Harborside East: Breathtaking Views For Your Charleston Wedding On The Water

Back in August (right before Labor Day weekend), I published a post outlining 5 Great Reasons To Get Married In Charleston. You may check it out by clicking that link, but one of the reason's I spoke of in that post was "Breathtakingly Beautiful Wedding Venues". With Charleston being a city of rich history and charm, and it's downtown area surrounded by bodies of water, there are no shortage of places to have your wedding where you are able to enjoy nice harbor breezes and sunsets. In today's installment of my Charleston Wedding DJ tour, (actually the 4th stop), we're required to travel over one of the symbols of Charleston that opened back in 2005, the Ravenel Bridge. Located in Mt Pleasant and on the Charleston Harbor with one of the best views of Charleston and the iconic Ravenel Bridge, we find Harborside East. Opening in 2010, Harborside East is located in the Motley Rice Building and has become one of Mt. Pleasant's premier wedding venues.  Whether you are a local couple or one of the many wonderful couples coming to Charleston on an annual basis to say their "I Do's", Harborside East is the perfect wedding venue for the couple who wants a posh and upscale atmosphere at a very reasonable price, with a view that is simply priceless.

When I arrived over at Harborside East for this tour, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chelsea Banias, who is the director at Harborside East, and who you'll want to get in touch with after you read over this post. She'll be the one to talk to about saving your wedding date at this wonderful venue and begin planning the most beautiful day of your life.  I'll get into my conversation with Chelsea in a brief moment, but before I do, I wanted to thank you for finding me and my place online to talk about all things music and being the best wedding DJ for your Charleston wedding. After you read over this post, feel free to click back over to other areas in my blog, and if you see something that inspires you, by all means, let's schedule a time to talk. Now, let's get down to business and learn a little more about having your Charleston wedding over at Harborside East.

"Harborside" Dinner At Your Wedding | Photo Credit: Emily Meeks Photography

1. How Many Guests Can Harborside East Accomodate For A Charleston Wedding?
Harborside East is an interior / exterior venue with the use of the patio for weddings and private events. While the venue can accomodate up to 400 people, most weddings at Harborside tend to fall in the 100-200 person range. As Chelsea mentioned. "100-200 person weddings are our sweet spot"

2. What Separates Harborside East From All The Other Gorgeous Wedding Venues In Charleston?
Chelsea quickly mentioned. "Our views!"  Harborside East is located right on the harbor with amazing views of the Ravenel Bridge, as well as the Yorktown air craft carrier. If you do decide to book your wedding at Harborside East, make sure you plan accordingly so your wedding ceremony and / or reception can occur before the sun sets. Harborside East brags about being located in an area where you'll see some of the best Charleston sunset venues. Your photographer will smile when you tell them where you are getting married.

Photo Credit: Richard Bell Photography

3. Do Brides Require A Wedding Planner / Coordinator On Contract When Booking Their Wedding At Harborisde East?
As has become one of the standards when planning your wedding in Charleston, Harborside East is a venue that requires AT LEAST a day-of-coordinator on contract.  There are also many experience full service wedding planners who you might call on who have a lot of experience working at Harborside East.

4. What All Is Provided When Booking Your Wedding At Harborside East?
Brides and grooms are provided 16 inside tables and 125 chairs, as well as 12 outside tables and 125 chairs.

5. Does Harborside East Provide In-House Catering?
No, but brides and grooms are able to choose from our list of preferred Charleston wedding caterers and bar services. We work with 6 of the finest caterers and bar services in the Charleston area.

6. Do Couples Need To Purchase Any Insurance When Booking Harborside East?
Yes, the venue requires all clients to purchase an event insurance policy and we can direct them to companies to purchase a policy. The average policy usually costs around $100.00.

7. Can Couples Bring Their Own Vendors Or Are They Required To Use Vendors On Your Preferred Vendors List?
The only requirement are the selection of the catering / bar service. All other outside vendors can be used.

8. What Is Required By A Couple To Book Their Wedding Date At Harborside East?
A signed contract is required and a deposit, which is 50% of the total booking fee. There is more detailed pricing information online at the Harborside East website or you can just click HERE

9.  When Did Harborside East Open?
Harborside East actually opened up as a restaurant about 12 years agom but transitioned over to being one of Charleston's premier wedding venues on the water back in 2010.

Photo Credit: Mike Bills Entertainment

10. Any Other Information To Inspire Brides To Have Their Charleston Wedding At Harborside East?
When you walk inside Harborside East, you'll notice the beautifully decorated interior that would be friendly to most any type of wedding decor. You'll also the indoor and outdoor stainless steel bars and a partially covered patio if we should get one of those scattered afternoon thunderstorms that are so famous in Charleston. When you talk a walk around the grounds, you'll also that their at least 4 different locations where you can hold your wedding ceremony.  For larger wedding guest lists, there is also an option to place a tent on the patio. All in all, Harborside East has many options of being transformed into the Charleston wedding of your dreams depending upon the overall vision of how you'd like your special day to be. 

Photo Credit: Emily Meeks Photography

Conclusion
Having your wedding in Charleston at Harborside East will offer you and your guests the best of both worlds. Your wedding reception will have the backdrop of one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world along with those gentle harbor breezes and a view of the iconic Doulbe Diamond Ravenel Bridge. Your guests will be near all the rich history, art, and culinary delights that Charleston has to offer, but let's not forget about Mt Pleasant, as it also has some beautiful areas to enjoy, along with some great restaurants. I'd like to thank Chelsea Banias for her time in meeting with me to discuss the content for this post. If you are a bride looking to take a tour of Harborside East, you can email Chelsea This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and also head over to the Harborside East website by clicking HERE  And as always, I thank you for finding me and my website and blog. Hope you enjoyed this post and you set up a time to take a look at Harborside East. In a Charleston wedding market that is full of competition, it's always been my goal to keep this blog full of venue information, music ideas, and other information designed to make sure you make the best choice for your Charleston wedding DJ. 

Wanna Hire Me To Be Your Charleston Wedding DJ?
If you are looking for one of the best Charleston wedding DJs who is owner-operated and puts the focus on all his brides and grooms and sticks to what a DJ is all about (music), then I'd love to talk to you. Dates are filling up pretty fast for 2019. Click on the link up above and we'll arrange a time to talk.