Wedding traditions of Charleston
A Southern port city with live oaks, church bells and a tradition of the bride's cake.
Charleston is known as a historic wedding city. Its churches, gardens and former plantations are popular venues, and the city's Gullah Geechee community has its own heritage.
A wedding here
The couple leaves the church to a shower of rice or bubbles, and a horse and carriage may wait. Charleston is also noted for the bride's cake and the groom's cake.
A history to be aware of
Many wedding venues are former plantations built by enslaved people, and some couples choose to avoid them. Others hold ceremonies that acknowledge the past. The choice is a live discussion among couples and planners.
Wedding customs of Charleston
Also part of it, and being written: Wedding (General customs.), Gullah (A culture of the Sea Islands.), Wedding cake (Southern cake traditions.).
A wedding trail idea for Charleston
- Charleston Historic District Old churches and gardens.
- Magnolia Plantation and Gardens A site that holds weddings and an exhibit of the history of enslaved people.
- The Battery A waterfront promenade.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source