Many residents of Palmetto Bluff have watched with dismay as their once tranquil, conservation-focused community has been transformed into an exclusive wedding venue for hotel guests.

Residents endure wedding after wedding, and often two weddings in the same weekend. The weddings (and supporting events) are hosted by the Montage Hotel but are often held in outdoor community spaces that are in close proximity to private homes, with music from a DJ or a band often heard until the early hours of the morning. Historically all events (including member events) on property ended no later than 10pm, however this policy seems to have recently changed.

Neighbors as far as one mile from the most popular wedding location, the Village Green, report being able to hear the music from these events well after 10pm. 

There is an exclusion in the Town of Bluffton noise ordinance which exempts private clubs from the town noise restrictions.  While Palmetto Bluff is a private club, the Montage Hotel is a "for profit" enterprise and Palmetto Bluff acknowledges that very few, if any, of these events are for club members and that the club receives no financial benefit from a Montage event.

We would like to petition the local Bluffton Council to a) confirm that the exclusion does not apply to Montage and/or b) amend the exclusion so that it only applies to events of a private club, so that the residents within Palmetto Bluff can “live in harmony with nature” as the Palmetto Bluff webpage promotes.