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Hello! Before we decided to get married in Napa, we considered Santa Barbara too! I actually liked the Canary Hotel -- neat downtown location with the ceremony on the rooftop would've been neat. We weren't sure where else .. though my best friend's bf's best friend got married in Santa Barbara! I can't remember where but I saw pictures and the ceremony was on this big grassy area and the reception in a cute courtyard. I think it might've been a small wedding though. Another place I kind of liked was in Ojai (the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa) -- but not sure how much that would cost either.. sorry :(.
Not sure about how much it costs, but we also considered Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes.
And the Viceroy! That looks neat! I saw this one photographer's photos of a wedding there and it looked fun! (http://danagrantphotography.com/jenny-heath-viceroy-palm-springs-wedding/)
Have you thought about maybe places in Temecula?
There are many beautiful locations in Santa Barbara. Lots of hotels close to the beach...just not sure how they would fit into your budget. I grew up in Ojai and would have loved to been married at the Ojai Valley Inn...it just wasn't in our budget (we had close to 300 guests). It might work for you. They have many wonderful outdoor ceremony locations. I actually wasn't all that impressed with the ballrooms. Considering how beautiful the grounds of the Inn are the ballrooms are just ballrooms you could see anywhere. There are also a few private estates that you could rent in Ojai (we looked at and loved twin peaks www.twinpeaksranchojai.com
Hello,
We had 110 people with about the same budget as you. We got married in Alice Keck Park in Santa Barbara with the receptoin at the University Club, about a block away from the park. I would definitely recommend the University Club (it's not associated with UCSB). The Club itself is gorgeous, kinda old Spanish style, and you get the entire club all day. I loved that it wasn't your standard hotel ballroom. It felt like you were in someone's really big, nice house. The food was great - we had a plated dinner. You could have your ceremony at the Club too, if you wanted it all in one location.
We looked at the Canary - I loved their rooftop area but we wanted an indoors reception and their room just seemed too small and claustaphobic to me.
A lot of our guests came from out of state, so it was kinda destination-y for them. Some people went wine tasting the days before or after the wedding.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I can send you pics or contact info for people I worked with.
@julianneb: We provided lighting and drapery for a wedding with approx 80-100 guests at Montecito Country Club that was beautiful. The planner and bride decided to drape off the Santa Cruz dining room so that the space wouldn't be too large for the number of guests. Feel free to email me if you would like to see photos.
You can also check camarillo there are some nice places there, like the Spanish Hills Country Club, Camarillo library,Historic Camarillo Ranch, as well as several country clubs in Thousand oaks, Camarillo area.
In SB, the zoo does nice weddings and that could be fun and different.
For a list of Ventura and SB venues:
http://www.weddingcelebrations.com/ventura-santa-barbara/banquet-reception-locations.html
Hummingbird nest Ranch is lovely, too
http://www.hummingbirdnestranch.com/
If I had your budget, I would have booked Calamigos Ranch in Malibu
I wanted the exact same feel, semi destination but not too far from home...Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara or Paradise Cove in Malibu are my two very favorites...San Diego venues I love the Catamaran and Paradise Point.
I went with The California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey- I loved the indoor/outdoor feel of the yacht club! It's still LA but really feels destination-like. Hope that helps!
Just got married a little over two months ago at the Grand Tradition Estate. We were also concerned about it being in the middle of nowhere...however, there is no venue that can top the Grand Tradition in my opinion and is worth the travel. It's pricey but you the professionals there realyl know what they are doing.
It's only an hour away from LA and an hour away from SD downtown. So a lot of my friends from the OC, LA, and SD actually drove back home afterwards because it was close enough. And those that flew in from out of town actually loved that it was a bit secluded from the city bc it was a different aspect of Southern California that they never experienced before in all their visits down here.
@julianneb: There are so many great venues that you will find, especially with a 40k budget IMO!
Here's a quick run-down of the venues my FI and I saw, and what we thought.
Santa Barbara: Bacara
We loved this place from pictures online, etc. But after touring the grounds, I didn't like it at all. One of the ceremony sites would have had me waiting in my big 'ol dress in a parking lot until my music cue hit, then I'd emerge from an opening in the wall of greenery and down the aisle.
Santa Barbara: Fess Parker's Double Tree Resort
There were soooo many things about this venue that we loved. Everything was in the same spot, the bridal suite was right upstairs, we'd practically be married on the beach (I LOVE the beach/water/etc), there was a room next to the bridal suite for rent as a kid's room, etc. We ended up not going with them for two reasons, budget, and his brother and SIL got married there years ago. We didn't want to feel like we were "competing" even though I know that was just in our heads!
Santa Barbara: Four Seasons The Biltmore
This one was one of our favorites, but didn't fit our 15k budget! Outdoors ceremony in a number of different spots, depending on party size. The reception space we fell in love with was the ballroom right across the street. Cocktail hour during the beginnings of sunset on the patio, then right inside for the reception while the sun continued to drop. Omigosh sooo gorgeous. But unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards for us.
Montecito: Montecito Country Club
I can't even begin to explain how much I friggin LOVE that window!!! The bridal suite, amazing. The one down-side was the darker reception area, but we would have just chalked that up to ambiance lighting LOL and then the cake / dancing area in the room next to it. We couldn't book this place because at the time they were unsure of whether or not they'd be open next year due to possible renovations, and we couldn't wait that long to book.
Ojai: Ojai Valley Inn
I don't have much positive to say about this place, so if you like it, skim over LOL. The catering manager was almost 20 minutes late for our scheduled appointment with her, and when she finally showed, we didn't get an apology or explination or anything. She was just "you're so and so? Okay, let's get started." ummmm ok? Haha. One of the ceremony sites, we'd have to walk almost half a mile back to the reception spot, or trek all of the guests over in golf carts. No thanks!
Camarillo: Spanish Hills Country Club (This is the venue we booked!)
They have this gorgeous outdoor ceremony spot with a staircase that is sooo pretty! The train of my dress will fall down the top of the stairs, omigosh, I can't wait! Inside the reception space, there are two fireplaces, something like 12 chandeliers, and a built-in bar area.
Thousand Oaks / Westlake: Sherwood Country Club
They have a "bridal suite", a groom's room with a huge table and leather chairs for the guys (cool photo ops!), then you walk out the double doors of your bridal suite when it's time, and right down the aisle, in this partial covered outdoor patio area that overlooks the mountains in the distance. The inside there are windows everywhere, and the ballroom is very pretty!
Also, we've been to two weddings in the past few years at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, each time in different areas of the venue. Both were beautiful, but also buffets, so I'm not sure if they offer sit down menus or not?
Okay, so I don't know how "quick" that was LOL but yeah.... good luck in your search!! Let me know if you have any other questions about any of the venues my FI and I saw!!
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I've just started the search for our venue and finding it a little more overwhelming than I realized it would be!
We are looking for something in Southern CA -San Diego, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs (something that feels like a destination but still within 2 hours of LA and isn't LA).
We will have 100 - 120 people and budgeting about 40k (excluding clothing/rings/honeymoon). I would prefer to not have a buffet if possible
So far we have seen 2 venues in Santa Barbara:
Canary Hotel (didn't like the location or hotel at all)
Montecito Country Club(absolutely beautiful but not sure it it's a little too large for our party size?)
Also, considering viewing the Viceroy Hotel in Palm Springs
Wondering if anyone has any suggestions?
We also considered La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes (seems a bit small, don't like how the dance floor is separate from the dinner tables).
And thinking about Grand Tradition Estate but wondering if it's too much in the middle of nowhere?
Any help is appreciated!