Photo credit: Dorrien Schuyler
Planning a wedding in Santa Barbara doesn’t have to come with a sky-high price tag. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara is home to a variety of stunning venues that deliver all the beauty and charm for your dream wedding. This sun-soaked city offers everything from chic ballrooms to breezy gardens that won’t drain your savings but still provide the kind of backdrop that feels effortlessly Californian.
Santa Barbara Wedding Venues
Oceanfront, City-Owned Venues
For couples seeking ocean views without the high price tag, Santa Barbara’s city-owned venues deliver charm, flexibility and value right along the waterfront. The airy Carousel House offers space for up to 180 guests ($3,000-$3,500), while the intimate Casa Las Palmas is ideal for gatherings of around 75 ($2,100-$2,200). Just steps from the beach, the Palm Park Beach House accommodates about 100 (~$2,700), and the recently renovated Cabrillo Pavilion welcomes up to 200 with sweeping coastal vistas and built-in amenities. With resident and weekday discounts available, these Parks & Recreation venues make it easy to say “I do” right next to the sea.
Narrative Loft
Tucked in downtown Santa Barbara, the Narrative Loft offers a chic, industrial-style backdrop for weddings of 100-120 guests. Weekend rates start at $5,500 and include eight hours of exclusive access — with flexible timing for setup and breakdown. The space comes with cocktail tables, lounge seating, a prep kitchen and even a patio that can host a food truck, plus refrigeration for a DIY bar. With ample city lot and street parking nearby, this versatile loft blends urban style with practical amenities for a customizable celebration.
Santa Barbara Club
Established in 1892, the Santa Barbara Club offers a timeless downtown setting with elegant dining rooms, a library, lounge and landscaped gardens. The venue accommodates around 100 guests indoors, 200 outdoors or up to 350 for cocktail-style receptions. A site fee of about $5,500 (plus $1,500 for ceremonies) applies, alongside a $20,000 food and beverage minimum. In-house catering begins around $75 per person, with tables, chairs, linens, flatware, glassware, candles and string lighting included for a polished celebration.
Santa Barbara Woman’s Club
Set in Mission Canyon, the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club (Rockwood) is a Spanish-Colonial gem featuring a ballroom with oak dance floor, stage, terrace and surrounding gardens. The venue accommodates up to 200 guests with on-site parking for 120 cars. Rental fees range from $7,000-$8,000 (plus a $2,500 deposit) and include use of the ballroom, patio, commercial kitchen and dressing suite. A certified wedding planner is required, and events include a five-hour window plus setup and breakdown. Couples may also bring their own alcohol, provided it’s served by a licensed bartender.
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park offers historic charm at an accessible price. Host your ceremony in the iconic Presidio Chapel (seating up to 180) starting at $2,100 and/or celebrate outdoors in the Orchard for up to 250 guests with rentals from $1,575. Both spaces include on-site parking, bridal party rooms and a facility supervisor, with optional add-ons like lighting, sound and seating to customize your day.
Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara
Blending Mission-style architecture with lush courtyards and gardens, the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara offers a versatile setting for weddings of up to 250 guests indoors or 200 outdoors. Pricing starts around $2,500 for ceremonies, $3,500-$4,500 for receptions and $5,500 for combined events, with full Saturday rentals ranging $10,000-$12,000. Micro-weddings and elopements are also available from $1,250-$1,750 for up to 30 guests. Rentals include tables, chairs, kitchen access and staff support, while licensed caterers and bartenders handle food and beverage service.
Elings Park
Elings Park is a hidden gem in Santa Barbara, offering two outdoor venues — Godric Grove and Singleton Pavilion — each accommodating up to 200 guests with sweeping views of the mountains, city, harbor and sunsets. Godric Grove features a hilltop amphitheater, lawn and deck, while Singleton Pavilion offers a gazebo and stone terrace on a spacious lawn. Couples are free to use any vendors they choose, with the exception of the park’s list of three preferred DJs. Rental rates range from $1,650 to $5,750 depending on season and day of the week, with both venues including restrooms and a Park Host.
Ceremony-Only Venues
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
An architectural icon in the heart of downtown, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse offers a quintessential Spanish-Colonial backdrop with lush gardens, a soaring clock tower and the historic Mural Room. Beloved by couples from around the world — including celebrities who have chosen it for their own “I do’s” — the Courthouse is one of the most photographed wedding venues in Santa Barbara. Ceremonies can host up to 250 guests outdoors or around 100 in the Mural Room, with smaller garden nooks ideal for elopements. Fees range from about $1,200 for reserved gardens to $700 for the Mural Room, while very small groups may gather in some areas free of charge on a first-come basis. The Courthouse is ceremony-only and must be booked through the county.
Alice Keck Memorial Gardens
Located just a couple of blocks from State Street, Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden offers a serene, botanical setting for intimate wedding ceremonies. The Arbor Area, shaded by wisteria and overlooking koi ponds and lush landscaping, accommodates up to 100 guests. Rentals typically run around $600-$650 for a four-hour ceremony, with lower rates often available for Santa Barbara residents. While receptions aren’t permitted, this beloved public garden provides a picturesque backdrop for vows in one of the city’s most scenic spots.
Reception-Only Venues
Arnoldi’s Cafe
A Santa Barbara institution since 1937, Arnoldi’s Café blends classic Italian charm with a lively, family-friendly atmosphere. Weddings can take place in the mural-lined Lake Como Room (seating about 50) or outdoors in the garden patio, which accommodates up to 175 guests and features bocce ball courts. The Lake Como Room rents for around $500 with a $2,000-$3,000 food-and-beverage minimum, while a full garden buyout begins at about $7,000. Meals start around $30 per person, with all catering and bar service provided in-house.
El Paseo Restaurant
Built in 1922, the El Paseo Restaurant is a historic Santa Barbara landmark and the city’s oldest restaurant, known for its festive yet elegant Mexican-Spanish setting. The venue accommodates up to 275 guests and is available exclusively with food-and-beverage minimums ($7,000 Sunday through Friday, $12,000 Saturday or $5,000 for daytime use). Menus start at $90 per person for buffet or plated service, with an optional dessert bar for $10 per guest, while the bar is customized and charged on consumption. Rentals include linens, a dance floor and six hours of private use; couples provide their own décor, entertainment, cake and photographer.
Santa Barbara Hotels
Drift Santa Barbara
Modern and stylish, Drift Santa Barbara offers a versatile indoor-outdoor event space — including its signature Galería — that can host up to 200 guests. Venue rental fees begin around $1,500 midweek and $2,000 on weekends, with food-and-beverage minimums required. Located conveniently on State Street, this boutique hotel blends sleek design with a lively atmosphere, making it a chic backdrop for weddings and celebrations.
De La Vina Inn
Tucked along a tree-lined street just minutes from downtown, the De La Vina Inn offers a charming Victorian setting with courtyard gardens and intimate indoor-outdoor spaces ideal for weddings of up to 50 guests. Venue-only rates range from about $1,500-$2,000 on weekdays to $2,500-$3,500 on weekends, with amenities and full property buy-out options available. With several guest rooms on site, the inn makes it easy to host both your celebration and your closest friends and family under one roof.
Santa Barbara Beach Weddings
You can get married right on the sand at Santa Barbara’s East Beach or Leadbetter Beach with a simple permit from Parks & Recreation, which also manages the Cabrillo Pavilion for receptions. County beaches don’t allow ceremonies on the sand, but weddings are permitted at Lookout Park in Summerland, on the grassy bluff overlooking the ocean. Click here for more information.
