Equestrian
Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill
Get me to the
church in style!
Planning a wedding is a
complicated affair these days,
with choices extending far
beyond posh frocks, top hats and
wedding cake.
The modern bride’s list includes
items her mother would never have
dreamed of – from video recordings
to “favours” for the guests and
anything from a posh stately home
to an exotic marquee for reception.
And then there’s the whole
matter of how she will arrive at the
ceremony. A classic wedding limo
is the usual choice – but these days,
brides wanting to make a statement
might go for anything from the
sublime (a helicopter), to the
ridiculous (motorcycle and sidecar,
perhaps).
However, arguably one of the
grandest - and yet still the most
traditional - ways to make an
entrance is in a horse-drawn
48
carriage.
For many brides, this provides the
ultimate “Cinderella” factor – and
yet many still assume that the cost
of making such a fairytale entrance
would break their carefully-planned
wedding budget.
They’d be wrong though – because
in fact, a horse-drawn carriage can
cost only fractionally more than a
traditional wedding car, despite the
vastly bigger impact it delivers.
A horse and carriage will be
remembered long after the event
– and the wedding photos will be
something to look back on with pride
rather than feint embarrassment.
If you doubt that, then just take a
look at your parents’ wedding album
and consider how that once-stylish
Ford Zephyr looks in the cold light
of 2006!
Now compare that with the horse
and carriage – which has been
around for centuries, and will no
doubt still be around when you’re
celebrating your Golden Wedding
(in fact it might have replaced the
motor car if our oil has run out by
then!)
So, to the nitty-gritty: how much
is a horse and carriage hire likely to
cost? It will depend on whether you
choose a single horse or a pair, and
also on the distances involved.
You need to carefully consider the
distance, not just from a cost point
of view but also the time involved
(bearing in mind the average speed
of a horse is around 5 mph).
For instance if you live in
Freshwater and the wedding is in
Bembridge, think again unless you
want to set out for your wedding
two days before!
In fact the maximum distance you
should plan to travel in your carriage
is about five miles. However, if
you’re further away, then simply
travel to an agreed location up to
five miles away by car, and transfer
to the carriage for the final leg و B