Francis Marion Hotel

We used the Francis Marion for our ceremony and reception and would highly recommend! Charleston was a destination wedding for us, and the Francis Marion made our planning experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible. They were really responsive and organized, which put our minds at ease. In the end, the entire day flowed beautifully and we had the most FUN party. The food was great (even the crowd flying in from Maryland loved the crab cakes!). Aside from the wedding day itself, the hotel was a great location for our room block, as guests could enjoy a weekend in Charleston with historic sites within walking distance.

We had two hotel blocks for our wedding, one closer to the venue and the Francis Marion which is closer to downtown. If I could do it all over again, I would NOT use the Francis Marion for our wedding hotel block. The parking is a nightmare, the garage is so tiny and cramped, and to get items in and out (gifts, wedding decorations, luggage, etc) You have to leave you car in the street, get a cart from an elevator, bring it in, load the car, bring the cart back inside, put it on a tiny elevator to the lobby, and then pull it up to the room all while hoping that your car is fine in the middle of King Street. It was a huge hassle, and the guests at our other hotel were much happier. The room types are also not guarenteed, so if we planned to put 2 people in one room with 2 beds, and the room only had one bed, we had to take everything back downstairs and request a change. The positive is the staff was PHENOMENAL at the front desk and fixed any and all issues we had. Unforuantely, the higher management seemed alarmed that they had a wedding in the building and were taken aback almost like "oh my gosh you're having a wedding? what can we do to help you?" and I wish they had been like that from the very beginning. They were difficult to work with (I was planning this wedding from 600 miles away) and the girl who was my main point of contact quit, and no one informed me. It was quite a mess and they don't seem suitable for wedding block services.

We had our wedding here and it was fantastic! Everyone who stayed there said the food was awesome at the ceremony and the fox swamp restaurant was amazing. This venue made it easy for my out of town guests to party and stumble back to their rooms with ease. Definitely consider the hotel for special events or just to say there! Very nice! We booked this hotel for the fact they also let us bring our own alcohol. Thank you Francis Marion Hotel!

The Gold Ballroom was a beautiful venue for both the ceremony and reception! However, other than the cost-effectiveness of the location that was the only major upside. We had great communication with the on-site coordinators up until the wedding week and then there was little-to-none. The coordinator that showed up day-of was not someone we had worked with prior or been introduced to and that caused confusion. We went with the plated dinners, the guests liked the food and we liked what we were able to eat in-between interruptions, but we had an issue with our confirmed food. We stated from the very beginning at the food tasting, and confirmed multiple times, that we would be able to get a few halal meals for our guests. We found out the day before the wedding that the chef suddenly wasn't sure he could procure the correct meat because of how it needed to be prepared (something we thought had been worked out 5 months prior). We also had an issue with drinks; the waitstaff kept removing full, untouched drinks if you looked away for just a few seconds... literally less than 30 seconds sometimes. This normally wouldn’t be as much of a problem, but we went with a BYOB approach where we provided our own alcohol. The staff also took away our (wedding couple) champagne flutes before we finished and specialty bottle. We brought in our own bottle, separate from the venue provided champagne (part of the contract), that we were going to take back with us. Outside of the serious issue with drinks, the serving staff was great with their food timing and service and the bartender handled winos really well. There was also a major miscommunication about when our event ended. We had confirmed that we would be able to end at 11 pm and provided a timeline that went until 10:50 pm. Instead, the staff (without warning) turned on the lights at 10 pm and started cleaning the room and moving tables. The room block worked well for our guests and we were not limited to the amount we blocked; if there were rooms available, people could still use the block. We would have addressed more of our issues with the staff at the Francis Marion, but our only follow-up from the coordinators after the wedding was an email saying the wedding was beautiful and asking us to leave a review. Of course, we had the immediate, automated emails after we checked out of our rooms asking how the stay was.

Overall a good experience. It was disappointing that when everyone tried to check in, the computers went down, and people had to wait for like an hour or so, therefore a lot of them didn’t get their goody bags. The bellhop service was on point. Tai made sure that my bridal party and family was well hydrated and taken care of. We really appreciated that. We did have a brief issue with one of the banquet staff oversteppping their professional bounds.

