Gearing Up for Wedding Season in Charleston SC
January 18, 2010
There are two things that you can’t imagine in Charleston SC – a Spoleto Festival without a Dock Street Theater, and a Charleston wedding season without the White Point Gardens Gazebo. Lately, though, we have been forced to not only imagine these twin horrors but to live them – big time!!
Fear not, lovers of Charleston tradition; our long, national short, regional nightmare is nearing its end. We will discuss the renovated Dock Street Theater in a later post but, for now, let’s focus on the Gazebo.
"Through Weddings and Wars," (according to the engraving hanging in my office) the Gazebo at The Battery has been a focal point of highly-concentrated Charleston charm for over a century. Thousands of weddings, including my own, have been held there over the decades.
You had to admit, though, that the old girl had seen better times. So the city coughed up the cash and completely gutted the structure. It was bizarre to follow the progress as the wonderful old band shell became, essentially, a green tiled dome supported by rusty steel I-beams. They completely trashed the base, eliminating the public restrooms that had been closed for years.
Now, as you can see in the above photo, they are really making progress. It appears that the base is about half its previous height. It has a more human scale now, which sounds like something an architect would say. The city says the White Point Gardens gazebo will be ready for wedding season and, by my untrained eye, it looks like we are on schedule.
So here’s the deal, Charleston Destination Wedding hopefuls: Based on my experience, you can reserve the gazebo for a nominal fee – as little as $100 – for a party of up to 25 people. To reserve, contact the City of Charleston Recreation Department at (843) 724-7327.
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