Arrive in style in a wedding carriage

If you want everybody to talk about your wedding for years to come, arrive at the church or reception in an old fashioned Victorian carriage pulled by beautiful, immaculately groomed Haflingers or Belgian Draft horses and driven by a coachman in top hat. “No one ever talks about the limo,” said Linda Winder, who, with husband Art, owns The Shenandoah Carriage Company, LLC, in Front Royal. “Everyone talks about the carriage. It’s much more than transportation. It makes a statement.”

Carriages are used to put an elegant, old town touch to the wedding as the bride arrives at the church or perhaps the wedding party leaves for the reception. Many brides also coordinate the ride to include a photo session.

“It gives that special touch to bind things together,” said Midge Harmon of Harmon’s Horse Drawn Hayrides and Carriages, of Brandy Station. “We always have a lot of weddings booked. It’s good to plan in advance, six to 10 months ahead of time.”

South Asian Weddings

Harmon’s Carriages is also available for South Asian weddings, renting out the single white mare, on which the groom traditionally rides to the ceremonies. “We had so many requests for the white mare,” said Harmon. “There’s a huge community here, and no one does white mares.”

Cinderella Carriage

One of the carriages that Shenandoah Carriage Company offers is the Cinderella Carriage which was originally purchased for the Hispanic Quinceanera celebration, but has been popular with many brides. The carriage is a traditional white with scroll work like that of Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. It also has white rope lights for night time travel. “It’s all about fantasy and forever after,” said Winder.” We stop traffic with this one.”

Both carriage companies recommend considering how far the bride wants her carriage to travel, when planning the wedding. “The horse travels about four miles an hour,” said Harmon. “So you want to take into consideration if the distance is feasible. You need to figure out how many trips are involved and the time between the wedding and reception.”

It’s important to time the events and to have the carriage arrive at its destination when the guests are outside. “You want it to arrive where it’s the most visual,” she said.



For more information on The Shenandoah Carriage Company, visit www.shenandoahcarriage.com or call 540-635-7745.

For more information about Harmon’s Horse Drawn Hayrides and Carriages, visit www.cadcol.com/harmons or call 540-825-6707.