Francis Marion - What a beautiful hotel and wonderful people to work with! We were planning the wedding in the midst of COVID and with border closures, there were so many uncertainties with travel and us actually getting to Charleston for our wedding. Gillian and Marie understood our uncertainties and were willing to work with us through the process while so many other venues gave no room for flexibility. The staff were so understanding and supportive and worked seamlessly with our planners and all the other vendors to help give us a beautiful event. Not only did we have our wedding at the hotel, we also had our rehearsal dinner and brunch for our family the day after the after the wedding. Our stay at the hotel, the food and the staff was fantastic and we cant wait to go back to visit!

Wow!!! We can’t say enough about our experience with the Francis Marion. From the beginning we were treated like gold and Savannah Boehmer is absolutely exceptional. Any time I called, Savannah was available or called me back within five minutes. We had to move our date - she was accommodating, we needed to extend our time for our room block – she was accommodating, we needed to add more people to our room block – she was accommodating, early check in/ late check out – no problem…….no matter what we asked for Savannah was always there to make our wedding such a pleasurable experience. Planning a wedding can be such a stressful ordeal however Savannah and the staff at the Francis Marion made everything seamless and effortless. If we could give a 10 star rating we would. Our rehearsal dinner in the Gold Ballroom was decorated beautifully, the food was delicious and the pricing was very reasonable. We aren’t the types to review venues no matter the occasion however we could not go another day without praising Savannah and her entire staff. Thank you again for making our wedding weekend so special. Our family and friends were so impressed and we will always be loyal to Savannah and The Francis Marion.

Wow! This venue was the best place to have our wedding. From the start, Savannah, made us feel comfortable and she was great! Savannah went above and beyond for everything, as it was a destination wedding for us so hard for us to come and visit a lot. We cannot say enough great things about Savannah and the Colonial room. It was absolutely beautiful! From the start of our planning to the end, it was a smooth process. The hotel staff also made it enjoyable as they were all very polite and went above and beyond for not only ourselves but for all of our guests. Highly recommend this venue to anyone! It is a beautiful reception hall.

We used the Francis Marion Hotel for our room block and to host our Sunday brunch after the wedding on Saturday. Everything went so smoothly and I would definitely recommend. Every single person that worked there was the definition of southern hospitality and all of our guests loved staying there (we had about 40 rooms). The only "complaint" we had from some of our guests was that for a regular room, the bathrooms are pretty small, but it is a historic hotel, so it is understandable. For myself and my bridal party, we stayed in the Harbor View Suite and it was perfect! There were two bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and bedroom so plenty of space to get ready. The food for the brunch on Sunday was delicious and plentiful. Just as a suggestion, we had 88 people RSVP "yes" to the brunch but I only told the hotel 70 and there was more than enough food.

Savannah is so wonderful and so helpful with everything! The prices are reasonable and you don’t have to worry about a thing.

My daughter's wedding & reception was just perfect! Savannah Boehmer & staff were professional and accommodating to all our needs! Our guests loved it there! The location is great! The food was fabulous; everyone stated it was the best shrimp & grits they had ever tasted! My daughter stated her wedding was a dream come true! Thank you Savannah & all the staff at Francis Marion!

We recently held our reception at the Francis Marion Hotel and could not be more pleased with the entire experience! From their on-site event coordinators and bartenders to the general hotel staff, everyone affiliated with the hotel provided thoughtful, professional and considerate service. The hotel's common areas have recently been renovated and are stunningly beautiful. We held our reception in the Colonial Ballroom, which has sweeping arched windows and is so beautifully decorated that only minimal additional decoration (flowers for table centerpieces) was needed. One feature that sets the Francis Marion Hotel apart from many other reception venues in Charleston is that they maintain and make available many of the "hardware" items needed for receptions such as tables, chairs, serving stations, dance floors and basic risers for bands or DJs. They also provide standard china, silverware and stemware should you wish to use them. It was incredibly easy to work with the on-site coordinator to plan the day. Their catering service is all in-house and is overseen by the executive chef for the hotel restaurant - everything was delicious and classically Charleston. We would highly recommend contacting the Francis Marion Hotel if you are looking for a place to host a reception in Charleston!

