A Charleston Harbor Resort wedding combines the best of Charleston wedding venues: a beach ceremony spot, spectacular views of the harbor, great food, and of course a very nice hotel on site for all of your guests. So, you really don’t even need to leave!
Alli and Matt had their entire wedding weekend right there at Charleston Harbor Resort, with a rehearsal dinner at the Fish House restaurant (rent out the top-floor Harbor Room and enjoy the view of sailboats and birds gliding by in the harbor), getting ready in the bridal room and their hotel room, ceremony in the Sunrise Terrace room, and reception under the Lookout Pavilion.
This was a destination wedding for the couple, who live in Washington D.C. And most of their guests were from out of town as well. Charleston Harbor Resort makes logistics for destination weddings super simple with all you could need in one place – wedding locations, yes, but also plenty to do for your out-of-town guests right there on property: Hotel rooms, restaurants, pools, and other activities.
Rainy Wedding – No Problem
Now, about that ceremony. It’s true that Charleston Harbor Resort has the perfect outdoor ceremony location on Harborside Beach, with amazing views of the harbor. Alli and Matt were really excited about that spot, and getting their “beach wedding” without having to go to the actual beach. And even though May should have been a perfectly safe weather month here in Charleston, it poured rain the first half of their wedding day, causing the ceremony to be moved indoors. But here’s the fabulously great news: Charleston Harbor Resort’s rain backup ceremony location, the Sunrise Terrace, is actually pretty perfect and resulted in absolutely beautiful photos for Alli and Matt. The room they used was adjacent to Harborside Beach, so they still had a view of the harbor, but through the windows. It’s just a plain white room with big windows, but for your photography, that means we will get really clean, modern photos, with the focus on the moments themselves, and no junky distractions. It worked out so perfectly for Alli and Matt. So don’t worry if you end up with rain on your wedding day when you’re at Charleston Harbor Resort.
Of course, the rain stopped just after the ceremony, so guests were able to be outside for cocktail hour. And we made sure to get a few photos of Alli and Matt on the beach as soon as we could!
Reception in the Lookout Pavilion
This Charleston Harbor Resort wedding reception was in the covered Lookout Pavilion, a short walk from the ceremony and cocktail hour location. This huge space is perfect for people who want an outdoor wedding reception but a roof over their heads, and the feeling of a casual ballroom or event space. Alli and Matt’s crew had an absolute blast and danced their faces off all night.
If you’re looking for a waterfront wedding venue in Charleston, definitely schedule a site visit with Charleston Harbor Resort. Especially if you and your guests are coming from out of town, this resort gives you a very easy location with everything you could possibly need all in one place. The more you can minimize logistics on a wedding day, the better it will go.
A Charleston Harbor Resort Wedding
In the end, no one cared about having to move the ceremony indoors. This wedding was all about the beautiful emotion that unfolded all weekend long, the complete joy that permeated every moment, and the fully immersive togetherness that a destination wedding brings. When we think back to this Charleston Harbor Resort wedding, we still feel those huge smiles on Alli and Matt’s faces. That’s what a perfect wedding weekend is to us.
Still looking for the perfect Charleston wedding venue? Check out more of our Charleston weddings to get ideas!
