California, United States
Santa Barbara & MontecitoWedding photography
Spanish-revival estates between the mountains and the Pacific, in the steadiest light in America.
We photograph weddings in Santa Barbara and Montecito — Spanish-revival estates with courtyards and arcades, historic hotels above the coast, private houses under oak, and ranch land in the hills behind. Two photographers, full-day coverage, from $14,000.
This stretch of coast faces south, which no other part of California does, and the result is light that is warm all day rather than harsh at noon and gold at six. It is the most forgiving light of any destination on this list.
Santa Barbara faces south, which no other stretch of the California coast does, and the consequence is a quality of light that is warm all day rather than harsh at noon and gold at six. Add white stucco, red tile, olive and bougainvillea, and the whole place behaves like a reflector. It is the most forgiving light of any destination on this list.
The architecture is the other half. Spanish Colonial Revival is a style built around courtyards, arcades, wrought iron and shade — which is to say, built around exactly the compositions a photographer wants: a frame within a frame, a hard-edged shadow, a figure walking out of an arch into sun.
Montecito, just east, is where most of the private estates are, and where the commissions tend to be. It is discreet to a degree that is worth naming: a great many weddings there are photographed on the strict understanding that nothing will ever be published. That suits how we work.
The light
When to marry in Santa Barbara & Montecito.
The part a visitor cannot look up, and the reason this page exists rather than a list of packages.
March to May
Green hills, jacaranda and the risk of May grey — a marine layer that can sit over the coast all morning and occasionally all day.
June to August
June gloom in the mornings, then clear warm afternoons. Never genuinely hot, thanks to the ocean.
September to November
The best of the year. Clear, warm, dry, low gold light off the stucco, and the hills at their driest and most golden.
The venues
Where to be married in Santa Barbara & Montecito.
The rooms this market is built on, and what each one does to a photograph. Listed as places rather than as partnerships — we have no preferred-supplier arrangement with any of them.
San Ysidro Ranch
Cottages and gardens, Montecito
Oak canopy over most of it, which breaks the light into pieces all afternoon. Private to a degree that is the reason many couples choose it.
Santa Barbara Courthouse
Spanish-Colonial civic building
A sunken garden, tiled stairs and a clock tower, all public. The arcades give a frame within a frame at any hour, which is the whole vocabulary of this architecture.
El Encanto
Historic hotel, Riviera hillside
Above the town looking out over the channel, so the sunset happens across the water in front of you rather than behind the ridge.
Belmond El Encanto gardens and Casa del Herrero
Historic gardens, Montecito
Tiled fountains, wrought iron and clipped hedging — hard-edged shadow against white stucco, which is what this light does best.
Private estates, Hope Ranch
Coastal properties west of the city
Bluff-top lawns with the Channel Islands on the horizon. Many operate under strict confidentiality, which we sign and abide by without being asked twice.
The kind of place
- Spanish-revival estates with courtyards, arcades and long reflecting terraces
- Historic hotels above the coast, with gardens older than the buildings
- Private Montecito houses under oak, reached down a single drive
- Ranch land in the hills behind, with the Channel Islands on the horizon
What a Santa Barbara & Montecito wedding plans around
- A marine layer can sit over the coast until midday from late spring into early summer. It lifts inland first, which is a reason to put the morning portraits above the town rather than on the beach.
- Many of the private estates here operate under strict confidentiality. We sign what is put in front of us and publish nothing by default.
- The town is small and the drive between most venues is short. Unusually for this list, the schedule can breathe.
- Evening on a terrace here cools quickly once the sun is down, despite the daytime warmth.
Frames
From Santa Barbara & Montecito.
The commission
Photographing a wedding in Santa Barbara & Montecito.
A Santa Barbara wedding is a full day with two photographers, from $14,000, with a venue walk beforehand and no travel charge within two hours of Los Angeles.
Discretion is the part worth stating plainly here, because it is why a number of the commissions we take on this coast exist at all. Many of the private estates in Montecito operate under strict confidentiality. We sign what is put in front of us, and our default everywhere is that nothing is published — no blog, no portfolio, no social post, no submission to a publication — unless you write to say it may be.
The one thing to plan around is the marine layer, which can sit over the coast until midday from late spring into early summer. It lifts inland first, which is a reason to put the morning portraits above the town rather than on the beach. Preview in seven days, full set in eight weeks, private archive, print release with no expiry.
- Wedding, from
- $14,000
- Photographers
- Two
- Preview
- 7 days
- Full delivery
- 8 weeks
Santa Barbara & Montecito wedding photography — questions
How much is a Santa Barbara wedding photographer?
From $14,000 for a full day with two photographers and a venue walk beforehand. No travel charge within two hours of Los Angeles, which covers Santa Barbara, Montecito and the Santa Ynez Valley.
Will our wedding appear anywhere?
Not unless you write and say it may. That is our default everywhere, and in Montecito it is the reason a number of our commissions exist. No blog, no portfolio, no social post, no submission to a publication, and an NDA signed on request at no cost.
What is June gloom and does it matter?
A marine layer that can sit over the coast until midday from late spring into early summer. It lifts inland first, so the morning portraits go above the town rather than on the beach, and the afternoon is clear.
Which month?
September to November — clear, warm, dry, low gold light off the stucco and the hills at their most golden. March to May is green and flowering with the marine layer beginning.
Can we photograph at the Courthouse?
It is a public building and the sunken garden and arcades are open to anyone, which makes it one of the best free locations in California. Ceremonies there are booked through the county rather than with us.
How far apart are the venues?
Close, unusually for this list. Most of Santa Barbara and Montecito is within fifteen minutes, which means the schedule can breathe rather than race between addresses.
Nearby
Married in Santa Barbara & Montecito?
Tell us the date and what you are planning. We reply personally, usually within two business days.