Harborside East Reviews

Our experience with Harborside East was absolutely fantastic. Planning a destination wedding from out of town could have been stressful, but the team made everything so easy. They were responsive, helpful, and even gave us a video tour of the space early on, which was such a thoughtful touch.

The venue itself exceeded all expectations. The setting is truly immaculate—right on the water with an unbeatable view of the bridge, harbor, and a perfect sunset. The ceremony lawn was stunning, and the entire space was visually gorgeous.

On the day of, everything was seamless. All the furniture was set up before our vendors arrived, and there was more than enough to accommodate our 125 guests comfortably. The view alone was worth every penny. We couldn’t recommend Harborside East more highly for anyone dreaming of a beautiful waterfront wedding.

We LOVED having our wedding at Harborside East! They were so responsive and made planning an ease! Our planner had a great relationship with them and everything went so smoothly! I am soooo glad we chose this venue!

The best venue in Charleston! Indoor/outdoor options mean you don't have to worry about weather. The view of the harbor and bridge, the landscaping, and the giant pavilion for guests to enjoy their time outside is unmatched. Our guests had the best time and the photos of our wedding here are gorgeous!

When we started visiting venues, Harborside was the second place we saw. Both my now husband and I were in love with it. We crunched our numbers and Harborside definitely came out in top with what we wanted to spend on a venue. We got married there as well and I love that you can choose three different spots on the property to get married. We ended up doing the ceremony on the patio because the view of the bridge is too gorgeous to pass up. You will get the most beautiful sunset pictures by the water, the bridge, and the gardens around it. The reception hall is unbeatable if you’re going for a vintage/prohibition feel. We didn’t have to decorate all that much because the space is perfect as is. Chelsea was also so helpful and responsive with all of our questions. When we wanted to hold our date with her, our original date was already on hold. But she gave us two hold contracts for the date we wanted and our second date choice, I’m so grateful, because the couple that had the date we wanted decided not to book, and we were able to jump on the date we wanted immediately!!

This venue is worth every single dollar spent. I specifically chose this one for the covered patio incase of rain. Luckily I did because of course it rained. The venue is absolutely stunning and does not need decoration. Everybody raved about it and the beautiful views of the Charleston Harbor. Chelsea was an absolute gem to work with. She was so attentive and answered all of my many questions. Thank you so much!

I loved this venue! You can't find better views in Charleston. My photographer was able to capture views of the Ravanel and the Yorktown in all the ceremony photos. The HUGE patio was perfect for cocktail hour and the indoor space was beautiful.

This venue was absolutely perfect! The inside is so lovely that it took very little decorating to make it look magical. However, the most incredible part of this venue is that it you get BOTH the elegant & classy inside space while also getting a scenic & breathtaking outdoor space. It is the perfect inside/outside venue. The temperature for our June wedding was in the 90's, but the breeze off of the bay helped our guests feel cool. Even though we always had the option of going inside to take refuge from the heat, the majority of the night was spend enjoying the beautiful view & the amazing patio. Highly recommend this venue!

Could not have found a better venue for our big day! The space is phenomenal from the multiple ceremony sights, to the outside bar where we had cocktail hour, to the indoor reception space. There is no shortage of great areas for photos and the patio overlooking the harbor was exactly what I wanted for our ceremony. The staff here are great and professional and the newly renovated bridal suite was spectacular. Having the tables, chairs, high top bars, and more as furniture included really helped us to cut down on the cost of rentals and gave us some extra flexibility in the budget to add some more special touches to our day.

The venue doesn’t need any help, it’s so magically beautiful that it doesn’t need much decorations. A one stop shop for any party, wedding or gathering, it will hold and please all that come! Thank you Chelsea for being so awesome!!

Harborside East is a beautiful venue and was definitely worth every penny for both the ceremony and reception. We used the larger lawn to the left of the building for the ceremony and then the inside/outside part of the venue for the reception. We lucked out with great weather and got wonderful compliments about the setup and location of the wedding.

Harborside East is extremely beautiful and cost efficient. The team is very responsive and accommodating. They make sure you're comfortable with the space before and during your event. This is a great way to get beautiful pictures near the bridge as well as extensive space to host your event. This was the perfect venue for my wedding ceremony and reception.

Stunning views!!! This venue doesn't require a lot of "filler" decoration because it provides it's own scenery. One site for ceremony and reception so that guests don't have to worry about driving. Plenty of parking. Chelsea was so helpful and was glad to give recommendations that were of the upmost quality! Being out of town and planning a wedding, this was the biggest help! Chairs and tables, large kitchen if needed, large bar area all available for you to use. Gorgeous!

