Planning a wedding can be an extremely stressful experience. With so much to think about and so much to account for the task can be daunting and at times seem impossible. When planning a wedding for my sister she had everything set in her head how she wanted it to be. I think most women have had their weddings planned since childhood but my sister was different; there was just one fundamental element, a horse drawn carriage that we could hire for the big day.



Horse drawn carriage hire was a new thing for me, having never planned a wedding or even thought about attaining a carriage for hire I had a feeling this task would be next to impossible. This however was a mistake; the wealth of horse drawn carriage hire companies on the internet is immense. I had no idea carriages varied so much, in both style and price.

Undoubtedly the hire of a horse drawn carriage would start my sister's marriage in the right way, the romance and old world elegance was plainly visible and I nearly understood why my sister had been so insistent that a horse drawn carriage was the only way she wanted to arrive at the church. She had known this since she was a little girl and while the other elements of her wedding were not of prime importance to her, this was one issue she would not budge on.

The choice of carriages was vast, my advice to anyone performing this task is not to involve the bride, a lot of time will be saved, not to mention stress. After collecting information on the various styles I presented a portfolio. After looking at the vintage white Victorian carriages, complete with wishbone suspension and adorned with floral bouquets a startling choice emerged.

Whether or not to go open topped became a primary concern, planning the wedding in July I thought open topped was the right choice, but as my sister argued you can never bank on the British weather so maybe a closed cabin was advisable. A compromise existed with a few of the horse drawn carriages available for hire as they had retractable roofs; maybe this was the ideal solution.

Added to the vintage look carriages, an array of Cinderella style carriages were available for hire. With domed tops and wrought iron decorations they were extravagant beyond belief. I can imagine many girls dream of the perfect Disney wedding but surely your wedding day is something to be somewhat adult about, with some fervent arguing on my part I dissuaded my sister from this option.

Overall I was astounded by the variety of options there were when hiring a horse drawn carriage. As well as the carriage itself you could decide what uniform you would like the driver to wear and whether you require footmen to complete the effect. Added to this the horses vary from pure white stallions to lovely mottled steeds. It took us hours to select the right package but we eventually put it all together.

I must say the horse drawn carriage was well worth the hire fee, it really gave my sister's big day that special touch. It looked magical as she pulled into the churchyard and as the steeds hauled the carriage up to the entrance the impression was marvellous. I finally understood why she had been so adamant on this issue, and I hoped it would give her marriage the best possible beginning.