South Carolina, United States
CharlestonWedding photography
Eighteenth-century streets, live oaks and soft southern light that never quite goes hard.
We photograph weddings in Charleston — walled gardens and historic houses on the peninsula, eighteenth-century churches, plantation properties under avenues of live oak, and waterfront rooms on the harbour. Two photographers, full-day coverage, from $14,000.
Charleston is the rare American city built before cars and not rebuilt since. It is small enough to walk, which means the ceremony, the portraits and the reception can genuinely be within a few hundred yards of each other and the day is not spent in a car.
Charleston is the rare American city that was built before cars and has not been rebuilt since. The peninsula is a grid of narrow streets, pastel stucco, wrought iron and walled gardens, and it is small enough to walk — which for a wedding means the ceremony, the portraits and the reception can genuinely be within a few hundred yards of each other, and the day is not spent in a car.
The light is soft here in a way that is specific to the Lowcountry: humidity in the air diffuses it, the live oaks break it into pieces, and the pale stucco bounces it back up under the brim of a hat. Even at noon in June there is usable shade everywhere, which is not true of anywhere else on this list.
What has to be planned for is the season. Charleston in April is one of the loveliest places on earth. Charleston in August is genuinely difficult — heat and humidity that no schedule defeats — and the wedding calendar reflects that honestly.
The light
When to marry in Charleston.
The part a visitor cannot look up, and the reason this page exists rather than a list of packages.
March to May
The season. Azalea and wisteria, warm but not heavy, and the gardens at their peak. It books first and for good reason.
June to August
Hot and very humid, with afternoon thunderstorms that arrive fast and clear fast. Early morning and the last hour are the usable ones.
October to November
The second season and arguably the better one. Dry, warm, low light through the oaks, and no crowds.
The venues
Where to be married in Charleston.
The rooms this market is built on, and what each one does to a photograph. Listed as places rather than as partnerships — we have no preferred-supplier arrangement with any of them.
William Aiken House
Antebellum house and ballroom, Upper King
A brick courtyard and a long ballroom with tall windows down one side, which gives you daylight indoors for most of the afternoon.
Legare Waring House
Plantation house and oak allée, Charles Towne Landing
The avenue of live oaks is the Lowcountry photograph, and the moss breaks midday sun into a shifting pattern rather than a glare.
Lowndes Grove
Waterfront estate, Ashley River
West-facing lawn on the river, so the sunset arrives across the water in front of the house rather than behind it.
Cannon Green
Courtyard and hall, downtown
A stucco courtyard enclosed on four sides, which is shelter from a Lowcountry thunderstorm and even light at the same time.
St. Philip’s and the French Huguenot Church
Eighteenth-century churches, French Quarter
Very dark inside and often with firm rules about where a photographer may stand. Established with the specific church in advance, since the general ones do not apply.
The kind of place
- Antebellum plantation properties outside the city, under avenues of live oak
- Historic houses and walled gardens on the peninsula itself
- Churches in the old town, several of them eighteenth-century and very dark inside
- Waterfront rooms on the harbour, facing the light across the water
What a Charleston wedding plans around
- The historic district has rules about what may be done on its streets, and the smaller old churches have their own restrictions on where a photographer may stand during a ceremony. Both are established in advance.
- Summer thunderstorms here are heavy and short. The plan is to wait them out rather than to work around them.
- Humidity is a genuine factor for hair, linen and lenses alike. We carry for it.
- The peninsula is walkable, which is its great advantage. Portrait routes are planned on foot.
Frames
From Charleston.
The commission
Photographing a wedding in Charleston.
A Charleston wedding is a full day with two photographers, from $14,000, with a venue walk beforehand.
The peninsula is walkable and flat, which is its great advantage, so the portrait route here is planned on foot rather than as a series of drives. That is worth more than it sounds: a day without transfers is a day with an extra forty minutes in it, and those forty minutes go into the golden hour rather than into a van.
Summer thunderstorms are heavy, short and reliable, and the plan is to wait them out rather than work around them — the half hour afterwards is frequently the best light of the day. Humidity is a real factor for hair, linen and lenses alike and we carry for it. Preview in seven days, full set in eight weeks, private archive, print release with no expiry.
- Wedding, from
- $14,000
- Photographers
- Two
- Preview
- 7 days
- Full delivery
- 8 weeks
Charleston wedding photography — questions
How much is a Charleston wedding photographer?
From $14,000 for a full day with two photographers and a venue walk beforehand. Most Charleston weddings land between that and $20,000 depending on the length of the day and whether a welcome dinner is added.
Which month would you choose?
Late April or the first half of November. April gives you the gardens and the warmth; November gives you the light and an empty city. August gives you a heat index that changes how everyone looks and feels by four in the afternoon.
Are the historic churches difficult to photograph in?
Some are, and it is worth knowing which before the invitations go out. Several will not permit a photographer forward of a certain point and the interiors are dark. We work without flash and with fast lenses, and we establish the specific rules rather than assuming.
What happens in a thunderstorm?
We wait it out. Summer storms here arrive fast, drop a great deal of water and pass within the hour, and the light in the half hour afterwards is frequently the best of the whole day.
Can the whole day be walkable?
On the peninsula, often yes, and it is the reason to be married downtown rather than out of town. It buys you time that would otherwise be spent in transfers.
Do you travel to the plantation venues?
Yes, and there is no travel charge within the Lowcountry — the oak-avenue properties along the Ashley River and out towards Johns Island are all a short drive.
Nearby
Married in Charleston?
Tell us the date and what you are planning. We reply personally, usually within two business days.