Elegance, charm, and ease. Sure to impress! We had our ceremony and reception at FMH, and our wedding experience was fantastic from the very beginning. The property itself is an absolute dream! From the architecture to the décor to the downtown location, the Francis Marion Hotel was everything we wanted and more (at a surprisingly reasonable price)! We worked with Gillian first and then Savannah, who didn’t skip a beat when taking over our wedding. Both ladies were wonderful! I planned the wedding from 900 miles away and did not meet Savannah in person until the wedding weekend, however it was super easy to coordinate the event via email. When we finally met for the rehearsal, she had everything organized and ready to go. We are extremely pleased with FMH and couldn’t be happier that we chose this venue!

I had my wedding ceremony and reception at the Francis Marion on November 10, 2018. Savannah and her entire staff were absolutely FANTASTIC! I honestly can't say enough good things about the whole day. Savannah ensured that everything ran smoothly from start to finish. I feel that she really went above and beyond for my husband and I and we are eternally grateful! The hotel is historic and beautiful and I got so many compliments from guests on the ceremony space, the reception space, and the hotel and staff in general. Majority of my guests were from out of town and they LOVED being right in the middle of the city. The food was delicious as well!

Cannot think of a better wedding venue than the Francis Marion in Charleston! From start to finish, the wedding sales team was amazing. Both Gillian and Savannah were professional, incredibly responsive, and joys to work with during the wedding planning and the reception! They made everything easy and made us feel like real VIPs the weekend of the wedding. The venue is in the middle of downtown Charleston and was ideal for out of town guests coming in to explore our city. Plus, the venue is so easy because they provide tables, linens, chairs, flatware, glasses, candles, place settings, in-house coordinators and catering! Very few venues in Charleston provide all of that from one vendor. Further, they let you bring in your drinks and they provide the bartenders! We were able to bring all our additional decorations and alcohol to the venue on Tuesday the week of the wedding, so we had no headaches about dropping everything off on Friday. Then they stored everything for us Saturday night for pickup on Sunday! Further, the food is delicious! We've had so many guests comment about how good the food was, especially the shrimp and grits, since the wedding! The Francis Marion was really the perfect venue for our weekend and if I had to plan it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing! I would recommend it to anyone.

I cannot express how amazing and beautiful my wedding was at the Francis Marion. The coordinator, Savannah, was AMAZING, and the staff was so friendly and helpful. Not once did I have an issue with planning. All my expectations were met and exceeded, and I cannot believe they are able to offer what they do at such an amazing price. They make weddings and events move flawlessly, and you’re missing out if you don’t snag this venue! If you’re wanting a Charleston themed venue, BOOK! I wish I could redo my wedding just to relive my reception at the Francis Marion all over again! HIGHLY recommend!!!

We booked our daughter’s wedding reception at the Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston, and it was the best decision we could have made! We started working with Gillian in the beginning. She was wonderful! She met with us and helped us set up the entire event the way we wanted it to be. After her promotion, we started working with Savannah. she was just as amazing! She helped us continue the process for the reception. She was very professional and always responded to emails or calls promptly! We were able to deliver all our decorations to the hotel, and the set up the venue exactly as we requested. The evening was wonderful! The staff all were polite and answered any questions we had. When the reception was over, they put all our stuff in one area and helped us load it all up again! I can’t say enough wonderful things about the Framncis Marion!

Words cannot express how grateful I am for Gillian Crum and all of the Francis Marion Hotel staff. My husband and I choose the Francis Marion Hotel for both our wedding ceremony (in the Gold Ballroom) and reception (in the Colonial Ballroom) in April 2018. From start to finish Gillian and all of the Francis Marion Hotel staff were accommodating, communicative and professional. Gillian makes wedding planning fun and easy, providing a list of reputable vendors and also patiently talking through all options during the planning process. Our wedding guests have all been raving about their pleasant experience with the front desk, house keeping and how beautiful the historic hotel is! If you are looking for a beautiful historic Charleston venue with top notch service the Francis Marion Hotel is a perfect fit.

