The William Aiken House is one of the quintessential venues that defines what the ideal downtown Charleston wedding is about. Its right in the heart of downtown and features its famous wrap around piazzas facing the expansive courtyard. What is great about this venue is the different areas where you can house your ceremony and reception. Many people have the ceremony in the central part where the reflecting pond and white trellis are. The reception can be tented in the courtyard or can be indoors utilizing the terraces and magnificently furnished interior.
The ceremony took place in the back part of the courtyard where the guest house is. This is a nice tucked away spot on the property which offers more privacy and is good for smaller sized weddings.
The tented area was furnished and designed beautifully using classic royal blue and white colors, simply clean and fresh.
The Thomas Bennett House is one of those nicely tucked away downtown venues that has a private feel for being in the city. So if you are looking to have the essential Charleston wedding, this is a great venue to show that!
The courtyard is setup very well, having the grassy area behind the fountain for the ceremony and having the tented reception directly to the right. You can also have the reception inside as long as there is not amplified music produced.
The long-branched trees allow for cute decor to be hung such as the flower balls like in the picture below. It is simply a wonderful spot for a wedding especially in the spring and summer months when its very green and the flowers are in full bloom.
Here is another good example set list of traditional music for the ceremony we did:
Grandmothers and Mothers Processional
Ave Maria by Schubert
Wedding Party
Rondeau by Mouret
Bride’s Entrance
Trumpet Voluntary – Clarke
Recessional
“Spring” from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi
Another one of Kiawah’s breathtaking views, nestled on the banks of the Kiawah River, the River Course is a great alternative to the Sanctuary’s Grand Lawn. Bob and Mike Williams (my father and I) had the privilege of performing the ceremony and cocktail reception afterward on January 2nd, 2010.
We performed our classical repertoire for the wedding ceremony including Canon in D, Ave Maria, and Purcell’s Trumpet Tune. For the cocktail hour, we lightly amplified our acoustic instruments and performed a mix of Jazz and Popular tunes. Our goal is to happily surprise our clients when they hear our unique sound performing popular artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Jack Johnson, and more on the guitar and violin. We are not just to be ‘background music’, but to entertain in a unique way which no other group can emulate.
Bob,
I just wanted to say thank you for performing at the ceremony and cocktail reception for my sister Kim’s wedding this past weekend. You and your son are so talented and the music you play is a treat to listen to – I had more people ask me in complete surprise if we were listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers during cocktails and the feedback was amazing!!
Thank you again for everything, I hope we have the opportunity to work together again in the near future!
Best, Liz Cook
Director, Corporate Events
American Realty Capital
Congratulations to Brittany and Larry on their marriage!
Saturday may have brought near freezing temperatures, that didn’t seem to effect the romantic and enchanting mood. We always enjoy performing weddings at Dunes West golf club which features beautiful west-facing views of the marsh. They also have a very picturesque clubhouse which makes for a nice backdrop.
Since it was so cold, the ceremony took place indoors on the second floor of the golf club. I have never performed there but the room upstairs was furnished very elegantly and was surrounded by floor to ceiling windows facing the marsh. So if it winds up raining for your outdoor wedding at Dunes West, not to worry because they have a lovely updated furnished room as a backup!
We performed a wonderful set of songs from the new “Pride and Prejudice” movie which we arranged specially for the bride. Selections included: “Stars and Butterflies”, “A Postcard to Henry Purcell”, “Meryton Townhall”, and “Mrs. Darcy”. My favorite song out of all of them is the “Meryton Townhall” which makes in my opinion a perfect recessional. I thought it was very sweet having the guests leaving to “Mrs. Darcy” which was very appropriate! 
So here is our full setlist!
Grandmothers/mothers
“Stars and Butterflies”
Bridal Party
“A Postcard to Henry Purcell”
Bride
Bridal Chorus
Recessional
“Meryton Townhall”
Postlude
“Mrs. Darcy”
We thoroughly enjoyed performing for the wedding at the Ocean Course. The views were simply spectacular having the ocean, the expansive course, and a wonderful sunset all in different directions. You simply didn’t know where to look! The bride and groom couldn’t have picked a better day to celebrate their marriage.
Since you had such naturally beautiful surroundings, minimal decoration for the ceremony was needed. The ceremony was done just right showing off the light blue wedding colors which had a stunning contrast to the green of the golf course. To finish the decor of the ceremony, there were petite white rose arrangements displayed on different sized pedestals. The cocktail hour and reception was held in the newly-built clubhouse which takes on a style from the old golf clubhouses in Scotland.
