With a population hovering around 130,000, the Holy City {That’s Charleston, South Carolina, for you Yanks } might not be a big city—but weddings are big business there: More than $150 million is spent on weddings in Charleston every year. The city saw an average of 107 weddings a week in 2014, and not all those brides and grooms were local. Around a quarter of U.S. couples are hosting destination weddings, and South Carolina is the No. 5 state for destination brides and grooms.
If you find yourself in Charleston (whether you’re a wedding guest, part of a bachelorette party, or the one saying “I do”) here’s what we loved when we swung through for Charleston Fashion Week’s Spring Bridal Show. (In retrospect, we ate a LOT.)
STAY
THE RESTORATION The coolest hotel we’ve stayed at in recent memory—possibly ever. The suites are huge, the decor is painstakingly perfect, and the location can’t be beat. Plus, it has a pint-size pool (just right for cooling off) and a restaurant with sick sunset views. The hotel’s GM is also a perfumer, so it smells really, really good. Ask about the custom motorcycles, like the one above.
SHOP: WEDDING DRESSES
FABULOUS FROCKS If your dream dress is way out of your budget, have a look here. Their stock of secondhand wedding gowns is impeccable, and they carry lots of our favorite designers, including Monique Lhuillier.
KATE McDONALD BRIDAL This homegrown Charleston designer is sweet as pie—and if her wedding dresses (like that lace-sleeved number above) could talk, they’d scream “Southern Bride.”
WHITE ON DANIEL ISLAND High style down South: If you just must have a designer wedding dress, look here for gowns by Jenny Packham, Marchesa, and others.
ALSO NOTABLE: Brand-new bridal shops—including Lovely Bride and Betty Bridal Atelier will open their doors soon. And an old favorite, Bridal House of Charleston, has seen a revival with new ownership and new-to-Charleston designers.
SHOP: EVERYTHING ELSE
MAGNIFILOUS TOY EMPORIUM If you need to bring your nephew a souvenir or pick up a thank-you gift for your flower girl, this toy store is the best.
REEDS Still looking for a wedding present for your groom? Reeds is the only Cartier dealer in the state, and their watch collection is jaw-dropping. (We know. We tried on most of it.)
CROGHAN’S JEWEL BOX This hundred-year-old shop has been selling jewelry for four generations for a very good reason: It’s magical. We got lost for at least an hour (that’s just a sampling of their vintage engagement ring collection above) and we would have moved right in.
EAT
BUTCHER & BEE&THE DAILY A breakfast spot its sister coffee shop. Don’t bother going anywhere else.
JENI’S This Ohio-based ice cream maker has eight shops nationwide with every flavor you’re craving—even if you haven’t heard of them yet: Salted Peanut Butter With Chocolate Flecks, Wildberry Lavender, and Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet.
LEON’S OYSTER SHOP If avocado toast is wrong, we don’t want to be right. And the peel-and-eat shrimp comes in a messy-but-worth-it mountain-size serving. Get both with the grapefruit beer. Go home full. Thank us later.
RUE DE JEAN The food was delicious and we got the perfect little table for dinner outside.
VIRGINIA’S Someone said not to leave Charleston without trying Virginia’s She Crab Soup. We’re still not sure what it is, but it’s delicious—don’t forget the corn bread.
THE WESTENDORFF A sun-filled space with an awesome regional menu. So good for brunch. (And probably dinner and drinks, too.)
PLAY
CANDLEFISH We did a candle-making workshop here and loved, loved, loved it. It’s also a fun store that sells lots of cool things from local artists, including these Made on Marlow cocktail napkins. Clearly a Glamour Do. (The gold hand-painted macarons are by ABCD, a local cake designer.)
SEE
OLD SOUTH CARRIAGE COMPANY See the city by horse-drawn carriage. Go as a group, or do a romantic tour for two.
UNVEILED: WEDDING FASHION IN THE SOUTH A cool display of Southern wedding dresses you can see through mid-July.
ETC.
PURE FLUFF CO. Are you having a wedding? A birthday party? Do you just need a way to lure us to your home? Hire this fancy-pants cotton candy cart. This sugar-cookie-flavored puff was our first of three.
Want more weddings? Watch us invade Kleinfeld with the ladies of #PumpRules: