Decorating the wedding car is a fun tradition however make sure you keep some control as if it is applied incorrectly it could damage the car or possibly offend wedding guests.

Over the past 20 years we have heard many stories, some rather funny and original and some about wedding car decoration which has been rather costly, and embarrassing.

The most traditional and most remembered is the String of Empty Cans or Old Boots attached to the back of the Wedding Car, however the law has since changed and it is no longer permitted to trail anything behind a wedding car as it would be illegal on the road.

Other popular products such as toilet rolls, shaving foam, toothpaste or eggs may contain chemicals that can alter and damage the wedding car paint so this is definitely a No No on hired cars, unless it is on your own car of course.

Although fun and traditional wedding car decoration can be very distressful and costly when it comes to damaging someone’s pride and joy.

To avoid any embarrassment and/or damage to the wedding car and for the traditional approach simply attach ribbons to the car. Most professional wedding cars for hire will be provided already dressed with the traditional V-shape ribbons over the bonnet and silk flowers on the parcel shelf. Best avoid fresh flowers in the car as they wilt very quickly on a parcel shelf in the sun and water in the oasis and containers can spill or leak and stain or damage rear parcel shelves, as most older classic and vintage cars have a material or felt covering on these shelves.

This Vintage Wedding Car based in Hampshire has a silk flower arrangement especially made to be placed into position for when the hood is down.

Some Cars available for Wedding Hire already come with specific decorations such as this VW Beetle wedding car available for hire in Hampshire with flowers on the front bumper.

Some VW Campervans come with interiors already decorated especially for weddings

You may want to add bows on the door handles but this is a personal preference as sometimes it can look a bit ‘Over the Top’ with too much wedding car decoration, another thing to consider with door handles is if they are open ended the bows may fly off when driving, on closed handles this would not happen. You don’t need to spend out much money on this either as there are such things as ‘Pull Bows’ on the market which you simply pull two cords and the bow is miraculously formed into a perfect shape. For those who are talented you could of course make the bows yourself and give them to your Wedding Car Chauffeur prior to your wedding day. Remember bows and ribbon should be of polypropylene ribbon which is waterproof and needs to be used for cars, as if silk were used and the weather was wet you will end up with a soggy flat mess on the car.

If you’d like something a bit less traditional why not have big ribbon knots made, smaller knots can be attached to the door handles. This blue Modern Bentley Wedding Car in Dorset has a larger bow at the front and smaller bows on its door handles, in fact these are the ‘Pull Bows’ we mentioned earlier.

A “Just Married” sign can be made and placed inside the rear window with little suction cup so it does not damage the car’s paint on the outside. Some wedding car owners may have a variety of “Just Married” signs to match the style of their vehicles such as this Volkswagen Camper Van in Devon. Very flower power !

Balloons filled with helium are another wedding car decorating idea and can be attached to the wedding car’s door handle, or the strings can be held in place by the closed window so that when the window is opened the balloons fly upwards and to the sky. When the car starts to drive off after the ceremony is probably a good time to let them fly.

Some other iconic Wedding Cars of a certain era would come with chauffeurs fully dressed in a period uniform which complement the decoration and style of the wedding, this American Buick Wedding Car in Kent has Bridesmaids dressed in a 50’s era style.

This Wolseley Police Car based in Hampshire, which was very popular in the 50’s and 60’s even has a chauffeur dressed as a police driver, how about that for attention to detail. Not sure who the ladies are but they seem to be enjoying themselves !

You can of course be as creative as your imagination about your wedding car decoration, however before you buy or commit to doing anything make sure you check with the car owner as some Wedding Car Owners will not wish to have anything attached on their car without prior consent, sometimes it can even create a problem with their vehicle insurance, for example ribbons are not legal on a wedding car after dark due to visibility problems. The policeman above may have a few things to say about it also.

Enjoy your planning.