Middleton Place Reviews

If we got married one million more times, we would pick Middleton Place every time. Middleton Place is as close to a PERFECT venue as is physically possible. It is absolutely breathtaking, both the natural beauty and the physical structures and manicured gardens. The food was incredible, they made some small adjustments in the menu for us and our guests RAVE about the food. The sheep were perhaps the biggest hit, such a unique element that people absolutely adored. Middleton is worth every penny we spent.

Our wedding at Middleton Place in September was just perfect. All the staff and our event planner were just amazing and so helpful. Gorgeous and historical venue for sure. They have beautiful gardens for people to walk around and see as well as a museum. And of course the most important thing was the food was awsome! Highly recommend!

My daughter's wedding was held at Middleton Place. We live in Charleston and know a lot about the area. Our daughter grew up here. Still, we were very careful to choose the right venue since there are a lot of options in Charleston. Middleton Place turned out to be the perfect choice. It is truly a historical gem. It is natural and beautiful. Visually, the setting is just spectacular. The Middleton Restaurant is an outstanding restaurant and provides the food and beverage service.
We visited over a dozen of the best local venues and decided on Middleton because of the venue options, and the skill of the Middleton special event manager, Emily Wilson. She didn't try to sell us on the venue, she let it sell itself. After we selected Middleton Place as our venue, Emily was with us and our wedding planner through the whole process. The planning process was complicated by the immergence of Covid 19. However Emily worked tirelessly with our wonderful wedding planner, Haley McCarrell from Willow and Oaks Events, through the constantly changing requirements and helped make the wedding a wonderful success. She was a real blessing. We couldn't have been more pleased with our choice of Middleton Place.

My daughter was married at Middleton Place in November, 2018 & it was absolute perfection. Darby was a gem, she always answered our questions & called us back promptly, she was always so cheerful and professional that it was such a pleasure to work with her. The staff during the tasting was phenomenal and the food was superb. We had the Ceremony at the Octagonal Gardens under the Oak Tree, Cocktail Hour at the Crane Pool & Reception at The Pavillion. The buffet included: She Crab Soup, Prime Rib, Pulled Pork Shoulder, Mac & Cheese, Bean Cassoulet, Wild Mushroom Risotto. Loved the Smoked Filet Mignon appetizers, it was all great. The bar and bartenders were exceptional. Best Wedding Ever !! Thank You Darby & Middleton Place. Also booked a room for the hair & make-up & we had a lovely time.

Middleton Place is wonderful!! Besides being a super gorgeous and amazing venue, all of the staff are complete gems and absolutely amazing. They go above and beyond to make sure your day is a special one and they really care about making sure the day goes smoothly and that you and your guests have a good time. And Middleton Place Catering is phenomenal as well!! It was an unforgettable experience for both us & our guests!!

All the employees @ Middleton Place are so nice & helpful. Sam, the wedding coordinator is superb. She spent a lot of her time helping to accommadate my wedding vision. This venue is both historical & aesthetically gorgeous!

Our daughter (the bride) is local to Charleston, so this was not a destination wedding for her (although it was for many of our guests). She visited several venues before deciding on Middleton Place for her fairy tale wedding. We absolutely could not have been more pleased! Many of the guests who attended the wedding said that it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever attended. We had 150 guests in attendance, the ceremony was in the Octagonal Garden overlooking the Ashley River, the cocktail hour was in the Sundial Garden and the reception was in the brand new Pavilion (ours was the first wedding there). We worked with Jessie and then Sam (both of whom were phenomenal and completely tuned in to our preferences), and the planning was easy thanks to our wedding planner Candice. The natural beauty of this venue is the draw --- it is spectacular at all times of the year. We didn't have a great rain plan, but carefully watched the forecast in the event that we would need to add tenting or relocate the ceremony and cocktail hour. Fortunately, we were able to proceed with all segments of the evening as planned and it couldn't have gone more smoothly. We were able to have our rehearsal on property the day before the wedding and our guests were given the privilege of visiting the grounds on the morning of the wedding. The food was delicious (provided by Middleton Place) and since we have several in our family with serious gluten allergies (including our daughter), the chef was most accommodating --- they just made EVERYTHING gluten-free. No one except those with allergies would ever have known. We chose a plated dinner with 3 options (beef, fish, pasta) and everything was cooked to perfection. The wait staff and bartenders were friendly and prompt - exactly what you would expect at this venue. Highly recommend this venue and the coordination team there!