Wonderful experience!

The Francis Marion was amazing. I was real skeptical about having a hotel for a venue because I had seen it done so many times but the Colonial Ballroom is so ornate and historic that it really fit with my roaring 20s theme. They do a great job decorating even when I supplied all the decorations. Gillian and her staff (servers, bartenders , and banquet managers ) were all amazing and friendly. We loved getting to bring in our own alcohol. It saved us a lot of money and a lot of venues don't let you do that. The food is to die for, most people dont go to wedding really for the food but my guest couldn't stop talking about it. We had stations with shrimp and grits ( unreal) , chicken and waffles, and beef with potatoes and veggies. We absolutely loved everything and did it all on a budget!!

Let me just start by saying that Gillian and her team are phenomenal! We fell in love with the Francis Marion Hotel from the moment we stepped in with our wedding planner. We knew our budget was a little on the lower end of what it costs for a plated dinner reception in Charleston, but we were ecstatic with what we were able to serve our 80 guests. The Colonial Ballroom was gorgeous, spacious, and historical. Gillian was so incredibly helpful and went above and beyond with every detail!

My wedding at the Francis Marion was an absolute dream! I can't thank Gillian and her team enough for making my day absolutely spectacular! It had always been my wish to have my reception at the Francis Marion and they made my reception better than anything I could dream. Thank you!!

I can't say enough how grateful I am to have not only chosen the Francis Marion for our wedding reception venue, but to have worked with someone as wonderful as Gillian throughout the planning process. She was incredible! She was always available, always putting our minds at ease throughout planning, and always did everything she could to make sure our day was everything we dreamed it would be. And it was! Everything from the food, to the ballroom, to the staff was above and beyond our expectations. We can't thank the staff enough for making our wedding dreams come to life. We will forever be loyal customers of this wonderful hotel and I'll suggest it to anyone planning an event in Charleston!

Highly recommended! The customer service is phenomenal! The staff took care of everything, which made planning a lot easier! Gillian, our wedding coordinator, was great! From the start of the planning process till the last song played at the reception she was there making sure everything went accordingly. You won't regret having your wedding here!

Where do I begin with my wonderful experience with both the hotel & Gillian Crum (the catering coordinator/event coordinator)? I'm a military bride who was planning our January 1st wedding from 7,000 miles away from South Korea. I knew when I started searching venues I wanted simplicity, as in I didn't want to have 40 different vendors to work with as far as food, tables, linens, etc. At the Francis Marion, we parked on Thursday night and didn't have to leave the hotel for a single thing until Tuesday morning when my husband and I left. We had our rehearsal there, rehearsal lunch at the Swamp Fox restaurant, the wedding in the Gold Ballroom, and the reception in the Colonial Ballroom which gave us the feel of experiencing two different locations during the wedding, but just one floor above the other :) The best part was the wedding package which basically had everything we needed. I only had to reach outside of the venue for our flowers, DJ & cake. (These vendors had all also worked with Francis Marion numerous times so I never even had to see the cake or flower vendors the day of, they came at some point of the day while I was busy getting ready, and bam: the flowers were brought to my door by gillian, and the cake was beautiful when we walked into the reception :) Gillian definitely knows what she's doing. She was there EVERY step of the way. I mean every step...I felt like I didn't have to do a thing. She made sure the entire ceremony ran smoothly, came to my room to get the decor the morning of and set it up exactly as asked, etc. She asked if I wanted the flowers brought to our room or left downstairs, 10 minutes later they were in my hands as my makeup was being applied right there in my room. Ladies, if you're getting married and feel overwhelmed by "details", choose this place. Gillian made everything so simple and answered any questions I had politely & quick. It allowed me to focus on my family and friends on our big day while still having everything go off without a hitch! People are still messaging me two weeks later saying how beautiful and fun the wedding was but thats all thanks to Gillian and her staff (also Ryan was such a fun and energetic banquet captain!) I feel like i'm missing something because just everything was so perfect from the first message I sent to her last June but don't let this place get away if you're searching for beauty, elegance & simplicity :) Words aren't enough to justify the perfection of this place as a wedding venue :)

