive wedding car on your big day, make sure you're at the front of it somewhere on the big day. 

5. Dedicated Self Drive Wedding Hire Packages
The growing demand for self drive wedding cars means that companies like Great Escape Classic Car Hire have developed dedicated services for wedding couples.  Previously they had to work around relatively inflexible self drive hire periods set by classic car hire companies.  Now Great Escape offers much more flexible packages specifically designed to ensure the hire of the car can be easily worked into the rest of your plans for the big day.  This includes a unique 1.5 day hire period, so that couples can collect the car on the day before and return it the day after without paying the full 2 day price.  Great Escape also lets you add a second driver for just £25 (who can collect or return the car for you) and the company has also developed its local site network so that you are never more than 90 minutes from one of its locations - making collecting the car much easier.  Most Great Escape sites also offer a delivery and collection service. 

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has a fleet of 80 classic cars available to hire on a self drive basis for weddings from 11 UK locations.  The range includes everything from Morris Minors to Aston Martins and prices start at just £170 for wedding car hire.  For more details visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk or call 01527 893733.

Don't let your wedding chauffeur have all the fun



Wedding c`rs used to be just like Post Office vans - one colour and all the same.  If you didn't fancy a white Rolls Royce you'd struggle to find an alternative.  In the last few years all that has changed.  Today there is a huge choice of wedding cars with a vehicle to sort all kinds of individual requirements.  But generally with one constant - they've got to be chauffeur driven.
Yet here things are changing and may be about to change quite significantly.  Great Escape Classic Car Hire is one of an increasing number of companies offering wedding cars on a self drive only basis. This option is growing in popularity because it is cheaper than chauffeur hire, provides more flexibility and also the chance for at least one member of the wedding party to drive the car. 
The popularity of self drive wedding car hire is also being boosted by the Government's proposal to make all chauffeur driven wedding cars subject to the same regulations as private hire taxis and minicabs.  Currently vehicles used specifically for weddings are exempted from the normal checks and legislation applying to other public service vehicles.  The Government has created a draft bill that intends to close this loophole.  The legislation will go before Parliament in November 2013 and if successful will significantly reduce the pool of chauffeur driven cars available for weddings. 
At Great Escape we expect this legislation to be passed so as a precaution we have stopped offering a chauffeur driven alternative with our fleet of wedding cars.  We have also found that in the current straightened economic times that most couples actually prefer to hire their wedding car on a self drive basis.
Hiring a wedding car on a self drive basis opens up a huge range of cars to use on your wedding day.  You are no longer restricted to four seater saloons - if you decide to drive yourself you can use a 2 seater because you don't need space for the chauffeur.  At Great Escape we have a wide selection of 2 and 4 seater coupes, convertibles and saloons in a wide range of colours, covering everything from Morris Minor convertibles to Jaguar E Types, Aston Martin DB6s and DeLoreans. 
Whereas a chauffeur driven wedding car will typically cost at least £300 for 5 hours, a self drive classic wedding car can be hired from just £150 for a full 24 hours.  The only extra cost is for your petrol. 
Great Escape Classic Car Hire offers a special wedding hire package that includes 36 hours hire instead of our normal 24 or 48 hour hire periods.  This means that you can collect the car on the day before and return it by lunchtime on the day after.  This can significantly reduce the stress and hassle of hiring a wedding car on a self drive basis without incurring the full cost of a 48 hour, which may not be needed.  Great Escape can also offer a full collection and delivery service, although this can work out expensive for long distances.  Often if the wedding is local to one of Great Escape's 10 UK locations couples will opt for a 24 hour hire and arrange for Great Escape Classic Car Hire to collect the car - this arrangement can be simpler and often cheaper even than the 36 hour hire option.
We are already experiencing significantly higher demand for wedding cars in 2013 than in any other year.  To discuss your plans and obtain a quote on self drive wedding car hire call Great Escape Classic Car Hire on 01527 893733 or email info@greatescapecars.co.uk.  Or for more information on the cars visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk.  Mention this article and claim 10% off the total cost of your self drive wedding cars.