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Hot on the heels of a prestigious win at the 2021 Australian Wedding Awards, we sat down with Margaret River husband-and-wife team Vince and Karen Civello to talk about the ever-present challenges and rich rewards of running a busy car hire business in the area.
The pair took out the top honors in the Wedding Transport category, among ten other national finalists during an online awards ceremony in January.
“It all started some sixty years ago with my husband’s love of these classic muscle cars,” explained Karen.
“Vince, a panel beater by trade, had worked on Mustangs and as a little boy dreamed of owning one someday.”
In 2013, Vince test drove a 1965 Mustang that was listed for sale, returning “looking very much like a child in a candy shop, with a smile from ear to ear”.
Karen said the couple toyed with the idea of ​​purchasing it, but decided the timing was not right, citing financial reasons. Having been diagnosed with cancer some 12 months earlier, Karen’s desire to grab life by the horns overtook that decision.
“You only live once and what’s the point of buying it ‘someday’? When someday does come you are too old, too gray and too bloody forgetful. So why not now?”
The purchase was made and Vince was surprised with the appearance of his dream car for his birthday a month later.
Several years on, the couple’s successful retreat business had left the Mustang lingering in the garage.
“We had become so busy we didn’t get to enjoy her,” Karen said.
“It was at that point we thought about a semi-retirement plan. Mr Mustang Hire was conceived in 2017, and later the same year we purchased a property in Margaret River.”
Karen had soon obtained her PTD license and the Mr Mustang Hire fleet grew, adding a 2017 GT 5.0 V8 convertible Mustang and a 1967 Mustang convertible to the roster.
“This means in the unlikely event something goes wrong we are able to provide a backup vehicle,” she said.
Despite COVID-19 casting a shadow over the wedding and events industry for a number of years, Karen said the pandemic had been a blessing in disguise.
“COVID-19 was the catalyst for me deciding to move to Margaret River earlier than we originally planned,” she said.
“Our target demographic was primarily Perth metro and regional, so not being solely focused on the overseas market was a blessing once the borders closed.
“Further to this, our business has several arms – in addition to weddings, we offer our vehicles for tours, transfers, events and commercial endeavors.
“Not having all our eggs in one basket has spread the risk, so during COVID-19 we were able to pivot quickly and continued to operate.
“Having a strong business plan and cash flow is also vital to a small business under such circumstances, meaning it is much easier to ride out any storms such as the lock downs.”
Mr Mustang Hire began offering ‘drive thru’ weddings and wedding transfers.
“Couples were down-sizing their weddings to small intimate elopements and didn’t want to hire the vehicles for long periods of time,” said Karen.
“The wedding industry has changed dramatically over the years, and wedding transport has certainly changed and morphed too.
“In years gone by, well before Mr Mustang Hire began operation, the ‘vehicle’ was almost as important as the venue and dress.
“Often cars were booked all day,but this is no longer the case with couples often wanting just a simple transfer to the ceremony or a 2-4 hour package.”
The Civellos said it was always an honor to be entrusted to play a “small but significant” role in someone’s wedding day.
“Every wedding we have been involved in has been memorable.
“Last year Vince was asked to be a witness for a couple who eloped and didn’t have their family present due to COVID and last month we played the role of ‘family’ for a bride who’s family and parents were also not able to be present as they lived overseas.
“Being able to support couples above and beyond simply providing a vehicle is always very special.”