It’s a delightful coincidence (maybe not TECHNICALLY a coincidence) that the same seasons preferred by engaged couples planning a Charleston wedding are the same seasons when the flowers are particularly happy and thriving.
We’re growing year-round and, by that same token, couples are getting married here year-round. But just because you CAN doesn’t necessarily mean you should…
The #1 wedding season in Charleston is no shocker. It’s spring. Spring weather in Charleston can start in February and run all the way through May, but if you want something closer to a guarantee, mid-March through mid-May are your best bets (excluding Mother’s Day weekend). It should be no surprise that this is prime wedding season in the Lowcountry, and these dates for vendors book up FAST.
This is also the season our farm is in its full glory. The most soft-after wedding florals are growing then—ranunculus, roses, sweet peas, fancy snapdragons, delphinium, and garden roses. Everything is flourishing after a quick winter nap, and I must say, it is a LOVELY time to be a farmer/florist.
A close second for favorite seasons goes to fall. Prime weather is in October and November, but you still may eek out warmer temps in the first half of December. September is more manageable than prime summer, but it can still get pretty rough with the heat and humidity. The downside to fall? Hurricanes. They can wreck a wedding faster than you can say “boo,” and there’s no help for it. When mandatory evacuations are called, we have to shut down. Luckily, this happens pretty rarely, and vendors will do everything in their power to salvage an event.
Fall is prime season on the farm for dahlias, my darling diva flower. We’re also enjoying final crops of sunflowers, zinnias, and other bright summer faves. I usually skew our color palettes to more predictable burgundies, plums, yellows, and oranges, but I try to keep some white and blush on hand as well. Not shockingly, hurricanes can be a disaster for farms, too. If winds are predicted above a certain mph, farmers slice their greenhouse plastic to prevent them from being uprooted out of the ground, so before the storm even hits, there are financial repercussions. Crops can easily be destroyed in even a minor storm. I spend much of the fall glued to the weather forecasts.
So, when do people tend NOT to get married? Two times.
July/August. The heat and humidity are excruciating, plus there is still that hurricane risk.
January. It’s usually pretty chilly, and people are wiped out after a month of holiday parties.
You can host your Charleston wedding any day of the year, but I highly recommend taking the weather into consideration when you’re planning your venue and florals. Your August wedding guests will thank you profusely for a little A/C! And don’t forget to pay attention to the weather here in the couple weeks leading up to the wedding. There may be big decisions that need to be made at the last minute, so the more aware you are, the better off you’ll be if that happens.