Could not have possibly asked for a better wedding experience! My partner, Jeremy and I both love Charleston and we both love architecture. Upon seeing a Facebook post from a friend that visited The Inn at Middleton Place, our interests were peaked and we had to drive out to see this place for ourselves. When we got to The Inn, we just walked around and completely fell in love with the grounds. The hammocks hanging from the large trees with Spanish moss over looking the Ashley River provided a most serene backdrop. We decided to take a tour of the gardens and after our tour, we stopped into the restaurant for a drink and asked the bartender, "Do you ever hold weddings at the Inn rather than in the gardens?" When she said "yes," we were incredibly excited. She directed us to an Events Coordinator named Darby Poulos. We immediately fell in love with Darby. She was so considerate and genuine that we booked a date right then and there....two years in advance. Over the following two years, Darby kept us up to date on deadlines and she hosted our tasting for the menu. We were a little hesitant about having to use the catering from Middleton Place, but once we tasted the food, we were blown away. The she crab soup, shrimp and grits, both staples to the South Carolina Low Country, were the best we had ever tasted. We also opted for incredible appetizers (smoked filet mignon on crostini with pickled onion and avocado puree, fried oyster po-boys with Cholula aioli) and the side dishes (mac and cheese with sofrito, haricot vert and pomme puree) were all divine. Darby was able to accommodate all of our requests when it came to choosing the bar options as well. Darby was also able to provide us with a list of vendors including an incredible wedding planner, Lindsay Bishop. When it came down to the day everything was nothing short of perfect!! I just wish we could do it all over again!

free happy hour? yes please! gorgeous venue

We have worked with Mr. Potry and his staff for a few years now and they make our Prom better and better each year. They are so accomodating to the needs and crazy requests that our students make and we certainly appreciate it. Afterall, it is their night!

The Middleton Place was the perfect ceremony site for us. We had a small wedding of 20 guests and each person was in awe of the gardens. There is no way to have a bad photograph at Middle Place; every view is breathtaking and we chose to do a destination wedding in Charleston based on the beauty of this plantation. We worked with Drea and she was fantastic! Every question was answered promptly and thoroughly. Planning a DIY destination wedding required far more work than we anticipated; coordinating with Drea was the easiest part of our planning process.

Random word of reason...it's pricey...but EVERY Charleston SC venue is! We looked at historic buildings, plantations, private mansions, beach rentals, etc.....For the beauty and service, Middleton Place is worth every penny. Relatively speaking, the prices are reasonable and fair. Keep in mind that if you choose a Sunday or a weekday you could save a pretty penny....and if you have a few dates that you're debating between it might be wise to ask the Middleton Place (or any other chosen venue) about pricing for each date. We got lucky and our chosen date happened to be a Sunday, just before the beginning of peak season.

We also did our rehearsal dinner at the Middleton Place Restaurant; the food is delicious! This is a beautiful place and you really can't go wrong with using it for any event venue. The Middleton Place Inn is lovely and we rented two rooms (one for bridal party to dress and one for groom and guys). Coordinating with the Inn is not as easy as coordinating with the Plantation side....but in the end, it was worth getting the rooms at the Inn and we'd certainly recommend the Middleton Place Inn and Plantation to anyone looking for a wedding venue that has classic charm and timeless beauty with the space and opportunity to customize the look and feel of your chosen site.

This venue is beautiful! When you book your wedding day, you get use of all the grounds. We were able to have our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in different sites. You will also not have to worry about have three weddings on one day (like at a nearby venue). We did not hear a single complaint about the venue as all the guests said it was beautiful.

It is a little more of and expensive venue, however, with the booking you get many added values which makes it worth the extra cost. If you want a true southern plantation wedding, this is the spot to do it.

I had a truly wonderful experience at Middleton Place and highly recommend it for someone looking for a beautiful and charming wedding venue. Yes, there is no question that there are many beautiful wedding venue options in Charleston, and I toured all of them before selecting Middleton Place. The one thing that stood out about Middleton was their genuinely kind and helpful staff and the flexibility/endless possibilities that this venue offered compared to all of the others.

You should know that I had really high expectations, and I'm serious when I tell you they were ALL exceeded. Everything from the staff, the food and venue was top notch and all contributed to our outstanding experience.

The Special Group Services Manager, Samantha W., was so sweet, amazingly accommodating (especially with some of our unusual requests) and worked through every single detail with me and my wedding planner to ensure everything was on track, organized and set up for overall perfection the day of. The communication was very clear the entire time and Sam was always available to answer any questions and give us updates via email. She truly cares about you and your day and she will do everything in her power to make it perfect.

