After working weddings all over Charlotte and the surrounding area, there are definitely a few venues that I get extra excited to see on an inquiry.

And I think working as a wedding content creator gives me a slightly different perspective on venues too. We’re usually there for SO much of the day, from getting ready all the way through the dance floor, so you start to notice the things that you might not necessarily think about on a venue tour. Is there actually enough room to get ready? Do your guests have to travel all over the place? Are there different spaces throughout the property so your entire wedding doesn’t have the exact same backdrop? Is cocktail hour going to be fun? And obviously, is it pretty?

So, if you’re looking for the best wedding venues in Charlotte, these are some of my personal favorites that we’ve actually had the chance to work at and would happily go back to over and over again.

The VanLandingham Estate

I have to start with The VanLandingham Estate because this one will always be special to me. The very first wedding we EVER captured as Moments to Hold was at VanLandingham, so this is basically where it all started. Sentimental reasons aside, I really do love this venue.

You’re right in Plaza Midwood, which is so convenient, but once you’re on the property it doesn’t really feel like you’re in the middle of Charlotte. You have the historic house, all of the greenery and gardens, the porch and then the tented reception space. It has that garden estate feeling without being too stuffy or overly formal.

I also love that everything can happen right there, but it doesn’t feel like everything is happening in the same space. You can get ready upstairs, have the ceremony outside, move into cocktails in the home and then completely change the vibe again once everyone goes under the tent for dinner and dancing.

And the upstairs getting ready space is GOOD. This is something I care about way more now that I’ve been in approximately one million getting ready rooms. You need space. There are bridesmaids, moms, hair and makeup, dresses, flowers, bags, photographers, videographers, us and somehow everyone’s Stanley cup. A beautiful room is great, but a beautiful room where everyone can actually move around is even better.

I think VanLandingham is perfect if you love that romantic garden party look, want a tented reception and want something is located in the heart of Charlotte while still feeling like you’ve escaped the city a little bit.

And I’ll probably always be biased toward this one because it gave Moments to Hold our first wedding.

Duke Mansion

I LOVE Duke Mansion.

This is probably one of the first places I would send someone who told me they wanted their Charlotte wedding to feel classic, elegant and expensive without feeling trendy.

Even the drive through Myers Park is beautiful. Then you get to this gorgeous historic mansion and it just feels like old Charlotte in the best possible way. Everything about it is timeless.

The white mansion. The gardens. The black and white floors. The terraces. The trees. It already has so much character that you really don’t have to force anything. And the gardens behind the mansion are BEAUTIFUL for couples portraits. There are so many different little areas you can use that you’re not spending half your wedding day driving somewhere else just to get pretty photos and content.

I also love that you have options for how the wedding itself flows. You can use the gardens and outdoor spaces in different ways for the ceremony, cocktails and dinner, then move inside as the night goes on. It gives you that garden wedding feeling while still having this really elegant historic mansion as the backdrop to everything.

To me, Duke Mansion is luxury that doesn’t have to announce itself. It just is.

Give me black tie, champagne, a classic bridal gown, beautiful stationery, garden florals and a Duke Mansion wedding any day.

And I have to mention the team because they are amazing. Every time we’ve worked there, they’ve been wonderful, and that makes SUCH a difference on a wedding day.

If I were planning a wedding that I wanted to still look incredible twenty years from now, Duke Mansion would absolutely be on my list.

Myers Park Country Club

Myers Park Country Club is another favorite if you want something really classic and really Charlotte.

This is definitely the more exclusive option on the list since it is a private club. Weddings need to be hosted or sponsored by a member, so it isn’t necessarily a venue that everyone can just book. But if you have access to it, it is beautiful!

I think Myers Park Country Club is perfect for a traditional black tie wedding. It feels polished and established, but you still have the greenery and outdoor spaces overlooking the course, which keeps everything from feeling like you’re just inside a ballroom all day.

One of my favorite setups I’ve seen here was having cocktail hour on the upstairs porch overlooking the greens, dinner indoors in the ballroom and then moving everyone outside underneath a tent for the party. SO fun.

I love when there is a moment in the night where the energy completely changes. Everyone has had this beautiful formal dinner, then suddenly you’re outside under a tent, the band is going, the bar is open and everyone is on the dance floor. That’s also when we end up capturing some of my favorite content.

