The Sandcastle

I had my wedding there earlier this summer and everything was great. The location, view, reception rooms and staff all made it a memorable event. As a member, it was also incredibly affordable (which is saying something on Kiawah). If you aren’t a member, try to find someone to get the discount! It is thousands of dollars cheaper than other locations on the island and you get an incredible view!

I always imagined that I would get married on Kiawah Island, but I never had a specific place in mind.
Shortly after getting engaged, I researched the Kiawah Island Golf Resort venues and the Kiawah Island Club venues. Not only were they all really expensive, but you had to use their catering and follow their list of preferred vendors. Nothing was jiving with my idea of having an intimate island wedding until my dad suggested Sandcastle.
The Sandcastle event coordinator (Megan)* got back to me pretty quickly with more information and dates that were already booked. I had a Fall wedding in mind, but also wanted to pick a date that was at the bottom of the off season, so we went with 12.1.12.
Sandcastle is an oceanfront facility that can accommodate up to 180 people, and you can rent one, two, or three rooms. Tables, chairs, glassware, dinnerware, and flatware are included. I was really impressed with their reasonable rental rates– if you don’t qualify for the member rates, then getting sponsored by a member is an option.
My favorite thing about having our reception at Sandcastle was that we got to choose all of our vendors.** There are definitely pros and cons to this: It’s time-​consuming to choose all of your vendors from afar and you have to be okay with the fact that you might end up with wonky centerpieces like we did. However, you absolutely cannot beat the views, huge verandah, and large catering kitchen that Sandcastle offers.
*Ask Megan about her day-​of coordination services. She did an awesome job and was five million times more organized than the wedding planner we originally hired.
**Be sure to check out KICA’s Preferential Pricing list for vendor discounts.