My husband and I looked at numerous wedding venues, but as soon as we walked into Harborside East we knew it was the one. We were planning a destination wedding and really wanted to find a venue that would "wow" our guests. Harborside East is so beautiful inside and outside, and I am so happy that we were able to have our wedding here. We loved that the venue is right on the water and has a gorgeous view of the Arthur Ravenel bridge. We loved the venue so much that we wanted to make sure we utilized every part of it. We had our ceremony on the lawn, cocktail hour on the outdoor terrace, and our dinner and reception inside. It was close to 90 degrees on the day of our wedding, but the breeze from the water made it completely comfortable. Our guests loved the venue and are still raving about how great it was. Not only is Harborside East beautiful, but it is also a great deal, and everyone that works there is wonderful. Chelsea is so sweet and helpful. She was really a joy to work with. My husband and I would highly recommend Harborside East to everyone looking for a great wedding venue!

The site was beautiful and exactly what we wanted. The views are incredible and it is really a unique venue in Charleston. We were very happy with how everything turned out!

A beautiful and unique event space in Mt. Pleasant! Our Hindu and Jewish wedding ceremonies were on the lawn and our reception held indoors. The venue is much bigger feeling than the website's floorplan perceives. The patio held all of our guests for dinner with a buffet setup indoors. Management was responsive and attentive to our needs. The exception was their representative the actual night of the event. Our main contact person was out on maternity leave and her replacement was not the easiest person to work with.

I am so happy with our decision to get married here! The venue is absolutely beautiful and Chelsea was wonderful to work with. Our wedding was on the 4th of July, and the harborfront view of the fireworks was unbelievable. The tables and chairs were included in the rental fee, and they were flexible with accommodating our hours and rehearsal request. I highly recommend this beautiful setting for your event!

Event space was everything I wanted. We wanted an outside wedding and there were 5 different lawn spaces to choose from.

This site made a beautiful reception for us. It was spacious, gave us protection from the rain but also allowed for us to be outdoors, and the sights made beautiful pictures. We Loved it!

Harborside East was the frame for my Vow Renewal, and all the family and friends inside made the picture. It was truly an elegant night, themed Great Gatsby-esque and the venue was the focal point. Beautiful interior, large windows, dark hard wood, marble floors, spacious covered patio, large uncovered outdoor space, and beautiful landscaping and outdoor spots for breathtaking photos with the Ravenal Bridge in the backdrop. Harborside East is right on the water, minutes from downtown and a perfect space for any event. My husband and I fell in love with it online before even seeing it. After 1 trip prior to the renewal, we knew Chelsea and Harborside East were the venue for us. Thanks so much Chelsea for all of your assistance...and even letting us in the day prior to rehearse our first dance ;)

Creek Club Beverage Catering at Harborside East was also fantastic. Chauncey and her team ensured all glasses were always filled! :) The tiered packages can meet any budget's need. We chose the Gold package and the selection was awesome. The staff effortlessly manned 2 bars and all of my guests had an incredible time. I know I had some last minute # changes...so thanks Chauncey for your flexibility and support. We really had the "A Team" of vendors!!

Harborside East was a FANTASTIC venue for my April wedding. It was the best of both worlds: the outdoor splendor of the Charleston harbor and the indoor convenience of a great dancefloor and modern convenience. There was plenty of room for my 200 guests. Our POC at Harborside East was super easy to work with as was the Bar POC. The set up was fantastic and guests got to dance inside with the band - or enjoy the stars on the patio. I'm so glad I got married at Harborside East!

Harborside East was easily the best decision I made for my wedding. It is beautiful (which means I didn't have to fill it with flowers and decor), Chelsea was so easy to work with and was very accommodating and helpful. My guests kept commenting on how gorgeous the wedding was. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about them. They have their own tables and chairs for you to use so your rental budget stays low. You do have to use their specified vendor for bar service, but they did a phenomenal job, as well, so no complaints. I would recommend Harborside East to any couple looking for their perfect venue.

I was recently married at Harborside East and could not say enough good things about this venue and the coordinator, Chelsea. We planned to have our ceremony on one of the lawns, and the reception at the outdoor/indoor parts of the space. At the last minute we had to rent a tent due to the weather forecast and move our ceremony up to the deck. Even with a tent, the entire space was so gorgeous and the guests were raving about the space. We had about 120 people and this spot is so wonderful for a nice, open area for everyone to visit. The view is also one of the best in Charleston, overlooking the harbor and historic Charleston. Chelsea was amazing to work with from beginning to end. We searched for a bit 14 months before our April wedding and had a lot of trouble finding anywhere with availability, and then we stumbled upon Harborside East. I emailed Chelsea that night and she responded to me, on a Saturday night, and set us up with a meeting immediately on Monday and we booked the space. The only negative part of the venue is that you are required to use Creek Club Catering for the bar service, which I had a very difficult time communicating with. They were great on the actual wedding day, but unfortunately their owner, Mike Russo, is the most unprofessional person I have ever worked with and was extremely rude to me based on an error that one of his employees made. Just be sure to have Chelsea or your wedding planner work directly with Creek Club so that you don't have to work with them yourself. Otherwise, great experience!

