For many families, weddings are reunions. For weddings in the Lowcountry, weddings are a weeklong affair, a chance to not only spend quality time with loved ones but to see the sites. Imagine a wedding ceremony and reception that occurs all in one place amid live oaks draped by Spanish moss and a picturesque bridge crossing a lake.
It's a place where family members stay together in luxury homes walking distance from tennis and bocce courts, a Pete Dye gulf course, a spa, a swimming pool and health and fitness center and driving distance from Hilton Head Island, Savannah and Beaufort. You can expect all of this and more at Hampton Hall, a luxury gated community in Bluffton.
"We are in a central location, flexible and abound with creativity," said Ashleigh Whitmore, Hampton Hall event planning director. "We have a very personal staff and an incredible chef. And you have me the entire day for planning."
Hampton Hall is only a couple of years old. In those two years, the lakeside clubhouse was originally meant for its members, but it soon became known as a great wedding spot. The area offers an enormous ballroom with an attached dining room.
"It's the largest venue until you get to the island and Savannah," Whitmore said. "There are so many possibilities. It speaks to anyone looking for a Lowcountry style. Anyone coming in here who has a vision can play with it and make it come to life."
Hampton Hall can accommodate up to 350 people between the dining room and ballroom. They also offer entire clubhouse can fit up to 450 for cocktail style receptions/food stations.
Catering is included with a delectable, customized menu prepared by renowned executive chef John Soulia, who previously worked for Belfair.
"We offer everything," Whitmore said of the menu. "I tell the bride we will customize the menu so if there is someone from New Jersey who needs a certain style of crab cake can do that or if they want honey cakes like their grandma made, we can do that, too!"