Image via mroach on Flickr

It’s an odd thing when your newly engaged friends give you a call to ask for advice planning their wedding, especially for me. I’m not particularly crafty, had nothing more than a slight hand in my own wedding, and I have never planned any party larger than a football tailgate. I do, however, have one thing going for me – I’ve been a groomsman six times.

When I received the latest invitation from my friend, Matt, in addition to the ubiquitous tuxedo rental and bachelor party requests, he wanted to know if I had ever seen any fun wedding transportation for a bride and groom. Instantly, fond memories of my first stint as a groomsman came to mind. Through family connections on his bride’s side, the bridal party was ferried from service to reception in what can only be described as a beer bus, stocked full by the local adult-beverage distributor.

Maybe not the most feasible wedding transportation for every new couple, but as a groomsman, it is great work if you can get it. An interesting getaway – be it by horse, scooter, bike, or what have you – makes for a signature image left in wedding guests’ minds.

In subsequent weddings, I’ve seen a number of fun getaways: I’ve helped a bride into a horse-drawn carriage ride down the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, given the groom a running push on a tandem bicycle (which is even more ridiculous in person than in the movies) and blown bubbles as my friends jump into the traditional limo.

Matt, though, wanted something new. He wanted something that would fit his wedding and marriage plans, so I put my finely honed groomsman’s mind to work. Matt, a U.S. Naval officer, and his bride are getting married at TPC Sawgrass, a golf resort in Ponte Vedra, Fla. and will be living on-base in Virginia after the wedding.

Golf is not a personal strength, but I do excel at driving golf carts – a form of transportation that fits just as well in a golf resort as it does in the closed neighborhoods of a naval base, so I started looking for fun golf cart options.

Since at that time I worked for my local chamber of commerce, I was lucky to find a company near me called Road Rat Motors, which sells street legal golf carts and scooters. As tempting as matching scooters might have been, the golf cart was definitely a better fit. Even better (given the 70 miles between Gainesville and Jacksonville), we were able to have the cart shipped to Jacksonville – after some slight, temporary modifications courtesy of the rest of Matt’s groomsmen.

My favorite thing about weddings is that there is always something different about each one, and I’m excited to have a direct hand in making Matt’s a bit more special.

Ms Gingham says: Now I haven’t seen this before! How can you not love this idea? Not sure if anyone does this in Australia but if they don’t they should!

About Brian: Brian Russell is a freelance writer and father of now-1-year-old twin boys. After taking at least five years off from golf, he shot a legitimate par on one of the most famous and intimidating holes in the sport – the 17th and its island green at TPC Sawgrass. He now goes out of his way to show everyone the photos of his tee shot.

Read more posts by Brian here.