November Wedding? William Aiken House?

chloe24k

I just got engaged on Sunday and am looking around at wedding venues in Charleston. I am from the TN and have always wanted to have a fall wedding in Charleston (join the club, right?).

My questions for you all are these:

Does anyone have an apx cost on how much the William Aiken house is during the Oct-Nov time frame? I'm guessing around 100-150 guests or so.

Also - is it too cold in early November to have an outdoor wedding? It's always just a tiny bit cooler where I live than it is in Charleston but I can't even remember what the temp has been like here in November. 

Any advice yall have for a newly engaged couple planning their wedding in Charleston would be MUCH appreciated!!!

DRibeiro13

I know that in peak season it is $5900 on a saturday for a 4 hour event (they charge you extra to have your ceremony there) and you have to use their caterer(they have a food spending minimum) . just things to consider if you are on a budget. they also require you to have a security guard that is not  provided and is 35/hour for the night.

Novemeber is the month in charleston that it rains the LEAST during the entire year...so the weather will probably hold out

It is pretty warm still during the day at the beginning of november...but at night it gets pretty chilli.

Let me also urge you to check out the Thomas Bennett House (similar venue, but cheaper and you can use your own caterer which can greatly reduce the cost)
This is where I am having my wedding...and we found this venue because we did not have the budget for the William Aiken House.
Here is the website:
here is the link: http://www.governorthomasbennetthouse.com/

Check them out on facebook also...they have lots of recent wedding pictures so you can get a better feel!

Hope this helps!

chloe24k

Thank you so much!! I will look into that. We are also looking at Magnolia Plantations as well - I really want an outdoor wedding. I love the Oak Trees and Spanish Moss!! I don't really even know what kind of budget I am working with yet but I will check out the place you sent - their site looks beautiful!

woodsandminkin

I am having a wedding of about 150-200. It's somewhat difficult to find a venue downtown that will hold that many. Not sure if you are looking to have ceremony and reception in same place, but some of the venues I looked at downtown were Rice Mill and Wickliffe House. In Mt. Pleasant, I looked at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, Alhambra Hall, Boone Hall, and then Wild Dunes in IOP. I ended up going with Alhambra Hall- I am having the ceremony on the back lawn which is on the water and the reception will be indoors.
As far as weather, you are probably okay doing outdoors. I honestly feel you could pull off an outdoor wedding in Charleston any month except Dec-Feb. Especially if you go with October, the weather will be fine.
Side note about William Aiken- it is a VERY popular venue and I think because of that, they get away with charging a whole lot for things that most other places wouldn't. The house is beautiful and I would almost give my left leg to be married there, BUT the inside is not very open and I know parking is definitely an issue there. The same company owns a similar venue called Lowndes Grove which is just as beautiful. It's probably just as expensive, but it's another option if you want to check it.

youshouldveknown

Magnolia Plantation is beautiful!  For a group your size, I'd suggest this over anything downtown.  Also, there's Middleton Place.

Jeni1090

Chloe, we're having our wedding at Magnolia Plantaiton in May.  Jessica has been wonderful to work with, and the prices are online on their website.

For that number, you'll have to do the carriage house.   I think it's $3000 for a Saturday in November.  It's gorgeous and they're really laid back about who you bring in, etc. as long as the caterer has the right insurance.  Jessica has been awesome about the fact we're bringing in lighting as a non-vendor (we got gifted a lot of event stuff)  There's also a lot of parking and when the guests come, the staff will hand out maps that double as admission for any time during the week following the event.

We chose Magnolia over downtown because of transportation and parking logistics and cost.  We chose it over Middleton because we could bring in our own caterer, it was less expensive, and the "feel" was right for us.

Did I mention there's a separate building for the bridal suite?  The event manager office adjoins a 2 room suite with 2 sinks, bathroom, couch, chairs.

PS-book fast.  Like yesterday.  Charleston is a popular destination wedding location, and Saturdays are tough to get.  We had issues finding a MONDAY date that was open, even off-season.  (There's a long story behind the Monday that I won't bore you with-but we work a LOT of weddings in the area).

chloe24k

Thanks for the info. I went to see it today and loved the Carriage House and the Veranda. I am going to book Monday and there are 2 dates open that I am between. Do you think that the Veranda in November is a bad idea? It is outdoors and the weather is so freaking unpredictable in our region! I'm afraid it's going to be too chilly. 

I liked the Carriage House too but it's $5000 for the date that they have open in comparison to the $1000 that the Veranda costs.. BIG difference but I am new to all this, I don't know what weddings cost in Charleston and this may be completely normal for a venue.. I have no idea. HELP!

acausey6879

If William Aiken doesn't work out...I'd check out Magnolia Plantation or Boone Hall.  They are both great venues and have the live oaks/spanish moss feel.

If you don't have a photographer, definitely check out Christa Harder Photography! She is amazing and her prices are very competitive.  www.christaharder.com

As far as the weather, you will be fine for an outdoor wedding in November... It will cool off in the evenings, but nothing unbearably cold!  In fact, I think November is one of the best months to get married in Charleston!!!! NO mosquitos!!!!