The Governor Thomas Bennett House is one of the most elegant places to get married in downtown Charleston. Built in the 1820s for Thomas Bennett Jr., a former governor of South Carolina, it has a rare free-flying staircase, wide piazzas, a crescent lawn under a 200-year-old oak and a secret garden tucked behind the house. If you’re planning a Thomas Bennett House wedding, this guide covers what we’ve learned there: where the best photos happen, when the light is best, what to do if it rains and how to build a timeline that gets you the photos you want. Want to see a full day there? Take a look at a romantic Charleston celebration we photographed at the Thomas Bennett House. Comparing venues? Start with our roundup of the 20 best Charleston wedding venues.
The Thomas Bennett House at a glance
- Location: 69 Barre Street, on the downtown Charleston peninsula
- The house: a Federal-style home of about 9,500 square feet, built around 1822 to 1825 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Size: up to about 200 guests for an outdoor ceremony and about 230 seated outdoors under a tent, or about 75 seated inside the house
- Catering: bring your own caterer; alcohol must be served by a licensed, insured bar service
- On site: a second-floor bridal suite, private guest parking and room for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception all on one property
The best photo spots at the Thomas Bennett House
1. The free-flying staircase
The cantilevered staircase in the Grand Foyer is the showpiece of the house. It’s one of only two “free-flying” staircases in Charleston (the other is at the Nathaniel Russell House). We love it for a bridal portrait looking down from above, with the dress and veil spilling down the steps.
2. The Crescent Lawn and the old oak
Most ceremonies happen on the Crescent Lawn, under a 200-year-old live oak draped in Spanish moss, with a pineapple fountain nearby. The oak gives soft, even shade for the ceremony and for family photos right after.
3. The Secret Garden
Tucked away from the main lawn, the Secret Garden is small, green and private. It’s our favorite spot for a quiet first look or a few minutes alone together after the ceremony.
4. The piazzas
The house’s long, columned piazzas look out over the formal garden. They’re perfect for cocktail hour, and the columns and soft, shaded light make them great for wedding party portraits and candid moments with your guests.
5. The front façade
The front of the house has stately columns, an elliptical fanlight with carved moldings and a Palladian window. It’s a classic backdrop for formal portraits, a big family photo on the steps or a send-off at the end of the night.
6. The bridal suite
The second-floor bridal suite is full of window light, so getting-ready photos look bright and natural. It also means you can spend the whole day on one property without packing up and moving.
7. The Oyster Tabby
Next to the gardens, the Oyster Tabby can be tented for a larger reception. With candles, string lights and lanterns in the oaks, it glows after dark and makes for beautiful reception photos.
Golden hour at the Thomas Bennett House
The grounds are surrounded by old oaks and neighboring homes, so the sun drops behind the trees a little before the official sunset. In Charleston, sunset ranges from about 5:15 p.m. in December to about 8:30 p.m. in late June, so check the exact time for your date and plan around it.
Our tip: plan 15–20 minutes of portraits about an hour before sunset, when the light is still filtering through the oaks and the garden. Then step out again for a few blue-hour photos on the piazza once the candles and lights are on.
A Thomas Bennett House wedding timeline tip
Because the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception all happen on one property, there’s no travel time to plan around. Here’s what we recommend:
- Getting ready: use the bridal suite on site, or get ready at a nearby downtown hotel. Our couple got ready at The Dewberry, just a short drive away.
- First look: do one in the Secret Garden, and finish wedding party and most family photos before the ceremony. That frees up your cocktail hour.
- Ceremony: under the oak on the Crescent Lawn, timed to end about an hour and a half before sunset.
- Cocktail hour: on the piazzas, while we slip away for golden-hour portraits in the garden.
- Reception: in the house or under a tent on the Oyster Tabby, with a send-off down the front steps.
- Getting around: there is private parking for guests, but downtown streets get busy, so think about a shuttle from your hotel block.
What if it rains?
Charleston weather changes fast, especially in summer. The covered piazzas, the Grand Foyer and the staircase all work well for portraits when it rains, and a tent on the Oyster Tabby covers a larger reception. The house seats about 75 inside, so if your guest list is bigger, talk through a tented ceremony backup with the venue early. We always bring clear umbrellas, and moody skies over the oaks can make some of the most beautiful photos of the day.
How much does a Thomas Bennett House wedding cost?
Pricing depends on the season and the day of the week. Recent listings show a venue rental fee of about $5,800 to $11,000. Since catering and bar service are bring-your-own, budget separately for your caterer, bartenders, tent, rentals and other vendors. Prices change, so contact the venue for current rates.
Thomas Bennett House wedding photos
Here are some of our favorite moments from weddings at the Governor Thomas Bennett House. To see a full wedding day there, take a look at a romantic Charleston celebration we photographed at the Thomas Bennett House, with getting-ready photos at The Dewberry, a ceremony under the oaks and a candlelit reception in the garden.
Planning your Thomas Bennett House wedding?
We’d love to hear about it. We know this house, its light and its little corners, and we’d be honored to photograph your day there. Get in touch to check our availability for your date.
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