The Francis Marion lived up to all of our wedding expectations! We actually booked the Carolina Ballroom without even visiting and we couldn't have been happier with our choice. Being from out of town, we were very thankful for Gillian Crum (wedding coordinator at the Francis Marion)! She answered any questions we had leading up to the wedding day and was extremely helpful when it came to decorations and a timeline for the day. We were able to arrange a food tasting, which helped us narrow down our choices. Although, the decision was not easy because everything we tasted was amazing! On our wedding day, both sides of the wedding party were able get ready at the hotel. We used the bridal suite and reserved one of the conference rooms. Some of the staff checked in with us throughout the day and made sure we had everything we needed. Everything ran smoothly throughout the day and through the evening. Our guests raved about the food and how fun the venue was for a downtown Charleston wedding. We, along with our families, would highly recommend the Francis Marion! We are so thankful we were able to use them for our special day! -Laura & Jake

Gillian is absolutely amazing!!! I never felt like there was anything she wouldn't/couldn't do for us. Through the entire process I felt like I got her undivided attention and that I was her only bride. As a micromanager, the only thing I wish I would have done differently, was not worry so much about the details of the reception - she really does have it all under control. The entire staff was excellent: bartenders, servers, bell men, and the reception desk staff. I was simply blown away by how much they went above and beyond for us.

There are not enough nice things to say about Francis Marion Hotel. Everything I asked for they were able to do! The venue is gorgeous and the staff is fantastic. Gillian and her team went above and beyond to make our day extra special. My only complaint.....the day wasn't longer! If I had it to do all over again, I would choose Francis Marion for my reception every time!

The Francis Marion (Colonial Ballroom) was a wonderful choice for our wedding reception! Gillian Crum, the wedding manager for the hotel, was great to work with, and very prompt in replying to any question I had! Both Gillian and the entire hotel wedding staff worked so hard to make our reception a night to remember! The dinner service was seamless, and the food entrees were delicious. The set-up was exactly how I had asked, and the value of the venue (hard to find in Charleston!) was terrific.

My husband and I had our wedding here on 4.9.16. I rated them a 2 because before we even booked the FM, I asked the wedding coordinator (Gillian Crum) if she only handled things at the venue or would she be available to help all the way through to the wedding day (I was in the process of interviewing planners), she said verbatim "if you have me, you will not need another planner!" That sounded GREAT... What I didn't know was that she was basically only there for quick emails and the month of our wedding. I planned my entire wedding ALONE. In addition to poor planning, the FM lost items that we rented, causing vendors to call and harass us and our family during our honeymoon, threatening to charge us for items the staff at the FM lost. When I felt as though my issues weren't being addressed, I had to call the event coordinators manager and she had no idea about my grievance... Also, even after laying out a floor plan and discussing SEVERAL times how we wanted things set up, the reception did not look how we discussed at all. My husband and I rented a BEAUTIFUL vintage settee for our sweetheart table (which deserves special attention in my opinion) and the settee was shoved in the back of the reception hall and we were forced to either have the staff move furniture in the middle of the reception, or sit on uncomfortable folding chairs. We sat on uncomfortabl chairs. The wedding coordinator also did not attend our rehersal which led to sheer chaos. I thought she ran downstairs until the front desk told me she left for the day. The ceremony doors weren't closed after the wedding party exited the ceremony, so my guest followed and TRAMPLED my beautiful Lazaro gown which I am still in the process of getting fixed. Our guests said the wedding turned out beautifully. The food was on point but this day was basically ruined for me, with no apologies and I can never have another. This is a pretty expensive, historical venue and maybe my expectations were too high, but I asked specific questions so that I wouldn't be disappointed or expect too much and I was still deeply disappointed. If I had to do it over, I definitely would pick a different venue.