If you are still on the fence, just set up a tour with Samantha. I promise you will walk out of there wondering why you didn't secure this venue sooner!

All the food from the Hor d'oeuvres at cocktail hour to then main course for dinner were excellent. The portions were plentiful in size and there was more than enough for our guests.

The bartenders were very friendly and accommodating to all the guests. I don't remember there ever being a line after the initial start of the reception.

Oh how I loved getting married at Middleton Place! We have already decided that we will return each year for our honeymoon. It is that magical! This was a destination wedding and I cannot believe that I was even MORE enchanted than I thought I would be once I arrived at the venue. It is a one of kind experience and the staff that I worked with made it all happen seamlessly. We had stormy weather and moved the ceremony inside at the pavilion (where the reception was to be held) and it was gorgeous. I don't mind one bit that we moved inside. The pictures are stunning, the grounds and pavilion are beautiful, and the Inn is AMAZING.

We couldn't have picked a more beautiful location for our destination wedding! Middleton Place is one the most breathtaking landscapes, so it just seemed perfect to get married there. We had our ceremony in the Octagonal Garden, cocktail hour at the Rice Mill Pond, and ceremony in the Pavilion. It was perfect!

When my husband first took me our to Middleton Place on a date, I absolutely fell in love with the plantation, and I knew that this was where I wanted to marry the man of my life. When we started looking into booking Middleton, we were so happy with the friendliness and staff. We first met with Drew and Chris, who gave us a full tour of the gardens, giving us historical facts about the plantation, and suggestions for the wedding and reception sites. Once we booked the venue, I mostly worked with Chris Wittman throughout the process. Chris was WONDERFUL!! He was very prompt to respond to emails and phone calls, and even let me know when he would be out of town. He worked so well with all my questions and requests. He was absolutely fantastic to work with. And being the bride, with all the craziness of planning my own wedding, it was very refreshing to have someone so dependable. On the rehearsal day and actual wedding day, we worked with Drea Turpin. She was so helpful and knowledgable. She knew exactly what to do, where we should stand, where we shouldn't stand, and when to walk. I was very impressed with her professionalism and how easy she made my wedding day.
We got married on top of the parterre of the Butterfly Lakes. My husband told me that as he was waiting for me to walk down the aisle, he was talking to our wedding officiant about how beautiful it was. He said it was a place where God's creation of beauty and man's creation of beauty met one another. The wedding officiant said that a place where God and man meet is called a "thin place". I thought that description was absolutely perfect. It is a thin place, where you feel the breathe of God and the hands of man all around you. My wedding day could not have been more perfect.
I love all the staff at Middleton Place, and I would recommend any Charleston bride to seriously consider Middleton Place as a wedding venue. It is perfect.

My wedding on 9/10/11 at the Inn at Middleton Place was phenomenal. James and his whole staff are extremely professional and they took care of every need. Our wedding would not have gone as smoothly without their caring staff. The set up of the Inn is stunning and every guest was amazed by the beauty of the location and the conditions of the grounds. The food was excellent and was enjoyed by every guest. I would without hesitation offer up my highest recommendation for this wedding venue

We could not have asked for a more gorgeous and absolutely perfect setting for our wedding. They were going through some staff changes but at the end of the day we were always taken care of. People are still talking about how beautiful our location was. Thanks for a phenominal setting for our wedding!

Middleton Place offers so much for the money. I had one of the most beautiful weddings my guests had ever attended.

Both my ceremony and reception were held at Middleton Place in October 2008. My husband and I fell in love with it the first time we visited. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding location. There are several different ceremony options and the Pavilion is a great choice for a reception. We received so many compliments of people telling us how beautiful it was! We loved the carriage transporting guests from the ceremony site to the reception location. Megan who is a Sales Manager for Middleton weddings is excellent and guided us through every aspect of our Middleton wedding. What an amazing location for a wedding!

Very beautiful setting for a wedding and wonderful staff to work with as well. Our guests are still raving about the food!

My wife and I eloped at Middleton Place in October, and it was an absolutely breathtaking setting. The weather was beautiful, the grounds were well-manicured, and each one of the ceremony locations would have been a perfect spot (we decided on the Octagonal Garden). It was also nice having the inn and restaurant on the grounds, which made our stay that much more memorable. Also, our "payment" for the venue was actually a donation-in-kind to the non-profit Middleton Place Foundation, which goes to a good cause and gives us a membership for a year. All around a great experience!

