For information about eloping at Pretty Place Chapel, this blog post is for you!
September 2024 update: Pretty Place is closed until further notice as they recover from the damage from Hurricane Helene. Check their website before planning a visit here, or check out some other beautiful places in South Carolina with mountains!
Fred W. Symmes Chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville, more commonly known as Pretty Place, is one of the locations I get asked for the most. This is an open-air chapel at the edge of a cliff overlooking the mountains, right on the North Carolina border. People from all over the country see pictures and videos of this place on Pinterest and TikTok and ask me to take their engagement photos, wedding photos, and proposal photos there. However, it’s also one of the most complex locations to plan for, which is why a lot of people end up changing their plans to a completely different location. Pretty Place lives up to its name though, and if you can work it out, your photos will be stunning. Here are a few things to keep in mind for taking engagement photos at Pretty Place!
Please read the entire post because there are lots of important details here about planning your visit!
Check the visitation schedule. This is a very popular wedding venue, so the chapel will be closed to the public when there’s a wedding. The schedule on the Camp Greenville website lets you see up to 2 weeks in advance when the chapel is open. If it’s closed on the day you’ll be in the area, here are some other places with mountains in South Carolina.
You can pay to reserve it, and here are 4 reasons why I recommend it:
The visitation schedule is only available two weeks in advance. It’s not unusual for the chapel to be booked for weddings for an entire weekend, especially in the fall, so you don’t want to make a whole trip here just to find out that it won’t be open at all while you’re in the area. This is especially helpful if you live far away and the chapel is one of the main reasons why you’re visiting.
The only people present are the people you’ve invited. This eliminates the possibility of the chapel being packed while you’re there. Believe me, I’ve seen my share of loud and chaotic sunrises at Pretty Place, with lots of cameras and applause for proposals, and I don’t want that for any couple. If you reserve the chapel, you’ll get the peace and quiet that you’re looking for.
Reserving the chapel ensures communication between you and the staff so that they can update you with any emergencies that might affect your plans.
When you reserve the chapel, they open up the bathroom and a getting-ready area. Otherwise, they’ll only have port-a-potties available, and there’s not really anywhere else nearby where you can find an actual bathroom.
Bonus: if there’s nobody in the chapel, I can use external flashes without bothering anyone, which helps highlight you without losing the colors behind you.
If there were people in the chapel, I wouldn’t be able to stand this far back without getting other people covering the couple. People WILL try to take photos of you if it’s not obvious that you already have a photographer. There’s no flash here, just the lighting in the cross area.
If you reserve Pretty Place for an engagement, you will have a 1-hour block at the chapel, which will include your time for setting up and cleaning up. Like many venues, it might cost more to rent it on a weekend or during peak season, so consider the winter or a weekday for your engagement. And definitely aim for sunrise if you can, but I’ll talk more about that later.
Consider a weekday. Most weddings happen on weekends, and during the fall and spring, the chapel is sometimes booked for the whole weekend. The chapel has a lot of visitors during public hours, but there tend to be fewer on weekdays. If you’re coming from out of town and you’re NOT planning to reserve the chapel, I recommend being in the area for at least one full weekday (Monday through Thursday) since you can only see the visitation schedule 2 weeks in advance.
Be prepared for crowds if you don’t reserve the chapel. If the chapel opens at 6 AM and sunrise is at 7:30, some people get there at 6 AM to make sure they get a parking space. The cross is the main feature of the location, so if you’re standing in front of the cross to take photos, all eyes are on you. You may even see another couple eloping or proposing. I’ve had multiple proposals where there were enough people to look like there was a whole church service when it was really just people who were there for the sunrise. For more ideas on how to avoid crowds, check out this post.
Sunrise has the best lighting. The sun will rise behind the cross and over the mountains, but you probably won’t see the sunset since it’ll be on the other side of the woods. Since the chapel is covered, it’s darker under there than it will be in the background. At sunrise, there’s lighting at the front of the chapel that highlights you, the cross, and the verse above it. This helps you AND the background behind you show up in photos without using flash.
Account for motion sickness. It’s a windy road and there’s not really anywhere to pull over.
Check out some of the other beautiful spots along the way. Right off the side of 276 are Caesars Head State Park, Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, and Wildcat Wayside. Caesars Head offers some of the more difficult hiking trails in the state, but there’s also a 4-mile round trip trail to see Raven Cliff Falls, the highest waterfall in the state. Pictured below is the overlook at Caesars Head, which you can read more about here, but here are some other places with mountains in South Carolina!
It’s pretty remote. For a wedding, you’ll need to accommodate for the amount of time it takes to drive here from wherever you’re getting ready and wherever you’re having your reception. For a reception venue, Victoria Valley Vineyards is probably the closest at about 25 minutes away, and there are a few venues in Travelers Rest. Otherwise, you’ll need to make the drive to either Tryon, Brevard, or Greenville for a reception.
Cell service is spotty. Coordinate beforehand with anyone you plan to meet there. It’s easy to follow signs to and from there though, so you might be able to get there and back without a GPS. I can usually get signal if I’m in the chapel and it’s not crowded, but I won’t have it for about the last 30 minutes of the drive.
Be prepared for clouds or fog. The effect is cool, but it can totally hide the view of the mountains if it’s low enough and thick enough. Here is a post all about cloudy days and what to look for!
Read their policies before you go. You will not be allowed to bring dogs or alcohol, and they encourage you to use as little decor as possible. Read more on their website.
Ready to have the best Pretty Place photos?
Visit the Camp Greenville website to check the schedule or to make a reservation, then we’ll get on a call to come up with the best plan for the date and time that you’ll be there!
Photo by Shehzad Ziaee
My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.
One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.
I can’t wait to meet you!
