CEREMONY & RECEPTION
A quick guide to St. Luke's Chapel, the Francis Marion Hotel, & Downtown Charleston.
St. Luke’s Chapel
When deciding on a ceremony venue, St. Luke's Chapel in Charleston’s Medical District seemingly fell into place, but it was more fated than ever imagined. With one mother who works at Charleston’s Medical University and another who studied there, a powerful connection unites the bride and groom — a link echoed by the adjacent building, Colcock Hall, which, coincidentally, bears the groom’s mother’s maiden name. St. Luke’s stands as a testament to the unseen threads of providence that have drawn our families together.
A Chapel Since 1883
Francis Marion Hotel
Setting our wedding in the Bride’s hometown of Charleston was an easy choice, and nothing says classic Charleston like the Francis Marion Hotel, with its ties to a Revolutionary War hero, the Charleston dance craze, and even a visit from Elvis in 1956. Elegant and steeped in Charleston history, the Francis Marion Hotel seems made for a perfect wedding.
A Hotel Since 1924Our Favorite Places in Charleston
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The Dock Street Theater
135 Church St, Charleston, SC 29401
The structure, which was built as a hotel in 1809 and converted to a theater in 1935, occupies the site of the first building in the 13 Colonies designed for use as a theater. Annually, the Bride’s family attends A Christmas Carol here and the Groom had the pleasure of attending last Christmas.
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![Exterior of Tony Conson's restaurant and pub with flags, benches outside, and a black sign with gold lettering. The building has large windows and a green awning with gold writing that says 'Fine Food & Spirits' and another sign that reads 'Restaurant & Pub'.]()
Tommy Condon's
160 Church St, Charleston, SC 29401
Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, founded in 1984 by Tommy Condon, is a 40-year-old landmark on Church Street, known for Lowcountry cuisine (shrimp and grits, fish and chips) and live Irish music. This is the Bride’s favorite restaurant, not for its food, but because it is a staple location of generations of her family who stopped by for some live music and jovial atmosphere. -
![Historic building with a central steeple, adorned with American flag bunting, situated on a city street at sunset.]()
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
122 East Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
The Provost Dungeon, located in the basement of Charleston's 1771 Old Exchange Building, served as a brutal British prison during the Revolutionary War. It hosted George Washington and took prisoner the pirate, Stede Bonnet. One of the Bride’s favorite historic sites and, coincidentally, also the Groom’s who has visited a number of times. (We both love pirates.)
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The College of Charleston
The College of Charleston dates back to 1771 and is one of the oldest colleges in America. As the Bride’s alma mater, she highly recommends taking a walk through the historic campus where you can find beautiful oaks, intricate ironwork, Randolph Hall, and the location where they filmed scenes from Mel Gibson’s The Patriot.
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Nico's Oysters & Seafood
Nico’s is a beautiful restaurant located on Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant. It is the Groom’s favorite place for seafood and the couple has gone numerous times to delight in one of their favorite pastimes (eating oysters).
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![A large, historic brick mansion with ornate architecture, surrounded by a fence and trees, under a partly cloudy sky.]()
Wentworth Mansion
149 Wentworth St, Charleston, SC 29401
Completed in 1886, the Wentworth Mansion in Charleston, South Carolina, is a premier example of Gilded Age architecture, built as a private residence for wealthy cotton merchant Francis Silas Rodgers and his family, but now is a historic hotel. This is the site of our rehearsal dinner—a beautiful historic home in the city.
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![Historic yellow building with pink accents, columns, and stairs, located on a city street with other buildings and trees.]()
The Market
188 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401
Established in the 1790s, the Charleston City Market is one of the nation's oldest, serving as a historic hub for local vendors, Gullah sweetgrass artisans, and, historically, the sale of meat and produce. Nothing says a visit to Charleston like walking down the stalls, trying to find an Oogle and stopping at the corner candy store for a praline sample and a cold coke. -
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Charleston Battery
The Battery was the Groom’s and his sibling’s favorite place to explore and play when they stopped in Charleston on the the way to their grandparents’ house. With its beauty and historic appeal, the White Point Garden is a great place to take in the wonder of Charleston under the oaks or beside the cannons.
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![A historic church with a tall clock tower, columns at the entrance, and arched windows, surrounded by trees on a cloudy day.]()
St. Philip's Cemetery
142 Church St, Charleston, SC 29401
Founded in 1680, St. Philip’s is the oldest congregation in the United States south of Virginia. Often referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of South Carolina,” its cemetery houses a memorial to Alicia Rhett, the actress who played India Wilkes in Gone with the Wind. Traditionally, the Bride’s family watches the film every Christmas.
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![A historic church with a tall beige tower, arched windows, and a red roof, surrounded by palm trees and greenery, under a clear blue sky.]()
The Tomb of Annabel Lee
8 Archdale St, Charleston, SC 29401
The Unitarian Church is the second oldest in the city, built for the first time in 1772 and rebuilt in 1854. Its churchyard is supposedly haunted and many believe that it is by the subject of one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poems: Annabel Lee. The Bride is an English Literature Ph.D., so, growing up in Charleston, Poe was a major inspiration.
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![Colorful row of townhouses in pastel shades of yellow, green, blue, pink, and purple with cars parked in front and a partly cloudy blue sky above.]()
Rainbow Row
79-107 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
According to some tales, the houses were painted in the various colors such that the inebriated sailors coming in from port could remember which houses they were to bunk in. In other versions, the colors of the buildings date from their use as stores; the colors were used so that illiterate shoppers could find the correct building.
