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A two-century-old magnolia tree is the centerpiece of sunlit courtyards, manicured lawns and an elegant pergola. Step out onto the open-air piazzas on the second floor of The William Aiken House for cocktail hour with views overlooking Downtown Charleston's vibrant Upper King Street. Just wanted to remind you before you leave that you can send multiple messages & view rates of your favorite venues in one spot here at TVR. He was one of the state's wealthiest citizens, as well as a successful businessman, rice planter, distinguished politician and later the governor of South Carolina.
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Kaitlyn Cole Photography is a Grand Rapids based wedding photographer serving couples who believe in authenticity and legacy worldwide. In the Natural History gallery you will see an extraordinary array of birds, reptiles and mammals that have called the South Carolina Lowcountry home since prehistory, including contributions from noted naturalists. In the Historic Textiles Gallery, the Museum features regularly rotating exhibits from its rich historic textiles and clothing collection, one of the finest in the southeastern United States.
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Step Inside Our History The William Aiken House
William Aiken built 456 King Street was built around 1810 in the Adam style, or Federal style as it is known in the United States. This is a large property with its octagonal section added around 1831. In 1827, the idea of a South Carolina railroad was born in a meeting at this house.
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Sweeping ballrooms, lush private grounds, and open-air piazzas make this historic mansion one of Charleston’s most sought-after venues for weddings. The city of Charleston, full of history and romance, has such a precious charm to it. This is a perfect city to get married in, especially at the William Aiken House. This historic 1807 mansion is full of 19th-century allure and modern sophistication. This wedding venue is sweeping ballrooms, lush private grounds, open-air piazzas, formal dining rooms and a few parlors.
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The Lower Ballroom features teal and gold chandeliers and windows that double as doors to the outer terrace. Other options for smaller weddings are the Front Lawn (80 seated guests) and the Carriage House Lot (96 seated guests). Whether you choose to get married under the elegant pergola (my personal favorite) or in front of the Carriage House, your guests will always remember your beautiful wedding ceremony! The private gardens and courtyards of the William Aiken House provide an intimate feel even though you are steps away from Upper King Street. Inside, the home is just as impressive, although slightly eerie, as although the exterior fits in perfectly with the impressively pristine downtown buildings, unlike other historical homes, the inside has not been restored.
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This location seats 160 guests and features large, paved outdoor areas with pictures showcasing some couples using the large white tent to cover the area. The Upper-Level Ballroom and Lower Level Ballroom are also great options. The Upper Ballroom features a coral and gold color scheme, chandeliers, and a fireplace.
Is dedicated to bringing locals and visitors the highest quality content related to the cities we feature. Our goal is to provide viewers the best of the best so that you can find the information you need when you need it. When William Aiken, Jr. passed away in 1877, followed a few years later by his wife in 1892, the home was passed on to their daughter and her husband, Major A.B. Rhett, who together raised four sons in the fine Charleston home. Subsequent generations would continue to live at the house until it was sold to the The Charleston Museum and officially opened to the public, for the first time, as a museum house in 1975.
When you’re on the William Aiken House property, you can take advantage of many locations on-site for your ceremony and reception. For a ceremony site, you can choose to say your “I dos” at the Fountain Ceremony Site. This space is outdoors and features an elegant pergola and a reflection pool. The front lawn is also a popular location to host your ceremony as it can seat 200 guests, so it’s perfect for large weddings.
Their home grew in splendor as William and his wife travelled abroad and collected fine art and furnishings - with many pieces later donated to a new art gallery that William commissioned himself. Washington Square and Meeting Street visitors are encouraged to take a minute's stroll over to Elizabeth Street to admire the Governor William Aiken House, also known as the Aiken-Rhett House. The sprawling home is a treasure in Charleston, and holds a lot of distinction in an already diverse town that is positively steeped in history. "This is definitely the exact kind of house where you would dream," Gambino said in an interview with USA TODAY. "It's a very special house where people immediately get, you know, emotionally connected when they're there."