Love this venue but if you're tired of reading how pretty it is know this:

1. BRING A FAN! (or two) The bridal room gets hot fast with 8+ girls shoved in. It's honestly a 20 degree difference from inside the room to outside. Same for the guys. Our guys were in the walk-in cooler to keep from sweating. See wedding date... it doesn't matter what time of year. Bring a fan.

2. It's windy. Do not buy linens for outside.
OMG SO WINDY. You cannot control this but know there is no point of having linens and a long veil may be iffy. You're right on the water. Wind is always going to be there. Get flameless candles for outside too. Your candles will just blow out or your linens will blow on top of the flame and catch fire... seriously.

3. The grass never dries/always soggy
It rained on Monday and Tuesday, our wedding was a Saturday and the grass was still muddy and mush. We took pictures out there but everyone was sinking.

BESIDES THOSE THREE THINGS:

It's a gorgeous blank canvas of a venue. Honestly it was gorgeous. I can't get over it. We were married on the pavilion and were so glad!
Plus you can have your ceremony so that the building is not in the pictures! See our blog here: http://dreampop.tv/dreampop-blog/2014/10/24/charleston-wedding-harborside-east-lauren-dana

It's worth the money.

Harborside East is a gem of a venue. It provides such flexibility for ceremony and reception, rain or shine! We were fortunate with the weather for my daughter's wedding, but we were relieved to know we had a rain plan with the covered patio area. Between the skyline view of Charleston, the Ravenel bridge and the Yorktown, the backdrop is absolutely breathtaking. Not to mention a sunset ! Chelsea is the absolute best to work with at Harborside East. The entire venue is so pretty that you do not need much decor or you can tastefully embellish the overall venue. A wonderful vallue, a wonderful staff and a wonderful venue!
Patrice B

This venue is beautiful and easy to work with! Although I did not hold my ceremony here, my reception was absolutely breathtaking and we received comments all night on how beautiful and unique the venue was.

There is plenty of space, an amazing view, and a huge bar and inside area to enjoy as well. We thoroughly enjoyed each aspect of Harborside East and would highly recommend it to another couple.

I full recommend this venue if you are having a sizable wedding. Its a large indoor outdoor space so if you don't have a lot of people it could feel a little empty.
I choose it because of its view (great sunsets!), size, natural decor and because if it rained I wouldn't have to freak out. I originally planned on a lawn ceremony followed by sunset-cocktail hour on the porch with the dance party inside. Unfortunately, it did rain and it was very easy to implement a back up plan that was just as gorgeous and didn't ruin my day at all!
Amanda was extremely nice and I always heard back from her within 24 hours. She also let my coordinator come set up some of the wedding as they did not have an event the prior Friday which saved a lot of time and stress when the rain storms hit.

I could not have imagined a better place for our wedding reception!! Harborside East is stunning inside and out, and has the best view of the peninsula you could ever imagine. It needs little decoration to make it look amazing; they have several marble tables and chairs inside available, and more than enough iron tables and chairs outside to accommodate guests. The dark wood, brushed steel, chandeliers, and frescoes give the inside such a warm feeling. Lindy is so sweet and great to work with, that the quality of service and value of Harborside East combined truly make it one of Charleston's TOP venues. (Pictures of our wedding at HE can be found here: http://landonjacob.com/13674/)

Everything was wonderful! The Harborside East venue is lovely with amazing views of Charleston harbor, the Yorktown, and the harbor bridge. The indoor and outdoor terrace space suited our needs completely. The beautiful sunset was an added blessing. The property manager, Lindy treated us professionally and with thoughtful care.

The view of the harbor was awesome. The venue is so pretty little decorations were needed. It even came with tables and chairs!:

Lindy was very professional and helpful!! She helped our event be such a success!

Beautiful place and easy to work with. Perfect place if you want a place that offers inside and outside space. Guests commented for months about the view!

