Lulan Studio · Venue Guide

Santa Barbara & Venturawedding venues

The Central Coast trades the city for red-tile roofs, sandstone and long ocean light — Spanish Colonial landmarks in Santa Barbara, coastal hotels through Ventura. Every venue here is one we have photographed.

49+ weddings photographed across Santa Barbara & Ventura

14 venues we have photographed

Showing all 14 venues with galleries
Showing 6 venues in Santa Barbara and Montecito
Showing 8 venues in Ventura and up the Central Coast
Black-and-white frame of the first dance under tall palms, sun flaring through the trees over the reception tablesMcCormick Home RanchLulan Studio photographs rustic-chic garden weddings atGuests firing streamers over a couple leaving through an arched doorway in a white stucco wallBelmond El Encanto, Santa BarbaraHilltop Spanish Colonial cottages and sweeping Santa BarbaraOverhead frame of a couple standing on a blue-and-white mosaic tile star, the veil swept out across the patternGanna Walska LotuslandVow ceremonies among the botanical garden rooms of thisLooking down a spiral staircase at a couple far below, the domed ceiling painted in gold and blue medallionsThe Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa BarbaraThe Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara wedding photographyFairytale-style wedding portrait at Chateau Noland in San Luis ObispoChâteau NolandChateau Noland wedding photographerWhite pavilion at the end of the formal path at Tuscan Rose Ranch in Santa PaulaTuscan Rose RanchItalian-countryside grounds and four hundred white roses, Santa PaulaBride on the curved Manor House staircase at Rosewood Miramar Beach in MontecitoRosewood Miramar BeachSixteen Montecito acres on the sand, and the Manor House staircaseBride and groom at the top of the gold spiral staircase in the Gold Rush Steak House at the Madonna InnMadonna InnPink, gold and 110 rooms that are all different, in San Luis ObispoBride's veil streaming across a downtown Los Angeles rooftop at dusk with the skyline behindSanta Barbara County CourthouseThe 1929 Spanish-Colonial landmark and its Sunken GardensBlack and white film photo of the couple standing in the shallows at sunset, rocks behind themThe Four Seasons BiltmoreA 1927 resort on Montecito's Butterfly BeachBride and groom walking along the shoreline at a hazy sunsetCrowne Plaza Ventura BeachA beachfront hotel with a circular 12th-floor ballroomBride standing beneath a stained-glass skylight in a dark red-walled hallHotel San BuenaA 1928 Spanish Revival landmark in downtown VenturaCouple in a grand wood-panelled hallThe Pierpont InnA historic Ventura oceanview inn with a beloved rose gardenCouple in a grand wood-panelled hallVentura Beach MarriottA full-service beachfront hotel for up to 500 guests
Planning your day

How wedding days run in Santa Barbara and Ventura

Most weddings we photograph in this region follow one of two shapes: a short courthouse day in Santa Barbara, or a full day at a single hotel, club or ranch further south. These are drawn from real weddings and are a starting point, not a fixed schedule.

Courthouse ceremony in Santa Barbara, dinner nearby

Around 15 to 40 guests. Four to five hours of coverage.
  • 1:30 PMCoverage begins with getting ready at a downtown hotel or rental.
  • 2:15 PMA ten minute drive to the courthouse.
  • 2:45 PMCeremony in the Mural Room or the Sunken Gardens, usually twenty to thirty minutes.
  • 3:15 PMFamily and group photos at the courthouse.
  • 3:45 PMCouple portraits on the staircases, under the arches and in the gardens.
  • 4:45 PMOn to a restaurant, tasting room or hotel patio for dinner.
  • 5:15 PMSunset portraits at East Beach or along State Street, timed to the season.
  • 6:00 PMToasts and table candids, then coverage concludes.

A full day at one hotel, club or inn

Around 100 to 150 guests. Common from Camarillo and Thousand Oaks to the beachfront hotels. Seven to eight hours.
  • 2:00 PMCoverage begins on site. Details, final hair and makeup, both getting ready rooms.
  • 3:00 PMFirst look, then wedding party and immediate family photos before guests arrive.
  • 4:00 PMCouple tucked away. Ceremony setup and arriving guests photographed.
  • 4:30 PMCeremony on the lawn, the terrace or the sand.
  • 5:00 PMCocktail hour. Remaining family groups and a short couple set.
  • 6:15 PMGrand entrance, first dance, dinner and toasts.
  • 8:00 PMCake cutting, parent dances and open dancing.
  • 10:00 PMCoverage concludes.
Good to know

What shapes a wedding day in Santa Barbara and Ventura

A few things about this stretch of coast that change how the day is planned.

Coverage lengthAbout 45% of the weddings we photograph in this region book seven to eight hours, usually full days at one venue. About 25% book under five hours, and most of those are courthouse weddings in Santa Barbara.
Guest countHalf of the weddings we photograph here have between about 40 and 125 guests. Courthouse days sit at the small end; hotel and club days in Ventura County at the larger end.
Portraits before the ceremonyAbout 35% of the weddings we photograph here include a first look. Many of those couples finish family and wedding party photos before the ceremony too, which leaves cocktail hour free for guests.
Church ceremoniesAbout 10% of the weddings we photograph here begin with a church ceremony or Mass. Allow about an hour for a Mass, a short family photo session at the church, then the drive to the reception.
Drive timesDowntown Santa Barbara hotels sit about ten minutes from the courthouse. In Ventura County, a church in Oxnard to Tuscan Rose Ranch in Santa Paula is closer to twenty minutes. Build each drive into the timeline as real time.
Every venue, A–Z

All 19 Santa Barbara & Ventura venues

Belmond El Encanto, Santa BarbaraChâteau NolandCrowne Plaza Ventura BeachThe Four Seasons BiltmoreGanna Walska LotuslandHotel San BuenaMadonna InnMcCormick Home RanchRosewood Miramar BeachThe Pierpont InnThe Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara County CourthouseTuscan Rose Ranch, Santa PaulaVentura Beach Marriott
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