Getaway car trumps wedding dress

Like you, I have heard countless comments about love that go something like this: "You just know when you know."

I was always perplexed by that notion, wondering if these people were just being cliché or if there was some validity to the trite statement. Well, after many meaningful, long-term relationships over the past 15 years, I finally was blessed to meet, in the most serendipitous of situations, an incredible man with whom I feel perfectly matched. And guess what I now find myself saying to others when recounting our personal love story? Yep: "You just know when you know."

You might be wondering what this has to do with cars. Well, for a true automotive enthusiast, is the decision about which vehicle will be plastered with the "just married" sign not one of the most important surrounding the wedding event? To me, it's as important as the wedding dress and honeymoon destination. So, I am going to take you through our process of hunting for the perfect "just married" car for our March 2010 nuptials.

Of course the first thing my soon-to-be hubby Ilya and I did when discussing this was begin throwing out the names of our very favorite cars of all time. Some are the same and some of them are unique to our personal tastes. Since the wedding is really more about the woman (thank you very much), I think my choices should hold a little more weight, but for the sake of being fair, I am at least willing to listen ... a little bit. Thank goodness Ilya has respectable taste. The choice about whether to go with a modern car or a classic ride was easy. While we both drive modern cars on a daily basis, outside of a quick mention of the Ford GT, neither of us even suggested a modern car for our wedding day. Of course, if you look in front of just about any church on any Saturday afternoon in the summer, you'll see a classic or antique car waiting outside to rumble away with the bride and groom.

Well, first of all, weather is factor. You can't very well drag a 1963 Corvette out for a Christmas-in-Minnesota wedding. However, our wedding is taking place in March, just before the first day of spring in Los Angeles. It makes perfect sense to take advantage of what will likely be beautiful weather by going with a convertible. We both have lots of hair and want to feel the wind running through it as we take a ride down the Pacific Coast Highway to the airport while listening to our honeymoon iPod mix for the first time as husband and wife.

Narrowing down the convertibles was not all that tough. We both think the 1956 Corvette has gorgeous styling. The 427 Shelby Cobra of the 1960s is one of the all-time best. We agree the 1969 Camaro, 1957 Thunderbird and 1965 Mustang are ideal classic convertible choices. I realized however, that they are all American made. I am all about promoting American rides, but wondered if Ilya had perhaps been overlooking European or other foreign models, since he is originally from Russia. Is there a Russian vehicle that appeals to him? Was it not the Russian government who bought the rights to the Packard design in the 1930s? They have some gorgeous models. Yet no, while we admire the design and aesthetic of cars like the old Jaguars, Porsches and vintage Lamborghinis, we are in agreement that an American car is what works for us as we leave our guests behind to dance at the after party.

Next came a discussion about the color. Ilya mentioned going against the grain and getting married in a bright red or yellow car. That was definitely a cool idea. The 1969 Camaro looks beautiful in yellow. He also mentioned the possibility of black. Any car can be sleek and sexy in shiny black. But while colors are fun, and a black ride could look as dapper and polished as Ilya in his tuxedo, we don't think that they best represent the wedding-day flavor. Even pastel pink or silver is not as ideal as crisp wedding white. But that's my opinion ... so "we" decided on white and then the overall decision was simple. Of all the convertibles mentioned, the Thunderbird looks perfect in white. And I have always said that I adore that American Graffiti movie car made famous by Suzanne Somers and hoped to one day even have one permanently parked in my garage. We settled on the 1957 Thunderbird and agreed it needs the 312-cubic-inch V-8 under the hood. Now, I really cannot tell if Ilya is just trying to be accommodating and appease the bride-to-be on what is typically deemed "her" day or if we truly just share the same taste in cars. Maybe it's a little of both, but he is definitely a good man. Whatever the case, we drew our conclusion. We will ride off, hardtop at home, into the proverbial sunset in one of my ultimate dream rides.

Of course, you can't just press a button and order a white '57 T-Bird with a 312 V-8 for the day, although that would be a good business to get into. So, we're getting the search under way right now since the wedding is less than six months away. As luck would have it, our friend Jon, a big Ford guy in California, and my dear friend Tom duPont of the duPont Registry, are helping with the search. I also coincidentally received a letter from a man in Michigan recently saying he had read how much I love that model and found me one that is in impeccable shape, rust free and with low mileage. We actually took that as a sign that we made the right call. In fact, that just might be our car. Now, who will get to be behind the wheel that night? That is easy, whoever chooses the gorgeous white 1957 Thunderbird over the champagne.

Among her numerous accomplishments, Courtney Hansen is the author of "Garage Girl's Guide," the host of Spike TV's "PowerBlock," the former host of TLC's "Overhaulin'" and a writer with Wheelbase Communications. You can e-mail her by logging on to www.wheelbase.ws/mailbag.html.