Vastly expanded by Governor and Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. in the 1830s and again in the 1850s, the house and its outbuildings include a kitchen, the original slave quarters, carriage block and back lot. The house and its surviving furnishings offer a compelling portrait of urban life in antebellum Charleston, as well as a Southern politician, slaveholder and industrialist. The house spent 142 years in the Aiken family's hands before being sold to the Charleston Museum and opened as a museum house in 1975.

The balconies can be used for high-top cocktail tables, and the upper wraparound terrace is also great for cocktail hour. The grand home was first envisioned by an up-and-coming local merchant, John Robinson, who built the home in 1820 as a typical "Charleston double house" with a central hallway, and two suites of rooms located on either side. Robinson's luck turned shortly after construction was complete, however, and after losing five ships at sea, he was forced to sell the house in 1827 to another Charleston local, William Aiken, Sr. Designed by LA architect William King and built in 1982, the listing comes with several gathering spaces in and around the home, with charming gardens, a wraparound deck and a garage that could be used as studio space. Surrounded by 14 acres of live oak groves and peaceful river views, downtown Charleston's last great waterfront estate has enchanted visitors to this idyllic setting for more than four centuries.
By 1828, the South Carolina Legislature had chartered the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company (SCC&RR), and Aiken was elected the first president of that railroad. The property behind 456 King Street was developed as part of the railroad complex in Charleston, and several of these properties are listed with 456 King as being a National Historic Landmark. They’d tell you a compelling tale of urban life in antebellum Charleston through the eyes of the powerful and wealthy Governor and Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. and the enslaved Africans who maintained their house, property, and way of life. The expansive outdoor covered piazzas are garden-like areas perfect for smaller events like cocktail hours.
The staff, including Rachel, Becky, and Erin, are described as accommodating, helpful, and professional. The venue is commended for its stunning outdoor spaces, including the front lawn area and upstairs piazza, as well as its unique features like the bluestone dance floor. Guests were impressed with the quality of the catering and the overall experience at the venue. The two-bed, two-bath home sits on a quarter-acre lot, and Putman boasted the gardens and terraces as a draw for potential buyers. Plus, it has a great view of the city, she said, making it the ultimate LA outdoor space. For reception spaces at the William Aiken House, you can hold your reception in Oyster Tabby Terrace.
Slave quarters and stables are located out back in a large but simple two story building, and while the garden can be a delight with well-tended blooms, the home itself looks like it has been all but abandoned. The only restored room in the house, the art gallery, showcases paintings and sculpture the Aiken family acquired on their European Grand Tour. A seamless blend of 19th-century allure and modern sophistication, the William Aiken House welcomes guests into a peaceful retreat just inside its gates on Upper King Street. Formal dining rooms and parlors showcase a collection of museum-caliber artwork and antiques, while a two-century-old magnolia tree is the centerpiece of sunlit courtyards and manicured lawns, an elegant pergola, and a Gothic-style Carriage House. The Red Room at the William Aiken House is a beautiful space for the bride + bridesmaids to get ready on the wedding day, providing plenty of room for everyone and amazing natural light! I usually recommend having the groom + groomsmen arrive at the venue before the First Look and finish getting ready downstairs in the Green Room for a cohesive look in your full gallery of images.
If you need a place to get ready for your day, there aren’t any rooms explicitly listed as bride and groom suites at the William Aiken House. We're made up of a team of professionals with years of experience and unique local knowledge. Formal dining rooms and parlors showcase a collection of museum-caliber artwork and antiques.
Martha Stewart Weddings and BRIDES magazine named The William Aiken House the premier wedding venue in the state of South Carolina. Gambino said the Glassell Park area where the home is located is popular among artists, musicians and actors. Many people who fit the bill have come to see the house, but it has also attracted a wider range of potential buyers like a chef who would use it entertain, and other business people who are interested in the home as a piece of art.
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