My husband and I had our wedding ceremony and reception at the Francis Marion on May 29th, 2016. The service that our guests, my husband and I received was absolutely outstanding. I would recommend having your wedding there. The only reason I am giving them 3 stars and not 5 is because when choosing my vendors I called Francis Marion for their advice on a DJ. I called and asked specifically if they had worked with Burt of FingerSnappin Entertainment in the past. They said yes they had worked with this DJ and they would highly recommend him. Unfortunately, this DJ was absolutely terrible and I am currently trying to get fully refunded. My advice would be to make sure when a bride calls you for your professional and highly respected opinion about vendors, that they are actually a good business. Please do not ever recommend his DJ services to any bride in the future.

We had our wedding reception at The Francis Marion's Gold Ballroom in April 2016, and it was a wonderful experience. I would highly recommend them. The venue itself is of course beautiful, the location is great, and the food was also very good, but the real treasure here is the wedding coordinator, Gillian Crum. I can't tell you how helpful she was, not just during the planning, but the week of the wedding as well. She truly helped us achieve exactly what we wanted, and went above and beyond. We had a destination wedding, and I don't believe we would have been able to pull it off without her help and expertise. The rest of the staff was wonderful, as well.

The Francis Marion and especially Gillian Crum was absolutely wonderful to work with! We actually chose to hold both our wedding ceremony and reception here, and I am so glad we did. We planned our wedding from out of town and within a 5 month engagement, and I do not believe I could have done it without Gillian. She basically comes with the venue as a mini wedding planner, and really did serve as a week of and day of coordinator. I can not say enough nice things about her or our experience with this hotel! If I had it to do over, I would use Francis Marion again in a heartbeat!

My guests had an amazing time staying at the Francis Marion Hotel! There were no complaints from any of the guests! Gillian Crum was such a pleasure to work with :) I would highly recommend this hotel!

Everything at the Francis Marion Hotel was great. Throughout the entire planning process Gillian Crum was professional and so helpful and extremely accommodating. The location is great, all my guests stayed in the hotel and had access to everything in the middle of downtown and made it easy after the reception to get to an after party spot! The room was beautiful and the service was great and my guests raved about the food, I had shrimp and grits and pasta stations. Its a one stop shop and you can't beat the value!

We absolutely LOVED every minute of planning our wedding at the Francis Marion Hotel! Gillian is amazing, as was the entire staff. From beginning to end, every question we had was answered and every detail planned to make sure we were getting exactly what we wanted. They were extremely accommodating and we loved the fact that we didn't have to travel all over Charleston on our wedding day. They're wedding packages and pricing are ideal for a couple on a budget (mindful however that this is Charleston we're talking about). The space was gorgeous and the food absolutely delicious. I really cannot say enough great things about the Francis Marion!

Our reception was held in the Colonial Ballroom of the hotel and it was beautiful. The service was excellent, and the catering was great. Gillian Crum, the event coordinator was great. She saved us a ton of money we would have spent on a wedding coordinator. She was super attentive to detail and put our mind at ease about the whole planning process. We are still hearing about how great the reception was and how beautiful the hotel was.

The Francis Marion is a gorgeous venue and affordable! Caroline Bean, the wedding coordinator is the best! And the good was great too!!

The Francis Marion Hotel is the BEST hotel to have your wedding reception at. I worked with Caroline Bean in catering services and she was beyond FANTASTIC. Caroline made the entire process so easy. From being prompt to answer emails and make updates to our event, we were able to put together an amazing reception. The hotel front desk staff was wonderful as well. They made sure that all of the guest who booked rooms in our block were well taken care of as well. The Francis Marion worked extremely well with all the vendors that I hired for my reception (photographer, DJ, bakery, Chaircovers)