I consider myself lucky to have found Harborside East for my wedding! The morning that my mom and I were going to meet with our wedding planner, my mom found something online for Harborside East. They had literally just opened (formerly 28 Bridgeside). We went by after not loving any of the other venues and it was just perfect. The view is breath taking and the inside is just beautiful. There is a very large patio outside and even in July we had guests out there, the breeze was so nice! There is a few areas outside for a ceremony, but being in July, we had an indoor ceremony at a church. We did go outside to take pictures at sunset with the bridge in the back ground. There is also a bridal suite, which was nice to put our bags and to change shoes, etc.

Lindy was great to work with and the price was much better than most locations in Charleston. You can also use your own caterer and bartending service, which was a plus for us! I would hands down say this is the best venue in Charleston for a wedding or reception! I predict it's going to be a popular venue very soon!

Harborside East was the perfect venue for my daughter's wedding! We consider ourselves lucky to have found this location. The facility was beautiful, clean, perfect location with a wonderful view on the harbor and the staff was wonderful to work with. Anyone who is considering any type of reception should jump at the opportunity to reserve Harborside East!!

Harborside East was the perfect setting for our wedding. Lindy was incredibly helpful and flexible. Everything about the experience here was superb!

I can not say enough good things about Harborside East and their wonderful coordinator, Lindy. Here's my story- about 10 days before my wedding, due to unforeseen events, I had to change venues. Any bride can empathize with that added stress. It's hard enough to plan a wedding on your own, much less have a venue change the week before, in Charleston. Thankfully, Harborside East was available for our big day. It was a newly renovated venue that I didn't know much about, which initially made me skeptical. After visiting it and meeting the always pleasant and helpful Lindy, all my expecations were surpassed. We were on a time crunch so Lindy allowed us to come up almost every other day the week before, store decorations, start preparations and begin seeing my wedding dreams become a reality. All the stress I felt from the previous venue and planning had been wiped away as soon as I switched the venue to Harborside East. If Lindy's kindness, professsionalism and flexibility weren't enough, the venue sells itself. Located across the harbor from downtown Charleston, with the beautiful bridge on one side and the Yorktown on the other, the location could not get any more "Charleston-esque" if it tried. On top of that, it's got several options to hold a ceremony- a smaller, more intimate lawn, surrounded by Palmetto trees with the bridge in the background or a bigger one, beautifully landscaped, with the Yorktown behind it. You can even get married on it's expansive porch, with downtown's many chapels behind you. Then, for the reception, you have this gorgeous building that looks like some pub/restaurant out of the 1940's mixed with sheer elegance and refinement thanks to all the marble tables, staineless-steel bar, leather chairs, and light-fixtures. You have to see this place to grasp it's bountiful beauty. I have nothing but positive things to say about its staff, the location and the building. I believe this will become one of THE spots to have a Charleston wedding- and if you want to be a part of that exclusive club- you should call Harborside East today! And no, I do not work for them, nor am I getting paid to say these things haha my experience was just that great with the venue and of course, with Lindy!

Harborside East was the PERFECT venue to have our wedding ceremony and reception!!! It is right on the Charleston Harbor with a gorgeous view and great breeze. We had 250 people at our ceremony and they fit perfectly in the ceremony area. The lawn is manicured to perfection and has several beautiful palm trees. The Charleston Harbor and impeccable landscaping made for amazing photos! There is also plenty of parking which is a huge plus! The reception area is right upstairs which is really nice. There is an inside area and an outside patio which is partially covered. The set-up is spectacular! We tented the outside area of the patio which was really nice.

The price was very reasonable (especially compared to other places in town) and you can use your own caterer and bar service which is great! The building manager, Lindy, is very helpful. I only have wonderful things to say about this venue. If you have your wedding events here you will be more than impressed.

Lindy Shealy is a dream to work with! I have coordinated many events, and working with Lindy was one of the best experiences to date. And the location is stunning - you can't find a better view & venue. I highly recommend Harborside East for your next event!

We got very lucky to have our Wedding at Harborside on one of the most beautiful days in November. Even it the weather had not been on our side, this venue offers enough flexibility that our wedding would have still been a success if we had to readjust to accommodate a bad weather situation.

Beautiful blank canvas. The beauty of this venue is you can go as simple or as extravagant as you'd like. This is definitely more of a contemporary venue (I don't picture burlap when I see this place)- although I'm SURE it would be beautiful, it just doesn't have that cozy feeling.
It was Perfect for us and fit our personalities so well.

We had our ceremony on the lawn that looks towards the bridge and the day of was breathtaking. We had our cocktail hour on the patio, just as the sun was setting… it was perfection. This space has a great 'rain' option- you can close the canopy on the patio to make a long isle. Having an outdoor ceremony always leaves you on edge about the weather, but when I saw the back up plan, I had no doubts that either way it was going to be comfortable for my guests. We hosted 130 people VERY comfortably, we could've had another 100 and I think it would have been just as great and not too crowded.

