A place for us

Since I posted our maps, I would like to tell you more about our venues and why we chose them.

Santa Barbara is a popular city for weddings (both local and destination) so while we found ourselves contending with other couples and our budget, we also found quite a variety of choices. To narrow the field down, I created a small requirements check list for possible venues.

1. History and Santa Barbara icon status. The majority of our guests are from out of town so we wanted to share the character, charm, and history of our city with them. We thought of places like the Courthouse, Presidio chapel, Mission, and Wharf that are historic sites and have a charm to them. These locations are also what come to mind when people think of SB and are popular tourist destinations. Having lived in SB for years (as undergrads and professionals) we have taken for granted the beautiful locations we have been surrounded with, so scouting theses places has been a good way to fall in love with the city all over again.
2. Ambiance and Style. We are laid back and casual, but we like things to be structured and classic. We like our location to have a fluid style and lovely exterior, a feeling of warmth and welcome. I also love flowers so gardens and lush landscaping are things we like.
3. Proximity to the beach or have a great views. When thinking about our wedding I always wanted to incorporate the beach and ocean into the location. We both thought that if our guests were driving or flying hundreds of miles to see us, there is no way we would not show them the beach. So whether we are married on the beach or the location has an ocean view, we will be happy.
4. Budget friendly. We are paying for the wedding ourselves. Being young in our careers (and paying the exorbitant amount of rent that is common in SB) our budget is modest. We may not be able to afford a luxurious banquet hall at a 5 star resort, but we can have a beautiful and unique place.
5. Size. Our guest list is between 140 and 180 people, depending on the RSVPs. The location must be big enough to hold everyone and cozy enough to provide an intimate atmosphere.

With all of this in mind, the choices were narrowed down to a select few. We decided to have two venues (one for the ceremony and one for the location) so that we could take our guests from one part of town to the other and let them experience as much of SB as possible.

The Old Mission was our #1 venue choice. It is historic, majestic, picturesque, sits atop a little hill, has an ocean view, and is a popular destination, a must see for those visiting SB. It is a Catholic church, and since I am Catholic and my faith has always been a part of my life, this would be perfect. Also, my love has been very open about having our ceremony in a Catholic church. While beauty and location drew us in, the pastor, Father Daniel, and community won us over. We knew this is where we wanted to get married. Father Daniel has a wonderful personality, speaks very well, and his homilies are thoughtful. Parishoners are very kind and those serving at the mass (altar servers, ushers) are very nice people. And the organ music is really quite lovely. Reserving a date at the Mission was easy since we did it so far in advance.

Inside Cabrillo Pavilion.

Reception venue choice was slightly difficult only because they were being booked so fast! The choice was between Rockwood Women's Center and Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center, we were priced out of the popular hotels in the area (Bacara, Biltmore, Fess Parker, Canary) and not sure if we wanted have it at the zoo, a museum, in a restaurant, on a boat, etc. Both locations are budget friendly, can accomodate our party size, have nice ambiance, and are more local. Rockwood is located a few minutes from the Mission, nestled in Mission Canyon. It's style is beautiful, has a lovely outdoor patio filled with plants, and great ballroom with hardwood floors and chandeliers. Cabrillo is located in East Beach on the ocean side of Cabrillo Blvd. It's the closest you can get to the beach, without actually being on the sand. The building is a bit older with some dated carpeting, but the feel of the place is cozy and warm. And you can't forget the view! The views of the ocean are beautiful and it has a large balcony that overlooks the beach. Ultimately location won us over and we chose Cabrillo. We had to share the beautiful view with our guests.


View of the ocean from one of the balconies at Cabrillo. So beautiful. I am excited to watch the sunset from there.

How did you choose your venues? Did you have any requirements or must haves?

Blog title is from lyrics by Phil Collins