Deciding on your Charleston Area Wedding Venue

Choosing a wedding venue comes down to many different variables. How many guests will you have? What kind of scenery do you have in mind? Do you want the ceremony and reception to happen all in one place? If not, how far is the reception venue from the ceremony location? 

These are only a few examples of the questions to ask yourself when you are starting to plan your wedding. 

I’m Ashley; a wedding and portrait photographer local to Charleston South Carolina. My goal is to help couples answer these questions before they make contact with tons of vendors at once and are left feeling like scrambled eggs. You can trust me because I’ve done a variety of weddings from backyard to high-end. I value my reputation, and more importantly, my clients. 

First things first:

No matter what your ideal wedding venue turns out to be, you’ll need to make sure they are good at what they do, and that they are licensed to do it. Ask for reviews (or find them on your own), confirm that they have insurance, and ask about any appropriate business licenses for the area. It seems mundane but it’s worth the ask if it means weeding out venues (or vendors) who are cutting corners to save on the costs of doing business, at the clients expense. Even in the world of weddings there are scammers and cheats. You can avoid being a victim of this by knowing who you book.

“Location, location, location” 

Just like Babette from Gilmore Girls knows it, we know it too; location is everything! However, in areas like Charleston (and the Lowcountry in general)  location can have a huge impact on the pricing (and popularity) of your venue. It’s best to start searching for, and then booking a venue early on. It’s the very first step that you need to take when planning a wedding (I’ll do another blog post on planning and then link when it’s published!) There is more than just location that goes into choosing your venue though. 

Other factors:

Factors that are taken into consideration when pricing a wedding venue include but are not limited to: location; number of guests; food choice; bar service; whether or not food, bar and beverages are to be supplied by certain contracted vendors (you choose from their list, and their list only); whether or not outside food and beverages are allowed (you have the freedom to book your own catering and bartending vendors); tables and chairs; set up and tear down; length of rental time; if the venue requires a month of, or day of wedding planner or coordinator; do they supply linens; up charges for access to any special areas or decorations; and more.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. A refutable venue will know how to answer all of your questions and even provide you with some savvy tips on how to make the most of your wedding day. 

Pricing:

In Charleston and the Lowcountry, venue pricing will have incredible variations based on inclusions, food and beverages, length of time, time of the year, and day of the week. Below, I’ll talk about three venues and their general price points so that you can see how they differ, and ascertain for yourself why they differ. 

The Camden Room 

The Camden Room is a venue pretty much in the center of Charleston. The streets are bustling, the people are out exploring, and the touch of comfort is all around you. Despite its location, The Camden Room can be booked for as little as $2,000 on a weekday, or as high as $4,000 on a Saturday. (yes- the day of the week can influence your venue price, as well as the time of the year!) I’m not going to go over what the venue includes because they have this information in a straightforward way, available to anyone who looks at their website. Instead, I’ll use my own experience touring this venue with a wedding couple of my own! What I loved about the Camden Room was the rustic yet elegant feeling that the building has. At first glance, you wouldn’t think that it could be a wedding venue, but upon walking in, you are pleasantly surprised (or, at least I was!). The venue has tons of  open space that allows for just about any kind of seating chart. They have their own tables and chairs, and for an additional fee, they have cocktail tables that they will place outside on the beautiful, wooden porch that lines the building. From a photographer's point of view the lighting could be better, but if you have a photographer (like me) who can operate flash and use any available light to its fullest extent, then you’re golden. The venue is within walking distance of tons of cute places to do your formal portraits, and with some creativity, there are many places to do the family formals. The maximum amount of time for an event is five hours, so keep that in mind! One major flaw (to this area in general) is going to be the parking situation. When I toured, I had to park about a block over in a garage because street parking was a nightmare. The parking lot (which is metered) was full too, because this is a pretty public location. Your guests will definitely want to arrive early and have a parking plan in place if you choose this location for your wedding or reception. Carpooling would go a long way! I am unsure if the venue validates garage parking for the event attendees, but its always worth an ask! This is not an “all in one” venue in my opinion. You would absolutely need to put some thought into a “getting ready” space, as well as discuss if your entire event, or just one portion of it would be here (remember the 5 hour event limit). 