Myers Park Country Club is one of those venues where I don’t think you need to reinvent the wheel. Let it be classic. Let it be traditional. Do beautiful florals, incredible fashion, a really good tent and throw an amazing party.

The Grande Victorian

Clearly there is a theme happening here because give me another venue with black and white floors and I’m happy.

The Grande Victorian is technically in Monroe, so it’s a little outside Charlotte, but I definitely think it deserves to be on the list if you’re looking at Charlotte area wedding venues.

I love that the house has actual personality. The Victorian architecture gives you something to work with before you’ve brought in a single flower or rental. It feels romantic and Southern but not in the same way as every other Southern venue.

There are beautiful gardens and outdoor areas, then you have the covered reception space, which I LOVE from a practical standpoint. Weather in the Carolinas can change its mind approximately twelve times in one day, so having a covered option that is still actually pretty is a huge plus. And then there are the black and white checkered floors inside, which obviously I love!!

They also have a really nice getting ready space, which gets another gold star from me because apparently spacious getting ready rooms have become one of my love languages.

I would look at The Grande Victorian if you want something romantic and historic with a little more personality. It already gives you a vibe instead of making you create one completely from scratch.

The Andrews Farm

Last but not least, The Andrews Farm because I LOVE it here!

First, the house. The inside literally looks like a Restoration Hardware catalog. Whoever did the interiors absolutely understood the assignment!!!

It’s neutral and layered and warm and just beautiful. And because the house itself is so pretty, the getting ready portion of the day already has this really elevated backdrop without anyone having to move furniture or hide a bunch of random stuff in a closet.

But outside is probably my favorite part.

There are gardens, big grassy areas and then the pool, which can make for SUCH a good cocktail hour. Give me cocktails around the pool, beautiful umbrellas, florals, great linens and a bar setup and suddenly we’re somewhere in Tuscany. Or at least we’re pretending we are, which is good enough for me.

The property just has this really relaxed European inspired feeling while still being in the Charlotte area.

It is a little farther out, so I would think about transportation for guests. But that’s also part of what makes it special. You’re not surrounded by buildings or traffic. It feels private and removed from everything.

If you want gardens, a beautiful house, a poolside cocktail hour and something that feels a little European without actually making 150 people fly to Italy, I would absolutely tour Andrews Farm.

So Which Charlotte Wedding Venue Is Right for You?

Honestly, I don’t think there is one “best” Charlotte wedding venue because all five of these give you something completely different.

If you picture garden cocktails and dinner under a tent, start with VanLandingham.

If you want timeless, elegant and old Charlotte, Duke Mansion.

If you’re picturing classic black tie and private club, Myers Park Country Club.

If you want romantic, historic and a little more personality, The Grande Victorian.

And if you’re dreaming about gardens, poolside cocktails and a little European influence, Andrews Farm.

But one thing I would tell you after working at so many weddings is to think about how a venue functions just as much as how it photographs.

Where are you getting ready, and can you access the getting ready space early in the morning? Where are your guests going after the ceremony? What happens if it rains? Are you going to spend an hour of your wedding day driving somewhere else for portraits? Does the reception space fit the kind of party you want to have?

You experience your venue for a lot longer than the fifteen minutes you spend looking at ceremony inspiration on Pinterest.

Pick somewhere that makes sense for the entire day and, most importantly, somewhere that feels like you.

Capturing Your Charlotte Wedding as It Actually Feels

Obviously I can’t write an entire post about Charlotte weddings without talking a little bit about what we do.

Moments to Hold is a luxury wedding content creator team serving Charlotte, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina and destinations worldwide.

We’re there to capture the wedding as you’re actually experiencing it. The big moments, obviously, but also your friends freaking out when they see you dressed, your mom watching from across the room, your guests at cocktail hour, whatever your bridesmaids are doing while you’re taking portraits and everything else you didn’t get to see because you were busy actually getting married.

Our approach is candid and documentary because the last thing I want is for your wedding day to feel like one giant content shoot.

You get to be there. We’ll capture it. And then you get it all back the very next day.

If you’re planning a wedding in Charlotte and looking for a wedding content creator to document it as it actually felt, explore Moments to Hold wedding content creation or inquire with us about your date.

Xoxo, Sierra from Moments to Hold