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The 1937 Cadillac sedan from Vintage Wine Tours.
In The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman runs off with the wedding-gowned Katherine Ross in the back of a public bus because his Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto has run out of gas.
But that only works if you're running away from your own wedding. Most people are running to their own weddings, and for that you'll want something more glamorous than public transportation.
The advantage of hiring someone else's wheels for wedding transport is that you'll never have to fill the tank and you can drink as much champagne as you want at the reception or, as some couples are wont to do, on the way to the ceremony.
In the Sonoma Valley they're endless. This is, after all, the heart of Limoland.
If you want rock-solid service for every need-transporting you and your betrothed, let's say, or all 120 guests to a remote winery up Cavedale Road-the companies with the most wheels and the widest options are California Wine Tours, in business for more than 25 years, and Pure Luxury, in business since 1991. Sonoma Valley resident Mike Marino, who owns CWT, suggests wedding planners start booking transportation as soon as dates are firm, especially if the wedding is on a Saturday.
Rates typically start at $50 an hour for a corporate sedan and climb with the size of the vehicle. A 28-passenger limo bus can be had for $225 per hour and a full-blown "entertainer luxury bus"
(in case you hired Tony Bennett to croon as you walk down the aisle), will set you back $750 an hour. Most companies have a 4- to 5-hour minimum, and Saturday is usually premium priced.
Both CWT and Pure Luxury have fleets of hybrid "green" vehicles, including Prius sedans and hybrid Lexus SUVs.
If you want to go retro you can contact Vintage Wine Tours of Sonoma and arrive at the altar in a 1937 Cadillac Touring Sedan or a 1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. Alternatively, if you just love the car you own, they'll provide a driver to take you in it.
To make a choice, get referrals and, if possible, ask to see the vehicles that will carry you to or from your wedding.
California Wine Tours
www.californiawinetours.com
Pure Luxury
www.pureluxury.com
Vintage Wine Tours
www.vintagewinetours.com
From the Summer 2009 issue of SONOMA
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