We had our wedding reception at the Francis Marion, and to be honest, my experience with them is not easy to articulate in a review. We had many ups and downs. Although we were working with caring and kind people, we still came across several frustrations, which would eventually be made right. Overall, I was extremely pleased with how the event turned out – we loved our wedding, we love the vintage hotel, and it’s location in the center of Charleston, SC. There are many benefits to choosing a venue like The Francis Marion: Room set up and clean-up is included in the cost. The price of silverware, plates, glasses, white/black napkins and linens, and cake cutting is all included in the cost. They allow you to bring in your own alcohol (at a fee per person) which helped us get better bang for the buck on the alcohol we were serving. The catering is done by the Francis Marion – another decision to cross off the long wedding list – and the food was awesome. I was somewhat concerned with how the food was going to taste, because we’ve had less than stellar meals at the Swamp Fox, but both our tasting for the wedding and the actual wedding food was amazing. People have been raving about it - particularly the Crab Cake Station, Pasta Station, and passed hor devours! Our frustrations stemmed mostly from us asking for some (what we believed were reasonable) changes to their ordinary set-up. I was surprised how hard it was to get them to agree on some of these requests, especially with how much we were paying to the Francis Marion alone. Almost every change we made came at a price. However, let me reinforce, that in the end, it all turned out beautifully, but I can’t discount the frustrations we felt while getting to the final event. All the people we spoke with were more than caring and kind, but they didn’t necessarily have the power to make the decisions. Caroline was instrumental in helping us achieve our wedding day vision, she definitely had more say/empowerment than others we spoke with at the Francis Marion.

The Francis Marion was a beautiful location for our wedding reception. Caroline Bean, the wedding coordinator for the hotel was a joy to work with and made the whole planning process as easy and smooth as possible. Most of our guests were from out of town and loved staying in such a central location.

I had my May 2013 wedding reception at the Francis Marion Colonial Ballroom and it was absolutely beautiful. All the staff were extremely helpful and kind. The food was delicious and the chef was incredibly accommodating to gluten free diets, childrens options, etc. Caroline Bean was awesome and always immediately answered all my questions. The hotel includes a night in a suite for the newlyweds and even had a special surprise waiting for us in our room on the wedding night. I would definitely recommend the Francis Marion hotel!

my husband and I had our reception here for our November wedding. It was awesome! Beautiful, great service and very professional and organized. Cannot complain about a thing! If you have the money it will be well worth it!

Wonderful wedding coordinator and hotel staff!

Great room. Right downtown. Very friendly. Chocolate covered strawberries. Let us check in early. Very friendly.

My husband and I had a rather large semi-destination wedding this past year; and ended up having to organize several (3+) hotel room blocks with 10-20 guest rooms in each. We selected various hotel options around Charleston based on price point, location and offered amenities. The Francis Marion Hotel was the only hotel that did not return my phone calls, turned away guests when rooms were still available in the wedding block & actually made coordinating out-of-town guest accommodations frustrating as well as inefficient. This was one hotel that I should have removed from the list of hotels presented to out-of-town guests; but guests could not beat the price for the prime location on King Street.

the staff was absolutely amazing. My husband was in a car accident the night before the wedding and broke his back. We were told we were not going to be ble to get married. Caroline and her team were able to help mke sure we still had a perfect wedding. They upgraded us to a larger suite to ensure all of our family could watch the ceremony and helped us find a videographer at last minute to film the ceremony. They played the ceremony in the ballroom to all of our guests. The food was amazing as well. I could have not asked for a better venue.

The general consensus of all of our guests was that it was the best meal anyone ever had at a wedding reception. The Francis Marion made our guests feel like number one and we couldn't ask for more than that! We opted for a 1920's theme that was a huge hit with our guests and the staff dressing the themed part was great. Everything exceeded our expectations. The staff was wonderful and very accommodating.

Loved our wedding here in the Gold Ballroom! The staff made everything run smoothly even though we were out-of-towners. Everything was well organized and beautiful.

Amazing food! All my guests gave the location and the food rave reviews.

My husband and I stayed at the Francis Marion for our honeymoon, the room was wonderful and the lobby was beautiful ! on the plus side it was right in the middle of downtown charleston so we were within walking distance of everything (plus the trolley stopped right beside the hotel)... the negative side, if there is an event parking will be terrible.

