South Carolina
Destination wedding · Charleston
In short
Destination wedding in Charleston starts at $4,800: 10 hours on location with a photographer who works in Charleston, and 700 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 6 weeks.
Why choose Destination wedding in Charleston?
Charleston destination weddings run over three days rather than one, because almost everybody has flown in and nobody leaves after the reception. That makes the welcome party or the rehearsal dinner the single most under-photographed event of the weekend — it is the only time all the guests are together, relaxed, and not being formally photographed, which is exactly when the best candid coverage happens.
Worth knowing about Charleston
Boone Hall’s Avenue of Oaks is the most-requested destination wedding portrait location in the Lowcountry, and it runs on an annual photography pass rather than a per-session permit: $500, admitting the photographer and up to four guests, with every shoot scheduled in advance because access times vary. Four guests is the number that matters — a wedding party’s portrait block does not fit on it.
What does the session in Charleston look like?
- The welcome party or rehearsal dinner
- The only evening everybody is together and relaxed. Where the candid coverage comes from.
- The wedding venue, walked beforehand
- Where the light lands, and what the rain plan is in a summer with daily storms.
- The Battery or Boone Hall
- The portrait block, scheduled against the tide or booked well ahead respectively.
What does destination wedding in Charleston include?
- 700+ retouched photographs
- Ten hours of coverage, or split across two days
- Welcome-party or rehearsal-dinner coverage included
- Second photographer throughout
- Venue liaison, and guidance on any permit the location needs
- Private online gallery within 6 weeks
FAQ — Destination wedding in Charleston
Should coverage be split across two days?
For a destination wedding here, usually yes. Guests are in Charleston for three days and the welcome party is the only time everybody is together and relaxed. Ten hours split across that evening and the wedding day produces a better record than ten consecutive hours on one of them, and it is the recommendation couples take up most often.
Can we photograph at Boone Hall?
With Boone Hall’s $500 annual photography pass, which admits the photographer and up to four guests near Charleston, and every shoot is scheduled with the property in advance because access times vary. A full wedding party does not fit on it. Middleton Place and the peninsula are the usual alternatives.