Wedding buggy ideas and decoration

What suits a buggy

Simple dressing works best. A buggy is not a car with sweeping bonnet lines to cover, it is a light, open vehicle, and it looks right with restrained, natural touches rather than being smothered.

Flowers and foliage along the roof edge or the front, echoing your bouquet, are the classic and the most effective. Ribbon or trailing greenery down the corner posts softens the frame. A length of fabric or a drape over the rear seat backs can add colour or a rustic feel. A small wooden or card sign, "just married", the couple's names, or a note pointing to the reception, gives it a job as well as a look. Bunting along the canopy edge suits a marquee or barn wedding. Any one or two of these is usually enough; all of them at once is too much.

The rules that keep it safe

Here is the part a good supplier will insist on, and the reason to plan decoration with us rather than surprise the driver on the morning.

Nothing may block the driver's view, in any direction they need to see, including mirrors and the sides. A grand floral arch across the front looks wonderful in a photograph and blinds the driver in practice, so it either goes low enough to see over or it does not go on a moving buggy at all. Nothing may foul the steering, the pedals or the controls, so trailing ribbon and loose fabric are kept well clear of the footwell and the wheel. And nothing may come loose while the buggy is moving, because a garland that falls into the driver's lap or wraps a wheel at the wrong moment is a genuine danger.

Attach flowers and foliage firmly to the frame, ideally by a florist who has dressed a vehicle before, using secure fixings rather than balanced or lightly taped. If it would not survive being driven over grass at a walking pace with a breeze, it is not fixed well enough.

Matching the buggy to your style

Think about whether a dressed buggy or a plain one suits your wedding. A rustic, floral or country-house day carries flowers and foliage beautifully. A modern, minimal or monochrome wedding often looks better with a clean, undressed white buggy, or the lightest touch, a single ribbon or a simple sign, rather than a garden's worth of blooms. There is no rule that a wedding buggy must be decorated, and for some couples the vehicle looks best left as it is.

If you are unsure, a plain buggy photographs well on its own, so plainness is never a wasted choice. You can always add a small touch on the day and see.

Practical points couples forget

A few things that come up. Real flowers wilt, so if the buggy is dressed in the morning for an evening departure, hardy foliage and blooms hold up better than delicate ones in the heat, and your florist can advise. Decoration takes time to fit and remove, so agree with us and your florist when that happens and where, since it cannot be done while the buggy is working. And if the buggy is shared between jobs across the day, heavy decoration that has to come on and off is impractical, so a lighter, permanent-for-the-day dressing suits a working buggy better than an elaborate one.

Agree it with us first

The simplest way to get a dressed buggy that is both pretty and safe is to tell us what you have in mind at the planning stage. We will tell you what works, what to keep clear of the driver, and how to fix it securely, and we can talk to your florist directly if that is easier. Decoration is welcome and we are glad to help make the buggy suit your day; we just plan it so it never gets between the driver and the road.

Common questions

Can we decorate the wedding buggy ourselves

Yes, within the safety limits, and we would rather you ran your ideas past us first. Flowers, ribbon, foliage and a sign are all fine if they leave the driver able to see and steer and are fixed so nothing works loose. Tell us your plan and we will help you make it safe.

Can we have a flower arch across the front

Only if it sits low enough for the driver to see over clearly. A tall arch across the front blinds the driver on a moving vehicle, so it either goes on low or it does not go on a working buggy. We can suggest ways to get the look without blocking the sightline.

Should we use real or artificial flowers

Either, though real flowers can wilt if the buggy is dressed in the morning for an evening use, especially in heat, so hardy blooms and foliage hold up better. Your florist can advise on what lasts. Whatever you choose, it needs fixing securely to the frame rather than balanced or lightly taped.

Does the buggy have to be decorated at all

Not at all. A plain white buggy photographs well and often suits a modern or minimal wedding better than heavy dressing. There is no obligation to decorate, and plainness is never a wasted choice. You can always add a small touch on the day if you want one.