Five Favorite Wheels for Your Wedding
"Something old, something borrowed, something blue…wait, where's 'something new?'" All photos by Randy Stern
Marriage is the prize above all.
Gee, that sounds political, does it not? It is somewhat related to a few things that occurred during and after the Twin Cities Auto Show. The week of the show had the State Capitol in St. Paul buzzing with activity due to two bills providing marriage equality to all human couples. The testimony was the usual affair on both sides. Some of the testimony included compelling stories, while others were simply cringe worthy. There were a couple of witnesses in which I had to hold my tongue to the point of spitting out something I would regret hours later.
A week after the bills left their respective legislative committees, the annual wedding issue just released by the other publication I write for, Lavender Magazine. It is simply a guide to how to do up your special day – even if you wait until Governor Mark Dayton signs the bill to do it right in Minnesota. I am happy to work with some really creative and knowledgeable people representing their subject matter and form of art.
Sadly, I had nothing to contribute that would be appropriate for the edition’s theme. There are some stories I would add to the magazine, but only if I had the time to formulate it. I was too deep in auto show mode to even break a thought on an article, even for the web.
On Thursday evening, I posed the question of one such idea: "If you were planning a wedding, which automobile (cars, SUVs, trucks, etc.) would you like to ride off in?" What began rather appropriately, turned into a pseudo planning session for next year’s wedding issue. All of the sudden, the notion of having a drag race between limousines switched to visions of an episode of Top Gear where Richard Hammond set up an "American style wedding." This was the scene where we saw an old stretch Lincoln Town Car limousine launched over the wedding party and into the "car park."
You know, I could name five vehicles I would see the newlyweds ride off into the sunset. Let us have a Five Favorites – the five chosen wedding rides! Whether you have a driver or not, I am sure these five will do the trick…
To make things a bit interesting, I decided to follow an old tradition amongst weddings. Remember the Old English Rhyme that starts with "something old, something new?" Why not adopt it for this edition of Five Favorites?
Why not, indeed…
SOMETHING OLD: What do I mean by "old?" It would mean anything classic or antique – which opens up to a lot. The idea of something old would be better aligned with a mix between traditional and unique. It may have to instigate a search for one of the most classic automobiles around. That would mean searching for one of the most classic limousines of all time: The Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five. When the tail fin began to recess into the rear fender, Cadillac felt compelled to retain the roofline of the Seventy-Five from 1959. Until 1964, factory built stretched wheelbase limousines had a roof that was not as sleek as the rest of the body, but provided excellent head room for rear compartment passengers. The Seventy-Five changed along with the all-new 1965 models. The roofline was truly an extension of the newly modern design, which continued through 1970. The best way to describe a Fleetwood Seventy-Five is stately. One of these would turn your wedding into one classic affair.
SOMETHING NEW: Have you ever thought about getting a vehicle no one has ever driven in? Rather, a vehicle that has not been seen before? This may not be the most visually pleasing choice, but you cannot go wring by pulling up in the latest Bentley – the Flying Spur. Revealed in Geneva, the new Continental-based sedan tries its own hand on forging its own identity, striking a balance between the larger Mulsanne and its Continental GT/GTC brothers. The result is a mash-up of the old and the new, while retaining the elements of the Volkswagen Group-controlled top shelf brand. For any newlywed, riding in a Bentley should be a peerless experience.
SOMETHING BORROWED: Obviously, you would have to hire a car and a driver for your special day. But, how would you go about it? And, whom should you contact? Depending on your budget, the two most likely choices are to hire a limousine or rent a car. Some newlyweds with even tighter budgets either use their own vehicle or borrow someone else's. If you must borrow a vehicle, make sure it is in extremely good shape. It should be where there are no dents or scratches – so it could be detailed for the special day. It should also run the same way it did when it was first bought in the showroom. A monumental task, but the biggest kicker is this: If you know of someone with a Lincoln Town Car – there are literally hundreds of thousands of them still on the road – ask nicely. You might persuade the owner to put on a chauffeur’s suit for the day.
SOMETHING BLUE: Normally, limousines or chauffeured are not offered in blue. Perhaps tradition should be broken away from the black or white vehicle choices. Did you know that certain hues of blue could be just as luxurious, stately and glamorous than the usual black and white? A fine navy metallic hue can reflect either a black or true dark blue shimmer in the sunlight. At night, it can reveal its hue given the right light, but appears black otherwise. Several vehicles pull off this trick quite well, but if there was one that would be appropriate for a wedding…how about the newest Jaguar XJL Supercharged in Crystal Blue Metallic? Even better, you can get this Jag in Navy Blue leather seating and trim. Would it clash with your wedding attire? Nah…
SOMETHING ELSE: I skipped the sixpence part of the poem. I might as well play this differently, as some couples would possibly do. But, how do you make your special day more exciting…and completely different? At various weddings, there had been a plethora of odd rides, from stretched Hummers to a transit bus. In a time when history is slowing changing towards marriage equality, perhaps the idea of "something else" should come into play here. If it were my wedding, I would shock the celebrants by hiring a driver in proper chauffeur attire and take us in not one of the most comfortable vehicles in the planet for the job…a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It is not enough to get the Wrangler in black. Jeep has the Wrangler available in several impact colors, such as Dozer, Crush, Gecko and Commando Green. The point being is to jar tradition the best way you can. Incidentally, if there is a hill near where the wedding and/or reception are taking place, why not show everyone in the wedding party what the Jeep has to offer? That will take care of a few memories from your special day.