It's a lovely venue, the catering was superb, food excellent and Darby was very pleasant to work with.
My only surprise was for the cost of the venue, $8000, they wouldn't replant annuals that died in an unexpected freeze 3 weeks prior in the octagonal garden where the ceremony was to be held. Had they spent $200 or so on that it would have been perfect.

I am a Charleston native and have dreamed of having my wedding at Middleton Place for years. I am fortunate to have a husband that is just as enamored with the location as I am. Even though we visited many other venues, Middleton was always, hands down, the favorite. We were drawn to Middleton for its picturesque views, beautiful gardens and sense of heritage and history. We also loved the fact that if we booked a wedding a Middleton, we would have the grounds to ourselves and our wedding guests with no other weddings scheduled on the same day. On our wedding day, there happened to be a couple eloping on the property, right where my husband and I were about to have our first look. (You’ll find her terrible review below). I hate the fact that her “highly rated elopement service” did not even sign a contract with Middleton and did not follow the proper procedure to ensure a stress free day for her. I am so grateful for Sam (Middleton Place event coordinator) and her team for removing the other wedding party so my first look was not ruined. Sam worked tirelessly to ensure I had a perfect day – I was not even aware of the mishap until after the wedding.
I also need to take a moment to mention the FOOD! I am a gluten free client and was thrilled to have a private tasting of the food we would enjoy on our wedding day (including gourmet GF macaroni and cheese!!). The chef was fantastic to work with and made sure I was sufficiently stuffed with delicious food on my wedding day!
One year later, my husband and I are still OVER THE MOON with our wedding a Middleton Place. Our family and friends still talk about how our wedding was the most beautiful weddings they have ever attended. We visited the restaurant for our one year anniversary dinner and were greeted with champagne for us and our family (compliments of Sam). We love this location, its history and its purpose, and will continue to support it for years to come!

Middleton Place was an absolute dream location for my wedding. While we had no control over the weather, we lucked out and had the most beautiful day and our guests were able to enjoy the gorgeous gardens and breathtaking views Middleton Place has to offer. Middleton Place is not cheap, but it's worth every penny!

The venue was beautiful. The only issue I had was the parking and bugs. There was no venue staff or signs to instruct for parking. The day of the wedding some of us that were in the wedding was advised to tell guest where to park. That was too late. There were a lot of insects while sitting in the chairs in the grass. The ground should have been treated.

We stayed at the INN because we are from Cincinnati. We planned our wedding long distance which was scary, but it turned out amazing. The geounds are absolutely breath taking, and were exactly what I was looking for to have that southern charm.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect place to have my wedding! The staff were so wonderful and catered to our every need. Tracy went above and beyond "renting the space". She was so helpful throughout the entire process. The reason everything went so wonderfully is b/c of their impeccable customer service. She really treated me and my family the way a bride should feel!

If I had any criticism it would be that the food was not great, but that is a minor detail in comparison to how wonderfully we were treated!

Middleton Place Plantation was the prettiest of alll the places that my husband and I looked at to get married. We changed our date with only seven weeks notice and they were able to fit us in which was great. Our ceremony was supposed to be outside, but it rained. We paided an arm and a leg for the ceremony to be outside as well as the cocktail hour. I understand that we could not get anything back for the venue, but I didn't think we should have to pay for the services we didn't use, such as the ceremony chair set up or the bar set up fee. The service during the meal was great and the food was very yummy.

I agree with Laura's post. In May/June of 2010 when I started getting details the package was one way but then Middleton changed their policy and had new contracts. Was not the simple/what we were looking for all in one deal. Thankfully Middleton Place hired an employee who knew what she was doing so in the end it worked out. A wedding planner was also needed because the new policies left out the help/support. Our planner really pulled it together for us. I feel management really needs to rethink their services so they can reduce the stress on their customers and make the experience more pleasant.

While the grounds are stunning at The Inn at Middleton Place, we hit several snags during and after our stay for our wedding.

The front desk mistakenly charged guests we had already paid for and the first few days of our honeymoon were spent trying to straighten everything out, even though we had been in communication about this for an entire year prior.

In trying to fix this, we were made to feel like we were an inconvenience and bothering them.

Also, the front desk neglected to hand out many of the welcome gifts for our guests at check-in, including my husband, the groom.

