Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum | A Savannah Wedding Venue We Absolutely Love

There are wedding venues in Savannah that feel made for photography. And then there is the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, which feels made for something richer than that. A hidden garden estate tucked inside the Historic District, a 200-year-old house that holds the kind of history you can feel, two full acres of the most beautifully tended private gardens in all of downtown Savannah. It is one of our absolute favorite venues in this city, and every time we photograph a wedding here, we leave knowing that the images we created are something genuinely special.

We have photographed multiple weddings at Ships of the Sea, and we are always grateful when a couple chooses this venue. If you are in the early stages of planning your Savannah wedding and Ships of the Sea is on your list, we hope this post gives you a real sense of what this venue looks and feels like, why it photographs so beautifully, and what it is like to celebrate here.

What Makes Ships of the Sea Such an Extraordinary Wedding Venue in Savannah

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum sits at 41 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District. It is housed in the William Scarbrough House, a National Historic Landmark built in 1819 and designed by English architect William Jay. William Scarbrough was one of the principal owners of the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. That history is woven into every wall, every staircase, and every corner of the property, and it gives the venue a weight and significance that newer spaces simply cannot replicate.

But what truly sets Ships of the Sea apart from every other Savannah wedding venue is what lies behind the house. Two full acres of privately owned gardens, the largest in Savannah’s Historic District, designed in the tradition of a 19th-century parlor garden and carefully maintained with plant material that is native or historically appropriate to the period. Walking through the ivy-covered entrance and into the Scarbrough Garden for the first time, the sounds of the city fall away entirely. It feels like stepping into a completely private world, which is exactly what it is.

The Ceremony Spaces: Intimate, Lush, and Completely Beautiful

Ships of the Sea offers two distinct ceremony settings within the Scarbrough Garden, and both are extraordinary in their own way.

The first option places the couple in front of the historic 1819 Scarbrough House itself, with its grand Greek Revival architecture and staircase serving as the backdrop. This is one of the most architecturally stunning ceremony backdrops we have ever photographed in Savannah. The scale of the building, the detail of the facade, the way it sits against the sky all combine to create imagery that feels genuinely monumental.

The second option is the latticed garden pavilion within the Scarbrough Garden, surrounded by blooming garden paths, lush seasonal plantings, and the kind of soft, layered greenery that makes every frame feel effortless. With the sound of birdsong and the warmth of southern light filtering through the canopy, this is ceremony photography that requires very little direction and produces extraordinary results.

The Scarbrough Garden can accommodate up to 100 guests for a reception, making it an intimate setting for a wedding ceremony and celebration. The scale invites closeness, and closeness is exactly what produces the kind of emotional imagery we are always chasing.

The Cocktail Hour: The Pergola and Maple Grove

One of the details couples and photographers alike fall in love with at Ships of the Sea is the Pergola and Maple Grove, a dreamy maple-shaded garden space with a vine-covered pergola and a romantic open-air setting. It is the natural home of the cocktail hour, and it is one of the most beautiful portrait settings on the entire property.

As a team that approaches every wedding with both an editorial eye and a finished heirloom in mind, we are always looking for the kind of light and texture that creates images worthy of becoming artwork. The Pergola and Maple Grove gives us that in abundance. The dappled afternoon light through the maple canopy. The texture of the vine-covered brick. The garden paths that seem to lead somewhere beautiful no matter which direction you turn. We consistently produce some of our favorite portraits of the entire wedding day in this space.

The Scarbrough Garden can accommodate up to 100 guests for a banquet setup, making it an intimate setting for a wedding ceremony and celebration. The scale invites closeness, and closeness is exactly what produces the kind of emotional imagery we are always chasing.

The North Garden Assembly Room: A Reception Space Unlike Any Other

The reception at Ships of the Sea takes place in the North Garden Assembly Room, a stunning covered open air space surrounded by the lush greenery of the North Garden. The Assembly Room can accommodate more than 340 guests seated at tables and more than 550 in concert seating. It is equipped with lighting and sound equipment, while the venue also offers a catering room, bridal suite, bathrooms, and on site parking.

What makes this reception space so special is that it never loses its connection to the garden. The greenery surrounds you. The night air comes through. The bistro lighting creates a warmth that renders beautifully on camera without any additional lighting intervention. It is the kind of reception environment that photographs naturally and beautifully from the first hour to the last, which means we can stay focused entirely on the emotion and the story rather than managing difficult conditions.

The entire venue, from the Scarbrough Garden to the Pergola and Maple Grove to the North Garden Assembly Room, flows naturally from one space to the next, giving guests a sense of discovery and movement throughout the evening. Every corner of Ships of the Sea holds something beautiful, and we have never once photographed a wedding here where any space went to waste.