We did all of our getting ready pictures with the photog before we got there because there is not a 'huge' bridal suite like most other venues and it worked just fine for us!

I would recommend this venue to a bride with the ability to work with a blank canvas, because there is a LOT of space to 'decorate' or make purposeful. the view is what did it for us.

Other Pros:
Plenty of Parking
Nice Restrooms
BIG bar
Contemporary feel
Indoor/Outdoor option for guests
You can pick your vendors!
Great communication

This venue was great for the price. They did include some tables and chairs. It's beautiful inside and out. It is the only venue we toured that had a built in rain plan.

April 21st 2013. This venue was amazing. I booked it before I ever seen it in person and when I actually seen it in person its was everything I expected and more. There is so much detail and beauty in the space that not to much decor is needed. It has a gorgeous view of the bridge and the USS Northtown Aircraft carrier. Harborside had a few different locations on site to have the ceremony. My wedding planner had told me from the beginning that it can get rather windy on the patio area, and well I think that day for us was exceptionally windy!!! We couldnt put down table cloths, but the wrought iron tables and chairs that are provided by the venue were good enough without needing the linens. The main reason we chose Harborside East, especially from afar was the fact we could bring in our own beer. We are into craft beer and it was a craft beer themed wedding so it made it that much more special to have those local beers on tap. We did have to hire someone who was a licensed bartender but it was totally worth it to have the good beer! We also bought our own wine at a local store in North Carolina - Total Wine - Not sure if they have those in SC. The staff at Harborside East could have been a little more pleasant to work with, but in the end it wasnt to bad. They were going through some management changes at the time and it was hard to have good communication about some issues that I had. My wedding planner Maryann Hoyt was amazing and knew the venue well. She helped make the entire experience so amazing! There is a staging area for the Bride and her entourage for about 30min-1hr before the ceremony starts. Its has a full kitchen that you can pick whichever caterer you wish. I went with someone that Maryann suggested - Todd Mazurek. He had amazing food and greatly priced for the service and the area. Overall this place was exactly what I had in mind and helped make our special night one to remember. - Dr & Mrs. G

Harborside East is situated on the Cooper River and has elegant interior decor, and they provide nice tables and chairs, so you don't have to rent any. The staff is very helpful and responsive to all questions. All of our guests really enjoyed the reception; however the following things could use improvement:
1) the building's wedding venue entrance is hard to find and it looks run down - signage is needed to direct guests to the correct entrance and paint is needed on rusty poles (First impressions are important!)
2) more frequent power washing of hardscape surfaces would help make the entryway more fresh and attractive. (First Impressions are important)
3) The beautiful view of the Cooper River is somewhat obscured by overgrown shrubs and trees that need trimming.
4) the restrooms are really plain and bare and need a little sprucing up to make them match the elegant venue.
5) the L-shape of the interior space is problematic for setting up; it is impossible to arrange things so that everyone can see the various events (cake cutting, first dance, etc.) This would be improved by moving the patio doors to the tip of the "L", so that the corner of the L-shaped room could be used as the dance floor space, and could be seen from both sides of the room. Currently the door is in the corner of the L-shaped room, and that area must be clear for entry/exit.
6) Additionally the venue is quite expensive and includes two hidden costs that surprised us. First there is an "impact fee" that is 10% of the total catering and bar costs; this is a big fee ($876 in our case) in addition to all regular taxes and tips; and second, renters are required to obtain a special insurance policy.

They are very strict about when you have to be in and out which did not give my people a lot of time to get everything ready. That being said the views on the back deck are amazing! There is a pretty good breeze which helped to keep it cool!

Beautiful venue! They make you pay another $500 to use the grass lawn which has ugly bushes and is missing grass. It does have a beautiful shot of the harbor behind it and the bridge, but I thought they lawn could have been taken care of better. It's just scary to book a whole year out without knowing what condition it will be kept in. The rest of the venue is just perfect for weddings and I really liked almost everything about it, but still a little pricey. They had a change in management and I was originally told set up could begin at 9:00 and then was told I had to stick to an 8 hour event and setup could begin at 3:00. After some negotiations we were able to get in at noon, but still thought I should have been guaranteed what was initially discussed. I loved that I could choose my own catering company and bar service. I had to pay to move the wrought iron tables and chairs that are on the patio. If you choose this venue just realize you will be outsourcing everything...they do not provide anything but the venue and what is inside. Very nice layout for a wedding, love the location, and huge outdoor patio.