How to get married in Charleston, SC.

Getting married in Charleston, SC takes a Charleston County marriage license and a ceremony performed in person in South Carolina by an authorized officiant. You apply online through the Probate Court, pay $70 by card, wait the 24 hours state law requires, and receive the license by email within two business days.

1. Apply online, together. Complete the Probate Court's Live Online Virtual E-Application once, with an email address each.
2. Upload and pay. Add your ID documents, sign the sworn statement and pay the non-refundable $70 fee.
3. Wait for the email. Print the license and its instruction sheet.
4. Hold the ceremony. Hand the license to your officiant first. The ceremony must be in person in South Carolina.
5. Return the court copies. Mail or drop off the signed copies labeled PROBATE JUDGE and PROBATE JUDGE/DPH COPY; state law allows 15 days. Certified copies cost $5 each.

A Charleston County marriage license comes from the Charleston County Probate Court, and the application, document upload and payment are all online. As of October 2026 the fee is $70 by credit card plus a transaction fee, applicants must be at least 18, and there is no residency requirement.

Both of you must be present to complete the application. The Marriage License Division is at 100 Broad Street, Suite 469, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, on (843) 958-5183.

South Carolina marriage license rules, set out in Title 20, Chapter 1 of the state code, require a written application signed by both partners and filed with the county probate court at least 24 hours before the license is issued. The court also takes a fee and a sworn statement that you are legally entitled to marry.

• Officiant: a minister, a rabbi, an officer authorized to administer oaths (Charleston County's page names South Carolina notaries), or the leader of a state-recognized Native American entity.
• Age: no license under 16. Charleston County's page says its applicants must be at least 18.
• Expiry: the statute sets none and county courts differ; Charleston County's page gives no validity period, so ask the clerk.

Outside the United States, see the legal requirements for getting married abroad.

A Charleston courthouse wedding is not a service the Probate Court advertises: as of October 2026, its marriage license page mentions no courthouse ceremony and lists no ceremony fee. The court, in the Judicial Center at 100 Broad Street, issues the Charleston County marriage license, so plan on bringing your own officiant.

A South Carolina notary can perform the ceremony. The only fixed cost is the $70 license fee plus the card transaction fee; the officiant sets any ceremony fee. To ask whether a judge is available, call (843) 958-5183.

A wedding in Charleston, SC for 250 guests is estimated at $53,622 to $65,538 in US dollars, about $238 per guest, by The Wedding Report for spring 2026. This guide's planning range runs up to $400 per guest, which is $100,000 at that size. Both are estimates, not quotes.

Treat that estimate as a low starting point: The Wedding Report builds it from spending couples report, help from friends and family included, not from vendor price lists. Its food line is $10,497 to $12,829, about $42 to $51 a guest. It has no line for guest travel or rooms and does not say whether tax and service charges are included.

Each added guest is estimated at $214 to $262. For 150 to 200 guests, this guide's estimate is roughly $37,000 to $45,000, which is that rate at 175 guests, or $70,000 at $400 per guest. The wedding budget calculator is a line-by-line worksheet, venue hire to guest transport, with no Charleston preset: fill it with written quotes.

Venue rental for a Charleston wedding is estimated at roughly $2,500 to $12,000 across Boone Hall, William Aiken House, Middleton Place and Magnolia, before catering. William Aiken House also sets a food-and-beverage minimum, estimated at $5,000 to $24,000. Ask each venue for a quote.

The Post and Courier says to expect at least double its rental range for a full ceremony and reception. Many plantation and historic-site venues require an approved caterer and restrict open flames, confetti, amplified sound and vehicle access. Lowndes Grove on the Ashley River and Gadsden House are other downtown estate houses; more South Carolina venues are listed on Aisle.

The best months to get married in Charleston are April, May and October, when average highs downtown run from 72°F to 79°F. September is also a peak wedding month, but it is the height of hurricane season. November is cooler and the driest month of the year.

Highs and rainfall are NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for downtown Charleston; its airport station runs hotter and wetter (91°F in July, nearly 7 inches of rain in August). Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms, so confirm a tent or indoor room for an outdoor ceremony from June through November. Off-season dates cost less: William Aiken House's rental estimate halves in summer and winter.

Charleston is a good destination wedding for out-of-town guests: they fly into one airport, Charleston International (CHS), stay on the walkable downtown peninsula, and reach most venues in under 45 minutes. Guests from within the United States need no passport.

• Downtown peninsula: walkable and close to William Aiken House and the other in-town venues.
• Mount Pleasant: across the Ravenel Bridge, near Boone Hall, with newer hotels at slightly lower rates.
• Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island: rental homes that suit the wedding party.

Set up a room block early for the wedding weekend, because peak-season weekends fill quickly. For an estate outside downtown, budget for shuttles: parking is limited and the roads are rural.