Once Tyler and I decided on Southport as a destination and began considering venues, these hallowed ruins immediately came to mind. With the exposed brick arches and dripping Spanish moss, I couldn’t image a more beautiful or unique place to marry the man I love.
St. Phillip Episcopal Church Ruins are every bit as romantic as they are historical. The walls are older than our nation, having begun construction in 1751 for the colonist of Brunswick Town.
My late Grandmom Jones, whose ring I wear as my engagement ring, was an Episcopalian and I loved the fact that we would be married in an “Episcopal Church” even though it was only the remains of one.
Choosing the historic site as our venue came with many positives but also brought with it a unique set of challenges.
Positives
- Inexpensive venue fee.
- Venue fee is also tax deductible.
- Remote private location.
- Natural beauty and historic feel.
- Unique location with special meanings.
- No published weddings from this venue.
Challenges
- Extremely remote, need to bring in everything including power.
- Open to the public until 5:00 pm but must be out and cleaned up by 10:00 pm.
- Only able to tent in one location because of the live archaeological nature of the ruins.
Due to the challenges, we ended up forgoing our original plan of having the ceremony and reception at the site to moving the reception to a venue back in town called Marker 614. And I am so grateful that we did! This made things much easier on our guests by being much closer to their accommodations and also being in walking distance to the waterfront bar where we met our guests after the reception. This decision also gave me peace of mind as even considering a rain plan at the ruins was anxiety inducing.
Walking towards my groom within the historic walls of St. Phillips while Oceans by Hillsong played softly in the background, is a memory I hope to never forget.
