Not to have 'wedding transport'?

[ObiJuanKenobi]

Getting married soon, and have really shocked my grandmother telling her that we aren't having wedding cars / carriages..

I am staying at the reception venue the night before the wedding and our church is 170yards away spread over two roads on very flat pavement. DGM is insisting that I'm being ridiculous and I won't want to walk, partially down the high street, on a busy Saturday afternoon in my wedding dress with the world and his wife starring at me.
I said if it rains or whatever then my dsis has quite a flash car and could drive me from the hotel to the church if needs be.

DHTB is planning on driving from our house (5 minute drive away) to the reception venue and leaving the car there. He will have our very young children with him with their things for the day / clothes ready to drop off to my mum and wants the car to drive us home in with all of our stuff the next morning.

I think it's a complete waste of money to hire a wedding car to drive me essentially round the corner and for the sake of photos. She thinks I'm breaking away from tradition and being cheap.

Who is being unreasonable here?

@OhHelpNooo Nope it is Christchurch in Dorset

@clary £400!?

Sounds brilliant. And you will get such lovely comments from passers by.

I think hiring a wedding car would be a ridiculous waste of money too, but I think I would like to be driven there by a friend / relation, rather than walking down the High Street before the actual wedding. However, that is entirely your choice.

I think there is something so lovely and romantic about walking to your wedding. Do it!!

So the walk is literally this, from the man with the lollipop to the end of that road and then turn left which brings you to where the painting was done from.

What other wedding traditions are a complete waste of money!?

I think your plan is great.

My wedding transport was a no-show (apparently the chauffeur was bending over his roses when the agency called to tell him he was supposed to be getting me to the venue at that very moment).

Dad couldn't drive me - he'd had a brandy - so he got his mate to speed drive us up in the family estate, which was full of lopped-off branches from the bush he'd pruned the day before.

I got there, twenty minutes late, covered in bits of random foliage, having had to dip my shoes in a basin of soapy chemicals ( wedding was at an agricultural college, also Dorset, at the time of a foot and mouth outbreak).

It was memorable. Memorable is good .

Sounds lovely! Ignore them. I got ready in wedding/reception venue so no car. Married in hotel along Brighton seafront so walked along for pics. Was so lovely with all well wishers as was on bank holiday with record temps. Just enjoy your day!

@StableGenius I love your story!!! I also love memorable, good or bad, it's the little things that don't go to plan that can hold the dearest memories

Yanbu!
Go with what you want to do, will you walk with the other guests? Because that could be really fun.
I had some of my photos taken in a public place (the grounds of the venue were open to the public) and it was lovely having random members of the call out congratulations! (A small child said "you look beautiful" to me. It was adorable).
A walk down the high street in your wedding gear sounds surreal, but fun.

I will say if you are not having a car journey alone do build in a small pocket of time into your day where it's just the two of you, (could be when you are doing photos)as the day will be such a busy blur and you will appreciate having that little bit of time to reflect together.

I think I’m previous generations, the mother and grandmother had a lot more influence and say in weddings than now.
My mother’s wedding was planned by my grandmother for example...

However....

It’s not their wedding, it’s your wedding?

My DH and I said regularly during the planning stages “as long as we’re married at the end of the day, nothing else matters”

We ended up getting married in the north of Iceland so our “wedding transport” was a 4x4 coach. My poor DM’s face tripped her up most of the weekend but I wouldn’t change a thing. So basically do what you want, don’t be pushed into doing something you don’t want to as you should be able to look back and think of it as exactly what YOU wanted

I'm only having transport asa family member has a classic car that was a huge part of my childhood. However from the ceremony to reception it's about 15 miles..
Me or dp will drive (not having a huge dress so do able) mainly because I wantba car there for the following day. And we have 3 children. 2 car seats and a pram. Plus their over night stuff to go home with grandparents.. It's just easier and I'm happy with it.
Go for it, your day. X

I love your story @StableGenius, definitely a memorable wedding!
And at least it was the chauffeur not the vicar! My great uncle (a vicar) had a very out of breath neighbour appear at his side when he was enjoying a day at the beach, telling him he was supposed to be at a wedding “right now” !

I've been to and seen weddings where the bride arrives on foot. I don't think you're being at all unreasonable . You have a wet day plan so no problem. I was in a country pub with a church next door having lunch when the bridesmaids and bride had to get to the church in a torrential downpour. The ushers did sterling work with the hotels umbrella collection.

Yeah I reckon it was about £400. People just think of a figure then double it when they hear the W word 😀

It was 20 years ago too so it really was a lot! Wedding stationery and orders of service was another mahoosive waste of money IMHO.

Worth spending on: frock, flowers (I loved mine), food, booze. Wedding album is a bizarre thing, especially now. Most of the people in it seem either to be dead or out of my life :$

Their is a photo in my Wedding Album of me in the big white dress leading the wedding party over a main road at the crossing lights, as their was a beautiful park across from the venue and we went over for some photos.

DF drove me to Register Office, DSis drove DM, DH was driven by his DB (including a hurtle down the hard shoulder to avoid a delay). Reception was catered by DM at home, v small. All excess money went towards house deposit....

I got married last month and drove myself and my 2 children and my parents to the registry office. Looked absolutely fine on the video

I arrived at church in a friend’s Ford Sierra - not a wedding car but nobody saw me arrive anyway. My husband surprised me with an ancient cart horse and cart owned by a local riding charity. Certainly not glamorous. We didn’t have a professional photographer either just friends photos. We still have a lovely album of the day that nobody ever looks at.
My SIL remarried in Bristol last year at the Cathedral. The bride and maids walked from the house to the church. They had a tuk tuk for the couple to get to the reception but the bridesmaids and other wedding party members walked or went in ordinary cars.