Lovegrove Estate

Next up is a venue that’s not in Charleston, but is very close. Lovegrove Estate is a newer venue located in historic Summerville, and I had the pleasure of getting to mingle with the owners (or employees…very unsure!)  at a bridal expo that I participated in a few years ago. Although I have never personally been to Lovegrove Estate for a wedding, I dream of the day I am asked to photograph one! I have seen nothing but positive reviews for Lovegrove from the online wedding community; vendors included (because yes, we rate venues and whether or not we would be likely to return). Lovegrove Estate is a property on 25 acres of land (tons of portrait backdrops)  that borders the Ashley River (the same river more widely known venues like Magnolia Plantation, and The Inn at Middleton Place also border). Privacy, parking, and convenience are staples of this venue.   Lovegrove Estate is what you would call an “all in one” venue. This means that you (typically) have the property for the entire day (and in some cases, two days or more). Lovegrove features “getting ready” suites which are essential for timelines running smoothly and if you have a photographer (like me) who does not like to waste time. Venues that allow you to have everyone get ready in one place, accommodate the ceremony, and allow for an awesome reception are my absolute favorites to photograph. This is because less time is spent in my car traveling to and from, and less time is spent securing gear and then getting it all back out and ready to go again.This allows me to focus more on how to beautifully tell your wedding day story! If “getting ready” photos are important to you, and you’re doing a traditional wedding timeline with no “first look” I would highly recommend a venue with a space for all of the day's events.  

Lovegrove’s pricing varies pretty significantly based on the time of year that you book, and the day of the week, so the venue is a reality for just about any couple. More detailed pricing can be found on their site, linked here, but to give you an idea, you can expect to pay $5,000 to $7,000 for a one day weekend venue rental. For an entire weekend (totally recommended if you can splurge it) you’re looking at around $13,500 (peak season) and for those with limited investment funds, you can book this beautiful site for as low as $3,500 on a regular weekday. Why the variations, you may ask? Supply and demand. It's absolutely common (and necessary) to need to charge more during peak wedding season (and less during the off season) so that venues and vendors can stay in business when the season slows down. . 

Dunes West 

The last venue I’m going to highlight is Dunes West. I have actually been to Dunes West and absolutely love this venue. Everything from the staff, to the coordinator, to the meal that I was served was exquisite. Dunes is another venue that has space for every part of your wedding day, all in one place. The venue is waterfront and has a mesmerizing view of the sunset (perfect for golden hour wedding portraits) and for those not participating in golden hour photos, they can relax and take in the view from the wrap around porch while relaxing with their drink in hand. The bridal suite is stunning, and offers tons of privacy (and the coordinator makes you cocktails!) . Dune West comes with a minimum price point of $14,000 during peak wedding season, but they have tons of other packages that can be booked for less during “off” hours or seasons. 

These are only three examples of the very many venues available for you to choose from in Charleston and its surrounding areas. There is something for everyone who wants to get married here, but you have to know where to look! Your venue should have some vendors that they can recommend (but don’t discount vendors not on these lists!). I am not on one single preferred vendor list and it’s not for lack of talent, but more, laziness in my own efforts to network…which I am trying to get better at…..  Insert cringe emoji here. 

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this blog post on finding a venue for your wedding in the Charleston area! IIf you happen to contact or book with any of the venues mentioned here, tell them Ashley Painter Photography sent you! I am not affiliated with any of them, and I have made absolutely zero dollars from writing this. I’ve actually invested several hours and added to my already increased risk of carpal tunnel just to share my thoughts with the world, for free! Any links included give me no money at all. They are included to help make things easier on the reader. Follow me on instagram @ashleypainterphotography to keep in touch, see my work, and be alerted to new blog posts for all things wedding related!!!!

Did I get something wrong? Email me and kindly tell me! ashleypainterphotography@gmail.com 

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Resources to use: 

https://www.charlestonweddingguide.com  (love it.. and spoiler alert, I am not featured, so you can trust my review!)

https://www.ashleypainterphotography.com (me!) 

Facebook groups like Charleston Photographers, Lowcountry and Charleston Weddings, and Wedding Network of South Carolina. (great for asking questions and for getting vendor recommendations)