All in all, the grounds are breathtaking but I sincerely wish the staff were better trained to handle such special occasions

I fell in love with Middleton Place as it was the first venue that we saw. Every other place could not compare with my vision of my dream wedding. Unfortunately, experience of my wedding was far from being a dream. First, we purchased Chinese Sky lanterns to use as our sendoff which we had okayed with the property and Sam ahead of time. We learned, not from Middleton, but from my wedding planner, 3 days prior to my wedding that we would not be allowed to use them. Evidently, they had made the "rule" a month prior but failed to let us know. We had to pay extra money for a parking attendant that was not even present and we rented buses to transport guests anyways. We had wanted to rent rooms at the Middleton Inn and they claimed they were giving us a discount but when my fiancee called to see about the prices from what they quoted us, we learned that it was cheaper to book the rooms directly and not have a room block after all. It took them forever to get us the contract for the rooms and by that time, we had said enough was enough and found room blocks elsewhere. They were very poor with their communication to us as a paying and excited bride and bride's family. It is sad as it is a beautiful setting and has the potential to be a dream locale but I wouldn't recommend it with all the other venues in Charleston.

I worked with a private, highly rated elopement service to plan my Middleton place ceremony. The place is gorgeous but unfortunately Middleton’s treatment of our party made for a very nerve-wracking experience.
Immediately following our ceremony, my family was approached by the COO of Middleton and told we would need to stay out of the way of another bride who would be arriving within the hour. Our photographer, who has worked with Middleton before, said sure, we will do photos and move on.
When the COO approached us for the 3rd time to ask us to "move along", I finally stepped in and informed him that our coordinator had arranged prior permission to be there, to which he replied that he had no record of our booking. I knew at that point that something was very wrong, but he was apologetic, I gave him the names of our coordinators, and we finished our photos and went off to enjoy the rest of our night.
The next morning I was shocked to receive an alert that the Inn had charged my credit card $1800. I was told that they were passing along a fee for having had an “unauthorized event on their grounds.” This was done despite my coordinators having left messages immediately following the confusion during our ceremony, and without any conversation or warning from management.
Luckily my coordinator got right on the phone and had the charge removed, but the plantation claimed they had never received the multiple messages from our coordinators informing them about our elopement plans. The Inn had sent champagne to our room the day prior! They clearly knew we were getting married and I had told them twice what was planned.

Even if we had blatantly broken the rules, I would have expected a conversation with management before such a charge was placed. They clearly knew there was more to the story and yet made no effort to get to the bo

Middleton Place is one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever been in my life, and the pictures from my wedding turned out beautifully. However that being said I don't think I would host another party there. The help makes it very clear exactly what they do and do not do, and beyond that they wont budge one iota. The lady didnt even come to the rehersal or to the wedding itself to make sure everything went as planned. So while the gardens and location are breathtaking, in my personal experience I would not go back there to host anything else.

We did our ceremony at Middleton Place Plantation, and had our reception at the restaurant. Additionally, my bridal party and guests all stayed at Middleton Inn, so we worked with them quite extensively. The plantation is beautiful. No doubt, it will make for a beautiful event and photos. However, the event staff for Middleton Place, while generally polite, could not have been more disorganized and unhelpful. My wedding was double-booked and required our out-of-town wedding date to be changed (along with all our guests travel!). While there was some financial compensation for this mistake, it didn't begin to make up for the inconvenience. I had to mention items many times before they were documented correctly. For example, I believe they sent me the wedding contract 5 times in one day before they got the pricing and details to match what we had previously discussed through email and on the phone. I had to keep mentioning the same items over and over again. It took SO much effort to constantly make sure they were on top of things. And even still, on the day of our wedding the event coordinator was no where on site, which kept her from answering to all the errors and miscommunications between her and the staff. For example, the vegetarian entrees I selected were never offered for our vegetarian guests. And when a guest asked about it, she was given a plate of cooked vegetables. In our private dining room, promised decor updates were never done and they were completely inflexible about allowing us to remove oil paintings on the walls that were not our taste. Instead, we had to hire an outside company last minute to hang curtains over the walls to keep the paintings from being a focal point in our wedding photos. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. There were many mistakes and irritations big and small. All this said, the people we interacted with on the DAY of the wedding were very polite, helpful, and seemed to genuinely care. There were efforts made to make us happy that helped to balance out the negatives as well. We loved our wedding and have no regrets, but if you plan to use Middleton Place, be prepared to do a lot of extra work dealing with the mistakes and lack of care.

