Date Night in Charleston

The countdown to our wedding is in full swing (10 days!). I am definitely surprised at how much there is to do and decide right up until the very end but I’m loving every minute of it. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the wedding planning though so Edwin and I are being sure to spend quality time together before the big day.

We are so excited to be husband and wife that I can hardly stand it! To bask in our festive spirits, we recently got all dressed up (my dress is on sale for $66!) and went on, what I would call, a perfect date night in Charleston. I get lots of questions about Charleston so I wanted to share our date night in Charleston and some other local date night ideas as well for those of you traveling to the Holy City. P.S. if you want more CHS recommendations, they read my Charleston Travel Guide!

On Jillian: Dress (on sale for $66!) / Jacket (old – similar) / Heels / Purse (similar wallet style purse)
On Edwin: Button-Down / Khakis / Shoes / Belt

I loved snapping these photos with Edwin so I was already excited to share the post. I’m even more excited to share it now that my dress is on sale from $198 to $66!! I’ve literally never seen a deal so fabulous. My dress also comes in ivory, which I think would look great as a winter white piece with a black leather jacket or velvet jacket layered on top. I love the flouncy, feminine ruffles and the way they naturally move when I walk. The petite dot details and the tie shoulders bring the whole dress together. I’m not wearing the dress with a belt here but I think a belt would give it an extra tailored feel to really show off more of a silhouette.

Our perfect date night in Charleston turned into a progressive dinner. We knew where we wanted to end up for our full meal but we wanted to bop around town first. So, our first stop was to Zero George for a glass of wine on the gorgeous porch. The nights in Charleston have begun to cool off so even though we got there with a lot of light still in the sky, it wasn’t super warm.

The porch of Zero George is the type of place I like to go when I imagine myself living my best life (the porch is so romantic and beautiful, like something I dream of having one day). After our glass of wine, we hopped in an Uber and scooted up to Goat Sheep Cow North for a charcuterie course. Goat Sheep Cow North is a little more casual than our dress code for the evening but Edwin hadn’t been to the North location yet and I wanted him to experience their delicious cheeses and meats.

Finally, we ended up at one of my favorite date night restaurants in town, Chez Nous. The menu changes daily at Chez Nous so you never know what your options will be (until they post them that day on Instagram). The restaurant is nested in an old house down a little alley. I find it charming, romantic, celebratory, and delicious! Keep reading for a few other date night spots I love.

I styled my dress with a simple pair of ankle strap heels and a velvet jacket. My particular jacket is from Tory Burch a few years ago but I found a few similar styles below. If you want to save on a pair of ankle strap heels like mine then snag these and if you want to splurge then this is your pair. I love these three special pairs too: tied up, bows, and studded.

J.Crew has a few other gorgeous dresses right now that are putting me in the mood for fall and for the holidays like this ruffle tulle dress, this polka dot dress, this one shoulder bow jumpsuit (looks like a dress), this tiered dress, and this very different but so cute sweater dress.

I think Edwin looks so handsome in these photos! I really do gush over him! He’s wearing my favorite shoes he owns along with a classic button-down and a pair of khakis. I love when Edwin gets dressed up and this night was no exception.

Charleston has so many restaurants to offer that it can be hard to choose! For date night, there are a few in particular that I love other than what I mentioned above. Trattoria Lucca is my go-to date night restaurant for Italian. My Italian date night runner-up (it’s probably a tie really!) is easily Fulton Five. It’s a bit more romantic of a setting too. For a lively date night out, I recommend Halls Chophouse. They will treat you like royalty, the food is so consistent, and the live music is great. If you want a quieter steakhouse date night location, then check out Oak Steakhouse. When we are craving seafood on the weekend and want to make a night of it, we always go to The Ordinary. It’s knockout and the cocktails scream date night. For a super casual date night, we consistently visit 167 Raw, Leon’s, and Xiao Bao Biscuit.

On Jillian: Dress (on sale for $66!) / Jacket (old – similar) / Heels / Purse (similar wallet style purse)
On Edwin: Button-Down / Khakis / Shoes / Belt

Get the Date Night in Charleston look:

Photography by Virgil Bunao