South Carolina

This SC city is the best for outdoor weddings in the US, new ranking shows. Why is it so special?

It’s no secret that South Carolina is known for its many beautiful attributes and accolades for ‘best of’ nationwide.

This time, a Lowcountry destination has been awarded as the best overall city nationwide for an outdoor wedding this year.

Shoppers and students explore parts of King Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday, August 29, 2021.
Shoppers and students explore parts of King Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday, August 29, 2021. Joshua Boucher jboucher@thestate.com

With outdoor wedding season beginning to speed up, Lawn Love, which specializes in modern and on-demand lawn care, compared 200 of the biggest cities in the country.

The rankings of this study were based on eight separate categories. These included, quality of outdoor wedding venues, access to wedding planners and sunshine, among 36 total metrics.

From these rankings, Charleston was selected as the best city in the U.S. for couples to have an outdoor wedding.

Not only is it the No. 1 city in the U.S., Charleston was the only city in South Carolina to place on the list of 200 destinations throughout the country.

The locale received an overall score of 51.71, beating out the rest of the competition for the best area to host an outdoor wedding, as well as placing an overall high score for one of the categories, earning itself another placeholder for the best Venue Access for outdoor weddings, according to Lawn Love’s report.

An infographic displaying “2023’s Best Cities for Outdoor Weddings,” according to Lawn Love.
An infographic displaying “2023’s Best Cities for Outdoor Weddings,” according to Lawn Love. Submitted

“Conveniently located downtown, the historic Gadsden House features three private courtyards for a stunning outdoor ceremony. Cannon Green is another downtown venue with a lush outdoor courtyard and exquisite culinary options,” the report listed as possible ideas and “local tips.”

In addition to downtown destinations, Charleston has no shortage of beautiful outdoor sights and background scenery for your special day. Many oceanfront, beachfront and even marsh-front options are widely available throughout the historic, coastal city.

Lowndes Grove and The Cottages on Charleston Harbor are two exquisite examples of natural, waterfront venues that a couple could experience at their outdoor wedding in Charleston.

The Cottages on Charleston Harbor
The Cottages on Charleston Harbor Sara Kendall

This story was originally published March 31, 2023 at 8:00 AM.

Sarah Claire McDonald
The Island Packet
Sarah Claire McDonald worked as a Service Journalism Reporter for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. She specialized in writing audience-focused, unique, spotlight stories about people, places and occurrences in the Lowcountry. Originally from the Midwest, Sarah Claire studied news media, communications and English at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where she graduated in 2021.
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