My husband and I were quite specific and clear about the kind of wedding we wanted to do. In our initial meeting, we had a list of things we wanted to do and mentioned them. We wanted an outdoor dinner party feel. I thought that if any of these things were an absolutely-can't-do-it, the planner would mention it at that point. After going through several different options of where and how, she finally explained to me that there were no available power sources or bathroom facilities except in one location. It was the pavillion we saw the first day, when I clearly stated, "I hate this room. The ceiling is too low. And we want to do this outdoors."

There were also several conversations where the planner kept insisting that I should use round tables "because they were more elegant." This was after I had said I wanted rectangular tables because I happen to like them more.

When my mother got the bill, she had to call to have a number of incorrect charges removed or revised. In her conversation with the planner, she found out that ours was the first wedding she had done on her own-without the more experienced head planner. I wish I had asked for more background information on her, or maybe just called the other planner in my frustration to see what could be done.

In the end, the guests enjoyed it. But getting it done was difficult for me. And it wasn't at all what I wanted.

Middleton is a beautiful setting and your pictures will truly be unforgettable. With several gardens to choose from to host your wedding ceremony, you really can’t go wrong. Well not until you actually book the venue…
The horror is hidden behind the venue staff and the lack of customer service skills throughout the wedding process. Middleton does not care that you paid $2,500 to book their venue, nor do they care that you will be paying them for the food and drinks. After sending emails back and forth regarding the contract, set up, services, etc… Drea Turpin, our contact, was completely UNAVAILABLE. Emails were ignored or lost, calls were not returned and when frustration was expressed to her, she could only reply that she was not a wedding planner. She is not a wedding planner but she is the venue coordinator. It is rightfully expected that after paying that kind of money for mere lawn chairs and a room to rent for a few hours, that she could try to put some effort into customer service. All questions were directly related to the venue and perhaps she needs trained better to understand the expectations of her position.
Additionally, the Inn also provided terrible customer service. Middleton advertises that bridal parties can reserve a block and that it is a great place to spend a newlyweds fist night. The grounds are beautiful and the rooms are unique and breathtaking with their nature beauty. However, they are a separate entity and they make that clear as they are not willing to help accommodate wedding couples, AT ALL! After inquiring about an early check in for the day of the wedding (11:00 am), we were told that it wouldn’t be possible. The plans were to get ready in the room since it was on site. Only after escalating to management were we able to check in, if a room was available. They told us that if we wanted to guarantee early check in, that we should book another entire night the day before the wedding.

For most of the planning portion of my wedding I regretting my decision to have my wedding at Middleton Place. It started after the person I had booked with left and then the rules began changing and new contracts were attempted to be forced onto me, which were not in my contract and thankfully my father is an attorney and stood up for me. It was virtually impossible to get in touch with my contact there and she was extremely rude when she would get back in touch with me. I am an easy person to get along with but it got to the point where I refused to talk to them and would only communicate through my planner or my mother.
Middleton Place is absolutely beautiful but I would rethink having my wedding there because of the staff....

For many couples, venue selection is one of the most difficult decisions to make. I consider myself quite fortunate that I knew from a young age that I wanted to be married here. I am even more fortunate that my groom agreed with and that my father bent over backward to make my dream a reality.

Unfortunately, the policies and staff at Middleton Place made planning a rather unpleasant experience. They are very clear about what they will and won't do and there is no flexibility whatever. Additionally, they charge what I consider to be outrageous premiums for the few things that they ARE willing to do - between MULTIPLE site venue fees and compulsory chair rentals, I would have expected a much higher level of service.

The staff is at best unorganized and in my darker bridal moments I feared they were even colluding against us. For example, we were told months before our wedding that our dog was permitted to be part of the ceremony and photos. We arrived for our rehearsal, only to barked at (forgive the pun) by the head Groundskeeper that dogs aren't allowed on the property. I explained that I had been given permission in writing to have the dog there to which he very haughtily asked me for proof. Filing emails neatly is a personal pride of mine so I was all to happy to pull the April email exchange up for him in seconds. He read it, muttered something under his breathe and stormed off. I called after him, "May I go to my wedding rehearsal?" to which he did not intelligibly respond. We waited to see if he would come back, apologize, give us permission, etc. I never saw him again and had to call our contact in the events office to clear the air. The situation resolved favorably for us save the incredible rudeness of the ground keeper. I know that was a long winded story but it speaks to the level of service you can expect. When I look at this along side the steep price tag, I wonder if I would still want to get married at Middleton Place.