Local Charlestonian bridal tip

Battery promenade bridal shot

The Battery is one of Charleston's most photographed spots. Find a stretch of seawall, line the team up with the bride centred and take a group photo with Fort Sumter or a passing harbour boat behind you.

Charleston bride lift

The party begins! Take a group photo where the bride is triumphantly lifted up by the team with a Charleston backdrop (a palmetto, a piazza, a wrought-iron gate). Higher and louder, this is your opening shot!

Cobblestone Chalmers strut

Chalmers Street is one of the last fully cobblestoned streets in Charleston. Take a group photo where the bride struts toward the camera leading the team, the cobblestones drawing the eye.

Holy City finale for the bride

This is the final challenge! Take an amazing closing group photo where the bride wears a full bachelorette accessory set (sash, tiara, the works) with a Charleston backdrop (Rainbow Row at sunset, a wrought-iron gate, the Battery at dusk). A photo for the wedding slideshow, well done everyone!

Holy City steeples for the bride

Charleston is nicknamed the Holy City for its many church steeples. Find a vantage point where at least two steeples are visible and take a group photo with the bride centred, the steeples behind her.

King Street rooftop toast

King Street has Charleston's best rooftop bars (The Watch, Citrus Club, Stars). Find a rooftop with a harbour or steeple view, order a round and take a group toast photo with the bride leading.

Live oak bride canopy

Find a wide live oak in White Point Garden (the ones dripping with Spanish moss) and take a group photo with the bride standing in the centre of the canopy, the team around her.

Lowcountry plate for the bride

Order a Savannah classic (shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, oysters, peach cobbler) from any restaurant. Take a photo with the whole team and the bride taking the first bite at the same time.

Pineapple Fountain bridal jump

Walk east to Waterfront Park and find the Pineapple Fountain. Take a group jump photo where everyone is airborne and the bride leads in front, the fountain clearly in shot.

Rainbow Row pastel match

Line the team up across from Rainbow Row, each bridesmaid in front of a different colour, with the bride centred in white. Take a group photo where the bride pops against the row of pastels.

Recreate the bride's wildest moment (Charleston)

Everyone knows that one legendary night out. Imitate the bride at her most wild moment ever. One person plays her, the rest directs, capture it in a photo or short video. Best impression wins.

Sweetgrass basket for the bride

Inside the City Market, Gullah weavers sell handmade sweetgrass baskets, a tradition that traces back to West Africa. Pick a small basket as a bride keepsake, ask permission and take a respectful photo with the weaver and the bride.

To Charleston City Market (bride)

Walk north to the Charleston City Market on Market Street and check in at the main entrance.

To Rainbow Row (bride)

Navigate to Rainbow Row on East Bay Street between Tradd and Elliott. Check in across the road from the pastel houses with the bride in the centre.

To the Battery (bride)

Walk south along East Bay to the Battery promenade at White Point Garden. Check in once the bride and the team are on the seawall with the harbour behind them.

Trivia: Fort Sumter Civil War

The opening shots of the American Civil War were fired across the harbour at Fort Sumter. In what year?

Trivia: Rainbow Row houses

How many colourful historic houses make up Rainbow Row?

Trivia: Ravenel Bridge opened

The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River, visible from Waterfront Park, is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the western hemisphere. In what year did it open?

White for the bride in Charleston

The bride is the star today. Make sure everyone in the team wears or holds something white, find a wrought-iron gate or piazza, and take a group photo where the bride stands out.