Limousine Services in Hawaii

the olden day horse carriage,
sometimes a lot more reliable than defunct limo companies

LIMOUSINES IN HAWAII
A QUICK EDU-MA-CATION

One big difference between myself and my competitors is that I don't include a lot of extra line-items in my wedding packages. They are all pretty simple, consisting of the basic needs: minister/photo or minister/photo/video. Everything else which is extra, is just an a la carte item. When I took a look at my competition, I realized that they offered limo services at an incredibly low price.

I asked myself, "How in the hell do they do that?"

I mean, even my good friend who runs limos for my company couldn't offer me prices that low. Was she ripping me off? How do they even pay for gas? Then, I found out what was happening when I visited Waialae Beach park one day.

My jaw dropped.

A limo pulled up, an average looking one, not a great one, but average. And out popped a bride and groom...then another, then another, and another!!! One of these wedding companies were loading brides into the same limo, taking them all to the beach in one limo, just to get married one-by-one, like a conveyor belt! Can you imagine that! I asked the wedding couples as they were waiting if they expected that this would happen, and they mumbled angrily, "No."

So that's how they kept their price down low. Classy...

But I still had one more question. I wondered, "How could some of these wedding companies only book a limo for 1 hour, or even 2 hours?"

That answer came shortly after as well.

I was booked just as a photographer for a wedding couple who had used a different wedding planning service. All I had to do was show up and take photos. Easy right? Not really...By the time the couple arrived, the wedding service finished, I only had maybe 10 minutes to work with the wedding couple for photos. Why only 10 minutes? Well, because, the limo had to take the couple back to the hotel!

But the wedding company had booked the limo for 2 hours! That sounds like a lot right? Not at all. Lets break it down.

30 minute trip to location + 30 minute trip back to hotel = 1 hour

30 minute Pre-wedding preparation time + 15 minute wedding ceremony = 45 minutes!

TOTAL LIMO TIME USED SO FAR: 1HOUR 45 MINUTES.

That leaves me with 15 minutes to take photos....out of the 2 hours. THAT'S REALLY NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GET GREAT PHOTOS

So picture this. I'm trying to do my photo magic with this couple. The location is sub par. The wedding couple is literally getting married next to a dirty waterfall stream in the middle of Honolulu, and there's a homeless bum camping there.... So I'm trying to make this place look good. The wedding planner comes to me and tells me, "Hurry up with the photos because the couple needs to get back!"

There is no real way I can get great photos at this location in ten minutes. So I make a deal with the couple. I will meet them back at their hotel, pick them up with my truck, and take them to a better location. And that's exactly what I did.

Now, their wedding planner doesn't even offer them something like this. I'm the one who went beyond the call here. She truly doesn't care. She got paid, she just doesn't want the couple to take any longer so the limo company won't charge her an extra hour and affect her profit margin. In fact, I find out from other sources, is that this is how she and many other companies truly treat their brides. They just don't care. All they did was throw in a very small limo time block within their wedding package, to entice the couple that they were getting some type of value, then...they screwed them by not giving the photographer enough time to get the best shots.

How much time would that couple need the limo for? At this location, at least 3 hours....not two.

So I came to this very big conclusions. I think crappy wedding companies have a tell-tell sign!

"If a wedding companies' packages are cheap and include limo service, then that
company is crap. If a wedding companies' packages include 2 hour limo
service, then that company is also crap. They truly don't care...so I
classify them as turd." - Steve Young

I am so confident of myself, I quoted myself!

So that leaves us we a few main wedding planning questions.

DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED A LIMO?
If you're on a budget, no. If it's just the two of you eloping, no. If you rented car, no. If you are with family and rented a van, no.

WHEN DO YOU NEED A LIMO?
When you want to travel in a little style. May be drinking on the day of your wedding, for example, at the beach, or at the restaurant you'll be eating at. You don't want to be drunk and driving on your wedding day, or even a little intoxicated. Or if you have a wedding party who wants to travel all at the same time, to the location. More so, if you didn't rent a car for Hawaii, get a limo. Many times, it's cheaper than a cab, or just as expensive.

WHEN IS A GREAT TIME TO RENT A LIMO?
A great time to rent a limo is when you want to party in Waikiki and you're staying on the North Shore.... It's $550.00 for the entire night, but it's well worth it as it may save your life. I think $550.00 is well worth the lives of 8 people, even if they voted for Obama...(just kidding) After all, you don't want to drive drunk on a two-lane HWY, at 2am in the morning.

HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD YOU GET IT FOR?
Town weddings = 3 hours
East/West weddings = 4 hours
North Shore/remote weddings = 5 hours

WHAT IS THE GOING RATE?
Be prepared to pay $60 to $75 per hour, and for reputable companies to have a 2 hour minimum booking.

WHAT ABOUT LIMO BEACH PHOTO TOURS?
For the most part, it's a waste of time, because all beaches look the same. I think all photo tours are a waste of time. I can get great variety of shots just on one beach. Or when I'm on the north shore, I can get a great variety of shots just by driving 5 minutes in one direction, I don't need a 3 hour photo tour and limo to accomplish this.

An island tour isn't needed to get different shots....a great photographer is. If a wedding company is offering photo tours, they are just trying to sell you a package for nothing. You'll just get shots that just really look the same...

HOW CAN YOU BOOK A REPUTABLE LIMO COMPANY?
Simple way, call me. I'm always looking out for you.

But, here's how they work. They charge you an hourly flat rate for the time that you use the limo, usually regardless of distance, and usually regardless if the limo is just standing their waiting for your wedding to finish. Why do reputable companies charge while they wait? Well, for a couples of reasons:

1. So the limo can always be at the couples disposal. For example, in case of rain, a couple can use the limo as shelter, or they can use it as a changing room, or the bride can use it as an a/c room as she waits for her wedding ceremony.

2. So the limo can be on time.

See, non-reputable limo companies will try to book gigs between pick up and drop off times. They may give you a cheap price. But lets say, the limo drops you off at your wedding at 3pm, then leaves to pick up a tourist at the airport. But that tourist's plane gets delayed an hour, so the limo has to wait. The limo finally picks up and drops off the tourist, and runs back to get you, but they are an hour late.

Reputable limousine companies realize that there is really no way to book gigs between gigs, and still be punctual, so they don't do it. Instead, they charge you for the time waiting for your wedding to get finished.

WHAT ARE MY LIMO RATES?
I only book them by the 4 hour block, starting at $250.00. My friend who does all of my "limo-work" it top notch, always on time, always has a limo that is modern and working.

So hoped you learned a bit!! I'm out.

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Guy
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/