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Safety.

Seat Belts.

I am constantly asked about seat belts, to answer these questions I have compiled a list of how they apply to vehicles used for weddings and a link to the Dept of Transport for further help and information.

Here is an at a glance summary of the rules on child restraints for cars, vans and goods vehicles. The latest rules date from September 2006

What the law says The law says that all children up to 135cm tall (around 4'5"), or the age of 12 , whichever comes first sitting in the front or rear seats in cars must travel in the correct child restraint for their weight with very few exceptions.

Exceptions to the rules In older vehicles with no rear seat belts. In this case, children 3 years and over may travel unrestrained.

What do I do if my wedding vehicle.

is a limousine, or a wedding car?
These sorts of vehicle are treated in the same way as any other saloon car and so child restraints must be used where relevant.- remember that it is the driver who is responsible and it is the driver who would be prosecuted if children travel when not properly secured.

- only has lap belts? A child is not exempt from using a child restraint in a seat with only a lap belt. A lap belt doesn't provide maximum protection for a child, whether it's used with a booster or not. The child's unrestrained upper body is liable to pivot around the lap belt with the increased risk of injury to the soft tissues of the abdomen. A lap belt may also be difficult to fit properly on a child.

has small extra seats only suitable for children?
Some estate cars and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) have small seats at the very rear or in the luggage compartment for use by children. Some sports cars or convertibles also have small rear seats that are only big enough for children. These seats may only be used without a child seat or booster if they are approved in the same way as a child seat/booster and therefore take the place of a child seat/booster.

If the seat is approved, it will have a label with an "E" in a circle and the weight range of the child for which it is designed - this last point is quite important - they will almost always be designed for children from 15kg and up. Check with the car handbook or the vehicle manufacturer whether the seat is approved.

Top Tips.Things to think about when booking a wedding car.

1) Always, always see wedding cars before you book. We’re happy to invite you to our premises or to see you at wedding exhibitions. Have a sit in, and really understand what you’ll be booking.

2) Think about your dress or outfit and your comfort in the car. We’ll be happy to advise and to show you our spacious cars, but please consider the style of your outfit. You’ll be able to do this when you see the cars in person

3) Think about the journey you’ll make and who’ll be in the wedding cars. Again, we’ll help to advise, but it’s important that you think about where the pick up points are and exactly who you’d like to be in the wedding cars.Do you need a car to take the bridesmaids, page boys, brides mother and does the brides father need a lift from the church to the reception.

4) Think about timing – be realistic. We’ll help you plan a route and timing but consider what you’d like. It may be that you need 2 cars in order to get the wedding party to the locations in the right order and on time. You may have a specific request about the route we take

5) With open top cars – think HAIR! We operate an enclosed car policy so the problem won't arise whatever the weather,with most older style vehicles it can take up to 10 minutes to put the hood up.

Top Tips - things to ask wedding car companies when booking a car

1) Ask if the company has wedding hire insurance. There are many “hobbyist” car owners doing weddings out there that do not operate as a proper business. One easy way to sort through these is to check for wedding insurance. It’s an additional cost to the premium cost. You can see ours on the wall of our showroom

2) Before you book – understand their contingency plans. We know how important your wedding day is so we have plans in place to ensure everything goes smoothly – even if we suffer from rare unforeseeable problems. For example, we have a fully prepared wedding car and professional uniformed chauffeur on standby – just in case and to ensure that we provide a 1st class service in every circumstance

3) Ask if you get exclusive use of the car – understand what you’re paying for. Our wedding car hire policy is that we only book one car, per wedding, per day. This means that the car is not double booked and our service is focussed on your wedding day only. Make sure you get a clear understanding of what you’ll get from other companies. This will also help you compare "like for like" as some companies have hidden additional costs

4) Ask how the company will prepare for your wedding day. Once we have secured you booking and understand your requirements we’ll plan our chauffeur’s schedules. Each chauffeur will get a full briefing and undergo a “dry run” of the route prior to each wedding. We’ll also check for any disruption on the roads or any plans for roadworks. Our cars are prepared a couple of days before the wedding to ensure they’re in tip top condition. Nothing is left to chance to ensure we give you a 1st class service

Questions and Answers.

Can we view a car before we make a decision to book?

The very best way to view our vintage cars is at our premises, here you can sit in the car, talk to the owner and see the company you are booking your transport from,you can discuss all of the details and arrangements of your forthcoming wedding in a relaxed atmosphere.
We do not recommend viewing during someone elses wedding as this is not professional.

Do we need to make an appointment to view?.

Yes.You can view the cars daytime or evening at a mutually convenient time.We can make an appointment over the phone or by e-mail.

When is a good time to book our cars with Prestige Wedding Cars.?

When you have the date and venue booked you can go ahead and book, it is never to early as we are booking up to 2 years ahead and we recommend the earlier the better to ensure we can offer the car/s you want.

.Do you provide umbrellas in case it rains?

Yes We provide large ivory golf umbrellas to keep the bride dry whatever the weather

Do you provide your services outside Bournemouth / Poole / Christchurch?

The towns and area we cover are listed at the head of the page,the area is around 20 miles from our base in Bournemouth.

Do you do two trips?

We often take the bridesmaids first, depending on the distance to the venue you need to allow double the time to get from the venue back to the house there is usually a small extra charge for this.

Does the car stay for photos after the ceremony?

The car/s can be filmed and photo'd before and after the wedding,my 22 years experience in the business means I know most of the local photographers, we work together to get the best shots and angles inside and ouside the car/s.Photographers often have a special position they like the car to be in and we always work with photographers to achieve the best results.Your wedding day is a co-ordinated event by many suppliers,it is our company policy to ensure our part runs smoothly

Do you provide additional services?

Yes,we recommend 1/2 bottle of champagne after the ceremony.We provide good quality chilled french champagne served in beautiful fluted glasses to enjoy on the journey to the reception.........

If your special day requires a trip for location photos etc off route we can usually accomodate this but we must be informed before the day of the wedding.

Can we choose what ribbons we have?

We keep a wide range of ribbons in stock for you to choose from,we have most colours to match.White or Ivory are the most popular as they match the brides dress colour

Do you provide flowers for the rear window shelf on the car?

Yes, we have a silk flower arrangement provided, usually in neutral coloured flowers Ivory/White/Cream so they blend with any wedding theme. Also we can add colours to the arrangement to match the theme of your wedding.