Obviously, the Charleston guidebooks are swimming with info on where to stay. I wanted to add to it with my own perspectives. So this page is dedicated to providing some information about places to stay, especially when you are looking for a GROUP!
Forgive me for starting this section out with a bummer of a caveat: SOME HOTELS AND INNS DON'T LIKE WEDDING PARTIES. Frankly, you can't blame them. Sometimes guests carry the celebratory mood too far (and back to the hotel) where they make life hard for the staff and manage to irritate the other guests.
What to do? Well, if you are having a tiny family wedding, you might be welcomed because of who your guests are. Make this clear to the hotelier. If you do have potentially rowdier guests, put them somewhere else, such as a chain hotel. You might also want to be upfront with your guests about the problem and beg for their cooperation beforehand. But still, you might find some hotels are closed to you because your guests are wedding guests. Sorry!
That said, there are lots of nice bed & breakfasts and historic inns in the city, and these are great places for you and/or your guests to stay. If possible, I encourage you to house your guests at one of smaller inns or B&Bs in town (as opposed to the larger hotels or national chains). It was nice to have my guests at a distinctive place where the staff was committed to serving them well! This really made an impact on my guests' Charleston experience, so I'm an advocate of the smaller historic inns. Accommodations can be a little pricey, but most offer excellent services and attention to detail. For example, most include breakfast (which is a pretty good $$-saving benefit), and many have wine and cheese available every evening.
If the beach is more your style, there are some nice beach areas near to Charleston. You can rent a house for your family or wedding party.
The following list is FAR from comprehensive, but it may add a little to the knowledge you can get from guidebooks. What I am putting here is information I have gotten from information they have personally sent me, or from a personal visit. It is the mere tip of the Charleston iceberg!!
Inns:
Elliot House Inn: This 27-room inn is in a quiet neighborhood just a few blocks west of the market area. The rooms are small but very nicely appointed, and prices are better than those we found at other inns. All rooms face a courtyard with cafe tables and a small jacuzzi. Breakfast is included (the norm at most inns), bicycles are available free to guests for getting around the city, and the staff is so nice (even on the phone) I started hearing nice comments from our guests after they made their reservations! All of my guests had very nice things to say, and the staff was very helpful to me even though I was staying elsewhere. Also, several of the city's better restaurants are just a few doors away. This place comes with my highest recommendation! The bad news: another bride just informed me in 6/98 that they no longer encourage wedding parties. Sorry, hope this changes. I still recommend it for a place to stay when you are having a "scouting" visit before the wedding. 1-800-729-1855
Planter's Inn: This Inn has 41 spacious rooms with nice luxurious bathrooms. Probably one of the best locations in the city (Meeting Street and North Market). The hotel is historic on the outside but so nicely redone on the inside that you don't really feel you are in an old building. That's sort of a plus and a minus. If you can get a open weekend, you can get good prices on a block of rooms. If not, prices aren't so great. The staff here was courteous but was not very personal during our stay (they didn't even congratulate us the day of our wedding *whine*). Call Sara O'Hara for group sales. Website with more info
Vendue Inn: Kudos to a wonderful staff here, very nice and helpful. Rooms are lovely but vary in size. They will take care of you here and they will know who you are and who your guests are!! Location is excellent (on East Bay & Vendue Range) especially in nice weather when being next to Waterfront park is a plus. Also have a nice deck if you're there in the warm weather. Breakfast is served in a nice common room. Peggy Needle, the owner's daughter, is the contact person. She's extremely helpful. 800-845-7980 or 803-577-7970
Lodge Alley Inn: A great location, very near the public market area. This has several buildings organized around a large central courtyard area, which is very peaceful. They had competitive group rates, as long as they have availability. The rooms are nice and have varying amenities. The rooms vary in decor, which I only mention because I wanted the typical rice bed, southern decor look for my guests--true local flavor. You can get this in some rooms but not all, so you need to reserve a block of such rooms early. Contact Mintha Linn, Director of Sales. 803-722-1611
Meeting Street Inn
Another hotel which DOES NOT WELCOME WEDDING PARTIES. The Meeting Street Inn is a great location and claims to have the most spacious rooms in the city. Another bride I know even got married in its courtyard. However, when I visited, I was informed that they have a policy against allowing wedding parties to stay there. Again, maybe it is a possibility for family.
Other Inns & B & Bs:
Here are some additional Inns and B & Bs which have 6 or more rooms (important when looking for a group of people!). I don't have good personal knowledge of them--You can get plenty of additional info from guidebooks.
There are DOZENS of great B & Bs and Inns not listed here. That's simply because I haven't seen them myself. Don't limit yourself to my small list!
The Beach & Nearby Islands:
Kiawah Island Kiawah is 20 minutes from Charleston. You drive through some of the poorest areas of South Carolina to get there. Somewhat of a reality check. Recommended Kiawah rental agencies: Beachwalker Rentals 803-768-1777, Kiawah Island Resort 800-654-2924, Beachside Real Estate 803-886-4056.
Kristie writes: "Kiawah is extremely impressive: We were pleasantly surprised by the resort feel to the island. Restaurants, club houses, golf, childrens playground, beautiful beaches, bike trails, etc. We were interested in only 5 bedroom homes on the beach with a pool. But there are plenty of other 1-5 bedroom homes and villas. We originally attempted to have our reception at the house but have found that there aren't many homes that will accomodate a reception for 125 people. If you chose to have a smaller wedding/reception there are plenty of homes on the island that will accomodate you. Instead, we decided to rent the home out for the wedding party of 10 for the week prior to the wedding for the rehearsal dinner barbeque and informal parties and get togethers."
Isle of Palms Isle of Palms is about 10 minutes from Charleston. There are 3 or 4 home or villa rental agencies all located on Palm Blvd. (Carroll Realty 803-886-9600, Island Realty 803-886-8144, Beachside Realty 803-866-4056)
"The homes on this island have more of a beach feel. In other words, typically smaller than Kiawah homes, nice but not luxurious."
Wild Dunes No info here yet, but it came highly recommended from someone who attended a wedding on Wild Dunes and said it was the best wedding she's ever been to.
Edisto Island: No info yet