Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Boone Hall Plantation

If you're looking to get married in or around Charleston, you've got a plethora of ceremony/reception options. I promise, I'll get to most (if not all) of the available venues in that area, but over the next few days I wanted to focus on the plantations that are available for rent. 

Perhaps you've always seen yourself as a Scarlett O'Hara type, or you've always dreamed of having your wedding in a really big, really impressive building. Either way, the South Carolina Lowcountry has several options. 

One of my favorites is Boone Hall Plantation. If it looks familiar, you've likely seen "The Notebook" one too many times. The house served as the summer home for Allie (Rachel McAdams) in the first half of the film. 


There are several ceremony sites, including the front lawn (you'd get married right where the photo focuses in on), and the back lawn (which has a great view of Horlebeck Creek). For a small reception, you could gather in the Butterfly Cafe, or for a larger reception, you could put up a tent on the back lawn. Another option for a larger party would be to rent the Cotton Dock (my favorite option). It's right on the banks of the creek, and many brides and grooms choose to make their grand entrance on a little motor boat. So cute! It's got a much more casual vibe than the other possible locations at Boone Hall. 

So what's a wedding here going to cost you?
Cotton Dock: $2000
Back Lawn: $3000
Front Lawn: $3000
Back Lawn and Cotton Dock: $4000
Front Lawn and Cotton Dock: $4000
Front Lawn and Back Lawn: $4500
Cotton Dock, Front Lawn and Back Lawn: $5500
The Butterfly Cafe: $600

Since a family actually lives at Boone Hall (LUCKY!), and since the grounds are open to the public during the day, your wedding cannot start until the site closes for the day (5 PM if you're using the Front Law or the Back Lawn). Set up for the Cotton Dock can occur anytime after 11 AM the day of the event since the building's not usually open to the public. 

Like every good venue, Boone Hall has its own nuances: no tents on the front lawn, no music after 11 PM and no tables and chairs are provided, even in the Cotton Dock. And if you're planning a summer wedding for the Cotton Dock, you'll definitely want to rent some AC units, as it's heated but not equipped with air. Your guests will love you for the extra expenditure. 

For more pictures, check out this site. It showcases a wedding and reception that took place at Boone Hall's Cotton Dock. I'm swooning already. 

2 comments:

  1. I just found your blog randomly, and it is QUITE fun! This location is beautiful!

    I'm already married, and I was married in a different state...but I always love to look at pretty things :)

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  2. Here's a helpful hint, perhaps....my wife & I got married at Boone Hall during the Scottish Games in September. We'd planned on attending the Games regardless, and we wanted a Scottish themed wedding, so it just made sense. 9000 or so people, most of them already in kilts, a couple hundred bagpipers, a great setting.....and it costs you all of 15 bucks to get in and 5 more to park. We got married in front of the front steps of the mansion and saved a bundle in the process!

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