Photography by Michael Radford

We realized that it was important for us to find a better vetting process for venues as a whole as they are submitted to SMP. We will discuss exactly what that means later on in this article.

“I often think about how we would not DARE think to host a wedding at a concentration camp or any other place where these heinous acts of crime were committed, and yet, this is still a point of contention and discussion all because a property is physically ‘beautiful’”- Sacia Matthews, Charleston wedding photographer

Since our initial decision to discontinue the publishing of plantation content, regardless of its historical relevance, a larger conversation has been posed by our wedding community, specifically those in the Charleston area. Their concern is two-part:

CONCERN 1. Charleston has a high concentration of venues called ‘plantations’, however, there are many venues - both with and without the name of a "plantation" - that have tragic histories involving slavery. As an industry, how are we able to define or draw the line as to what is acceptable for publication and what is not?

“In the South it will be extremely difficult to avoid historic places with any association with slavery. Probably every one of the eighteenth century and antebellum homes in downtown Charleston have some association. However abut 95% of enslaved people lived and worked on rural plantations on the eve of the Civil War, so ceasing to publicize events in those locations gets at the largest number of slavery sites. “ - Dr. Bernard Powers, Director of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston History Department

CONCERN 2. Publications are banning features for venues with the word “plantation” in their name that do not have a history of slave labor previously present on the property, and therefore were never a working plantation. In addition, many plantation venues are vocalizing their history, making reparations, and have an entire educational piece on the history of their property. Does this still mean they are banned? What is the criteria to banning features and plantation weddings in the future?

“I am not saying that weddings at these locations should be banned, as that is a personal choice, as is getting married at these locations, however, as a vendor, I have a choice that I can make to not work at these locations, and going forward we all can make the decision on what feels ethically and morally right on this topic. For me, I've focused on promoting and working with vendors and venues in the area that are not problematic and giving them the attention that they deserve to point couples towards conflict-free venues!” - Sacia Matthews, Charleston wedding photographer

We feel it is important to bring the unique issues to the table and share the internal dialogue we’ve been dealing with as a publication. We hold our relationship with our vendors in the highest regard and while our position remains unchanged, we also want to find a way to remain supportive of our Charleston-area vendors.