A CHARLESTON WEDDING

A Charleston South Carolina Wedding: A lovely beachside ceremony with the sun reflecting diamonds off the water as your bare toes are warmed as they burrow in the sand. And your nuptials are celebrated into the wee hours with an old-fashioned clambake until the stars come out decorating the sky. A fine and formal Cathedral service followed by a ballroom-type affair held in high style bursting with bouquets, crystal, and candlelight. Perhaps an intimate backyard gathering with a simple champagne toast will be how you choose to seal your vows.

Budget will determine the size and venue of your wedding but will not determine the type of wedding you choose. With the right amount of research and planning, you can have that formal wedding on a modest budget if that's what suits you as a couple. Even if the sky is the limit for your wedding ceremony and reception resources, it is most important that your ceremony reflects your religious, spiritual, or moral foundation for taking your vows. And it's equally as important that your style should choreograph how your wedding day and reception come together.

Since the 1980s, the word has been slowly getting out that the Carolinas, Charleston, South Carolina, and her surrounding areas, in particular, have much to offer as all her industries continue to grow. Through this gradual population growth, infrastructure has kept pace with new civil servant forces, schools, and countrywide recruitment of quality teachers. Historically a college town, due to the increase in the graduating high school student body, Charleston's college industry has experienced an expansion as well, so all of the satellite operations fuelled by a college community also continue to grow and thrive.

Of course, the gradual influx of a talented workforce to support this continued growth has created a recent boon to the construction of new businesses and homes. Charleston proper has a delightful array of highly-rated hotels, award-winning restaurants, museums and art galleries, shopping, entertainment, and attractions. For those who desire culture and entertainment, a twenty-minute drive will take one to greener neighborhoods, and a thirty-minute drive will open to some more rural areas. An hour-long drive will bring one past rolling pastures. Inside 90 minutes from Charleston, one can begin to experience the grandeur of the mountains of northwest South Carolina. This proximity of the bustling city to the bosom of nature has made South Carolina a sportsman's and outdoorsman's paradise, also a broadening industry for the state. There are many new and more established neighborhoods from which to choose a new home, but there is still ample space and land within commuting distance to Charleston or her surrounding communities to find a sizable piece of land to build a dream home. A bit further out from Charleston, and a day trip will even allow skiing if desired. A journey from the beaches to the mountains and back is entirely doable in one day.

I'm sure it is possible to drive from the beach to the mountains somewhere in New England; however, the beaches of South Carolina are a pleasant temperature to stroll and search for seashells even in the winter months. The roads here are passable from November through March and never need plowing. The west coast, I'm sure, has its spots as well. Still, if one is thinking of relocating, Charleston and surrounding areas have the unique possibility of offering an exciting growing community where the real estate values are still quite affordable.

What do we want to say to one another on our wedding day? Who do we want to witness our vows and share in our day with us? What will best signify our celebration of a new life together? When you've answered these foundational questions, you'll likely have an idea of what location you want to take your vows and what type of reception you'd most enjoy as a couple: inside or outdoors, secular or religious, formal or informal, large or intimate, traditional or innovative.

No matter your vision, planning for your perfect wedding day starts long before dress, venue, flowers, or food. Start with the jewelers for the symbolic engagement ring a year ahead to the last detail of the romantic cruise you take for your honeymoon. Consult Charleston's Finest Wedding Guide to find the support and information you'll need to plan for your wedding day, as well as all the pre and post-wedding day arrangements.

You may want to begin your planning process by finding the right events planner for your wedding to assist you in the legwork in settling all the details. Once you've interviewed planners and found one with whom you are compatible, then you'll begin the process of making decisions about a guest list and selecting a venue. Once you have chosen your wedding venue, the fun begins with flowers and centerpieces, music and menus, gifts for the bridal party, and all festivities leading up to your moment. You may choose to select one venue for all your wedding needs. For example, choose a hotel with a grand ballroom like the Francis Marion or Market Pavilion at which your out-of-town guests and bridal party can stay. Fill out the online group form and receive bids from several hotels for a group price to offer as a courtesy to your special party members. If you so choose, the hotel may also have an intimate dining room where you hold your rehearsal dinner.

There are so many beautiful restaurants in Charleston. Though you may wish to make arrangements at one of the hundreds of world-class gourmet establishments by reading Charleston's Finest Dining reviews for menu type, ambiance, and ratings to narrow down your choices. For your formal wedding affair, consult the resources in Charleston's Finest Wedding Guide to find all you will need to create a flawless day for you, your spouse to be and your guests.

Informal weddings are becoming more popular as people step away from tradition and begin developing their vows, choosing alternative venues, and incorporating a personal sense of style into the process. The beachfront wedding, for example, is well-liked in the Charleston area, naturally because of the balmy weather and pristine beaches. This type of wedding requires a different planning process and certainly sets the tone for a less formal but no less lovely reception. One can have the beach-style clam bake reception already mentioned. Another solution is the reception can be indoors to a venue such as Folly Beach to a lovely hotel restaurant venue that continues the beach theme. The arrangements for guests to stay right in the hotel during the reception and wedding. Consult Charleston's Finest Hotel Guide for the hotel selection for your event and accommodations.

Of course, an outdoor beach wedding does not preclude formality if that is what you desire. Wild Dunes Resort offers patrons all the luxury of a formal wedding, gourmet meals, and catering, a dance floor and pavilion with enough space for a live band, all easily arranged outdoors, just steps from the beach. With the help of the wedding guide, the world is your oyster as it should be on your wedding day.

For the non-conformist or do-it-yourselfers, you may choose a wine tasting for your prenuptial gathering or take your vows on family property. You may choose flowers with a rugged and natural look to complement the garden flowers already growing at the wedding venue of choice. Transform your backyard into a magical space for both your ceremony and reception. Consult Charleston's Finest Wedding Guide for tents, chairs, and rentals for everything from linens to glassware. Find the perfect band to compliment your theme. Getting the smaller details finalized ahead of time goes a long way to creating a seamless, stress-free wedding day.

Find and book your wedding planner, hotel for guests, caterer, reception venue, rentals, florist, limousine or horse and carriage, disc jockey or band, chapel or temple, minister, or Officiant early. No matter what type of wedding you have in mind, there are just the right service providers out there. Let us help you find them with Charleston's Finest Wedding Planner.

Hotel Reservations

Book Your Hotel Online Charleston SC

Block your wedding group hotel rooms.