How We Photograph a Ships of the Sea Wedding

A photographer who creates artwork photographs differently than one who simply documents events. At Izzy + Co, every image at a Ships of the Sea wedding is made with a cohesive visual story in mind, with the finished heirloom as the end goal from the very first frame of the day. We document every part of the wedding with intention, so that the final album preserves not only how the day looked but how it felt. The anticipation before the ceremony. The emotion of the vows. The way golden hour light moves through the gardens during portraits. The joy and warmth of the reception under the pavilion. All of it, crafted and curated into something you can hold in your hands, display on your walls, and pass down for generations.

Ships of the Sea is the kind of venue that rewards an editorial eye. The light changes throughout the day, the gardens offer dozens of distinct portrait settings, and the architecture of the Scarbrough House creates opportunities that most venues in Savannah simply do not have. We bring the full depth of our 20 years of experience to every wedding we photograph here, and the results are imagery that feels as timeless as the venue itself.

We are also deeply rooted in Savannah. Our Associate Team is Savannah-based and brings the same editorial artistry and white-glove care that defines Izzy + Co to every wedding they photograph in this city. When you work with us for your Ships of the Sea wedding, you are working with photographers who know this venue and this city intimately, and that knowledge shows up in every single frame.

Artwork That Honors a Venue This Beautiful

A wedding at Ships of the Sea deserves to live as more than a digital gallery. At Izzy + Co, artwork is never an afterthought. It is the entire point of everything we do, and it is built into every client experience from the very beginning.

We consult with all of our couples on custom heirloom design both before and after their wedding day, guiding them through every decision with care. We are not only photographers but expert designers, creative directors, and art curators. Our fine art albums are entirely custom, hand-crafted by a small, family-owned lab right here in the United States. Nothing is mass produced. Every album is built with the same level of care and intention that went into photographing the celebration itself. The cover is fully customizable, down to a custom deboss of a monogram or a hand drawn line illustration of your venue.

Our professional labs use archival photographic printing processes on fine art papers, which create continuous tones and true-to-life color. Consumer labs may use press printing processes where images are made up of tiny dots that simulate color. The difference is visible and tangible in the finished artwork, and our albums are created with longevity and heirloom preservation in mind.

If Ships of the Sea Is on Your Savannah Wedding Venue List

We would love to be part of your Ships of the Sea wedding. This is a venue we genuinely adore, one where spirited imagery and effortless magic come together naturally because the setting already holds so much of both. Whether your celebration is intimate or expansive, daytime or evening, we approach every wedding here with the same intention: to create a visual story that honors who you are, where you have been, and who you are becoming together.

Reach out to begin your experience with Izzy + Co. We photograph weddings across Savannah, Atlanta, the Golden Isles, the Carolinas, and beyond, and we bring the same full-service, white-glove care to every celebration we are honored to document.

Inquire to begin your experience with Izzy + Co.

Frequently Asked Questions About Weddings at Ships of the Sea in Savannah

What makes Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum a great venue for wedding photography in Savannah?

Ships of the Sea offers some of the most layered and diverse portrait settings of any venue in Savannah’s Historic District. The 1819 Scarbrough House provides grand Greek Revival architecture as a ceremony backdrop, the Scarbrough Garden offers lush, intimate greenery and seasonal plantings, the Pergola and Maple Grove creates soft dappled light ideal for portraits, and the North Garden Assembly Room provides warm, bistro-lit reception coverage throughout the evening. As a team that photographs with a finished heirloom in mind, we consistently produce some of our most editorial and emotionally resonant imagery at this venue.

How many guests can Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum accommodate for a Savannah wedding?

The Scarbrough Garden can accommodate up to 100 guests seated at round tables. The North Garden Assembly Room can accommodate more than 340 guests seated at tables and more than 550 in concert seating. The full venue encompasses two acres of garden venue space in Savannah’s Historic District, with several distinct areas that allow celebrations to flow naturally from one space to the next.

Does Izzy + Co photograph weddings at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum regularly?

Yes. Ships of the Sea is one of our favorite venues in Savannah, and we have photographed multiple weddings here across different seasons and celebration styles. Our Associate Team is Savannah-based, and we know this venue, its light, and its many portrait opportunities intimately. If you are planning a wedding at Ships of the Sea and are looking for an experienced Savannah wedding photographer who truly loves this space, we would be honored to be part of your celebration.

What does the fine art album process look like after a Savannah wedding with Izzy + Co?

After your wedding, we guide you through a fully custom heirloom design experience. We are not only photographers but designers, creative directors, and art curators, and we consider the design of your album to be an important part of the overall experience. Our artwork is thoughtfully designed to be enjoyed today and passed down for generations, and we guide you through the process of creating tangible artwork that preserves your story. The cover can be customized, allowing your finished album to become a meaningful reflection of your wedding day.

Creative Team:

Photography: Izzy + Co Photography | Associate Team

Planner: Coastal Coordinating

Venue: Ships of the Sea

Wedding Gown: Jenny Yoo

Hair & Makeup: TL Brides Makeup and Hair Artistry

Floral Design: Madeline Read Floral

Rentals: Event Works

Ceremony Music & DJ: Charleston Virtuosi

Catering: Thrive Catering

Coffee Cart: Origin Coffee Bar