The Best Wedding Venues in Charleston

Take a grand circa-1786 home that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 14 acres of live oak groves, and sparkling river views, and you get Lowndes Grove Plantation, one of the city's dreamiest wedding venues. Though the sprawling venue feels secluded and worlds away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Charleston, it's actually perched just on the edge of downtown, so there are plenty of options for convenient accommodations and activities for guests nearby; pphgcharleston.com

The downtown eatery is part urban garden, part wine bar, and part neighborhood gathering place, so it makes sense that the dynamic space was dreamed up with weddings and special events in mind. Whether you want to host the ceremony in the greenery-filled courtyard or boogie down with the band in the Trolley Room, where original exposed beams play up the building's history, the unique venue has a little something for everybody. And you won't find better wedding food than the customized seasonal menus that the Cannon Green team whips up for each bride and groom; cannongreencharleston.com

Though it's perched on King Street, one of downtown Charleston's main thoroughfares, the historic William Aiken House feels like a step back in time, a straight-out-of-your-dreams venue that's overflowing with charm. The 1810 mansion, with its elegant ballrooms, breezy piazzas, and manicured gardens, is a National Historic Landmark that holds up to 500 guests. And should your guests ever start to doubt that they're in the heart of the South, a two-hundred-year-old magnolia tree in the courtyard will be all the glorious evidence they'll need; pphgcharleston.com

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more idyllic place for wedding photos than Boone Hall's ¾-mile Avenue of the Oaks, where two rows of spectacular centuries-old oaks drip with moss and infuse the historic property with natural beauty and grandeur. There are a number of places to get married on the plantation that's located just minutes from downtown Charleston, including the front lawn in front of the Georgian mansion built in 1936 and the Cotton Dock, a rustic wooden building perched right on the creek. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds tied the knot here in 2012; boonehallplantation.com

The recently restored and architecturally stunning Beaux Artes building on downtown Charleston's Museum Mile is an impressive backdrop for the big day: Steal a first look on the checkerboard steps out front, recite your vows under the stunning glass dome inside, and pop the bubbly and dance the night away in the classic-meets-contemporary gardens; gibbesmuseum.org

For a destination-within-a-destination wedding, The Sanctuary is hard to beat. The five-star beachfront resort is located just 21 miles from downtown Charleston, but offers a quiet seaside escape for the wedding party and guests. Have your ceremony on the private beach in front of the hotel, or skip the sand (and keep the Atlantic Ocean views!) and opt for a ceremony on the hotel's lawn. Ballrooms inside open up to ocean views or gardens, depending on which one you book, so you can continue the indoor/outdoor feel through your reception; kiawahresort.com

First built in 1881 as a cotton manufacturing facility, the restored Cigar Factory is now host to restaurants, work spaces, and the Cedar Room, a bright, airy event space that can hold up to 550 people. Exposed brick, wood columns, and hardwood floors show the space's age and character, while enormous windows give guests views of the water and the city's Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge; thecedarroom.com

Fans of The Notebookwill recognize the circa-1942 Art Deco movie house from Allie and Noah's first date. Celebrate in Hollywood style with cocktail hour in the lobby and a reception in the venue's glamorous ballroom. And best of all? You and your groom can put your name in lights on the theater's old-school marquee out front; pphgcharleston.com

The last of Charleston's antebellum rice mills, this stately 1861 building overlooks the Ashley River and the marina, so you can have an intimate celebration against a gorgeous outdoor backdrop, then carry the festivities inside, where exposed brick, a mahogany-and-marble bar, and a dance floor were made for dancing ‘til dawn, or at least until the rose-petal sendoff. Plus, there's an exclusive caterer for the venue, which means you have one less vendor to book; holycityhospitality.com

One of Charleston's newest—and most celebrated—hotels, The Dewberry is a 1960s federal office building that's now home to gorgeous guest rooms decked in period furnishings and one of the most attractive bars in town. It's also a dynamite place to throw a small, intimate wedding. Celebrate in the walled garden amid live oaks and English ivy, or in the ballroom, where a Viennese palmetto chandelier throws glittering light over antique mirrors and white oak parquet floors; thedewberrycharleston.com

The recently renovated performing arts center in the middle of downtown Charleston is ideal for brides who have long dreamed of an elegant and traditional wedding reception. A formal lobby with a grand staircase makes for picture-perfect photo opportunities, and the various ballrooms provide couples with plenty of venue options, depending on the number of guests and the couple's vision for the festivities. A terrace lawn can also be rented if an outdoor ceremony and reception is on the wish list; gaillardcenter.org

While the space's life as a venue is new (it just opened this month), the building itself was constructed in the 1850s. What was once the home of J.C.H. Claussen and Company, a wholesale retailer of a variety of goods, including cakes and candies, overlooks the historic City Market and is tucked into the very heart of the city. Wood columns, original windows, and exposed brick allude to the industrial past of the venue, while crystal chandeliers mean it's dressy enough for your big day; merchantshallchs.com