Ride to Your Wedding in Style

BY BRIDGET TURRELL 

​Dec 27, 2019​​

 

Excerpt from article published Dec 27 2019 

 

 

Yakima Valley Carriage Company's white Vis-à-vis carriage.

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The horse team brings a couple of newlyweds to their reception at the Yakima Area Arboretum.​

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Alan Geho launched the Yakima Valley Carriage Company in 2015. At first, he did only wine tours, but he’s been doing a growing number of weddings and quinceañeras. He started getting calls from people who’d seen him on wine tours and realized there was a new market for his old-fashioned ride. “That’s the common denominator with brides, who say ‘I’ve always dreamed of a white carriage for my wedding,’” Alan said.

The carriage is pulled by two Morgan horses named Jack and Jill. It’s called a Vis-à-vis, which means “Face-to-face” in French, because it has two bench seats facing each other. “I’ve had the whole family go with the bride,” Alan said, “but typically, it’s just the groom and bride.” The carriage has a convertible top, for couples who want protection from Yakima’s summer heat or a rainstorm.

Though the ride itself can be as short as 20 minutes, couples usually book the carriage for the whole day. To accommodate a daytime wedding Alan has to get up to feed the horses at 6 a.m., brush them at 7, load them at 8, drive them to the location and then give them an hour or so to get acclimated. He decorates the horses and carriage to coordinate with the couple’s colors. “I enjoy weddings,” he said. I’m an eternal romantic. I’ve never seen a grumpy groom or bride.”

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