Our wedding went absolutely perfectly. The staff at the Francis Marion hotel definitely knows what they are doing up to the very small details! My husband and I planned the wedding without much help from our parents, and while we were able to find guidelines online, we are so thankful to have chosen the Francis Marion hotel as our coordinator did not leave any detail to chance and brought up quite a few things that we had not thought about to our attention. The ballrooms are gorgeous and are a perfect location for an elegant wedding. The food was amazing and everybody complimented us about it. The house wine was fantastic... no need to go for the expensive stuff! And the hotel was able to provide us with an outside sparkling with only 1 week notice! Everything was just plain PERFECT! The only reason I took 1 star away is that because it was a destination wedding, we planned most of our wedding via email and our coordinator was sometimes forgetful of modifications discussed along the planning. I had to review the final contract in great details to ensure everything we had discussed was included! So... just make sure you review all the details on the final contract (which I am sure all brides would do anyways...)

We had an amazing wedding reception, and the folks at the Francis Marion Hotel were wonderful to work with. I would not have changed a single thing about the reception. My husband and I had been to a wedding at the FMH and didn't even consider the venue for our own wedding, frankly because we thought it would be too expensive. The food, service and elegance of the wedding we'd attented were terrific; there was no way we'd be able to do that... or so we thought. I finally broke down and looked into it and was pleasantly surprised. Caroline Bean, who was our contact for the duration of planning and carrying out the reception, was fabulous to work with. She never put any pressure on us and was with us from picking a ballroom to selecting a menu. She gave us sample contracts and menus and worked with us to get our reception plans underway within budget. The hotel was flexible in getting us in to set up the ballroom early the day of (we were fortunate to not have an event before ours; this might not always be the case!). Another important part of working with this venue was their open communication and availability for questions. Caroline Bean answered all of our inquiries and addressed all of our concerns immediately and expertly. As a bride, being frazzled and stressed out is the last thing I wanted or needed; Caroline never let that happen. Additionally, the food was amazing--a hot and fresh buffet?! Yes! Guests were satisfied and commented about how good the food was. The lines at the bar were never long, the buffet went smoothly and quickly, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the dinner. We were extremely pleased with the Francis Marion Hotel and would confidently recommend the efficiency, professionalism and friendliness of this venue to any couple. Happy planning!

Our caterer for our wedding at the hotel themselves was the Francis Marion. The food was awesome and we had a ton of variety!

Francis Marion was one of the few locations downtown that could host the number of guests I was having and they did a wonderful job. It was also the most reasonable for the cost.

It was located right in the historic Charleston area, so out of town guest got the feel of some of that great southern charm. It was really nice to have our wedding and reception in a place that really seemed to merge our cultures and represent us. I think that is the most important thing when selecting and venue. You should select a space that reflects your style and taste as a couple.;Get as much detail as possible on what is included and who will handle every aspect of your event. Know the exact names of all the parties involved (bar manager, catering manager, event planner, etc) Coordinate everything or have someone like a wedding planner to do that for you. Last minute things may come up but it is much better handled if you know who to call and what to ask for.

I loved the atmosphere that the Francis Marion had. The hotel was beautiful and the location in downtown Charleston was awesome. The ballroom was spacious and fit all of our guests comfortably. The wait staff (not the management) did a great job.;WATCH OUT for them giving your guests the WRONG dinner! They served my bridal party LAST and they gave them a different chicken dinner then was on my menu. I gave the Francis Marion 3 different Excel spreadsheets that had the count of how many chicken dinners I needed. The guests also had place cards with their dinners written on them. I do not understand how they did not have enough chicken dinners. The manager at the Francis Marion the next day were not helpful and the man we spoke to was very rude to us and said he pretty much didn't know anything. He knew nothing of why my guests weren't served the correct dinner where my cake topper went why my bridal party was served last etc.

Very charming and historic location.

The staff was wonderful. The food was excellant... The staff was so helpful in fixing any problems we had.;The management can be a pain to deal with if something is wrong.

The room was beautiful without the need of a lot of decoration. It had a classic old world style. The staff was wonderful and really helped me feel like a queen. I didn't evenneed a coordinator because the hotel took care of so many things.;If you want a super casual wedding, this isn't the place.