Santa Barbara & Montecito Wedding Photographer
Natural, elegant wedding photography for couples celebrating their wedding, elopement or intimate ceremony in Santa Barbara & Montecito.
Wedding photography fromUS$1,650
Weddings & elopements · Santa Barbara & Montecito · Available worldwide
Your Santa Barbara & Montecito wedding, beautifully documented
From the quiet moments before the ceremony to the last dance, we capture the atmosphere, emotions and people that make your wedding yours.
Packages · Santa Barbara & Montecito
Choose your Santa Barbara & Montecito wedding coverage
Final pricing depends on your date, location and coverage. Travel, where there is any, is itemised at cost.
1–2 hours
Elopement
FromUS$950
For intimate ceremonies and destination elopements.
- 1–2 hours of photography
- A planning consultation and location guidance
- Timing planned around sunrise or sunset for your date
- Help with permits where a location needs one
4–5 hours
Half Day
FromUS$1,650
For couples who want the ceremony, portraits and key moments of the celebration.
- 4–5 hours of photography
- A planning call and a written photography timeline
- Ceremony, family photographs, portraits and the start of the celebration
- A preview set within seven days
8–10 hours
Full Day
FromUS$2,550
Complete coverage from preparations through the reception.
- 8–10 hours of photography
- A second photographer available as an addition
- A planning call, a written timeline and a family list agreed in advance
- A preview set within seven days
Marrying away from home? Destination Wedding coverage — the full day, with travel planned around it — from US$3,350. How destination weddings work
Why couples choose us
More than beautiful photographs
01
A calm experience
Guidance when you need it, without turning your wedding into a photoshoot. Most of the day we are simply there, and you will forget we are.
02
Destination experience
Comfortable working with international couples, travel schedules and unfamiliar venues — including the ones none of us has seen until the week of the wedding.
03
Professional backup
Professional equipment, every frame written to two memory cards at once, and your images backed up off-site within twenty-four hours.
04
Clear communication
Straightforward packages, transparent pricing and a simple booking process. You always know what happens next, and what it costs.
Our promises
What every couple can count on
Nothing is published without your consent
No blog post, no portfolio entry, no social post, no submission to a publication. Your wedding is private by default and stays private unless you write to say otherwise. A non-disclosure agreement is signed on request and at no cost.
You meet your photographer before the day
The photographer on your wedding is the one you spoke to, and if a second is added you are told who they are in advance. Both have read the timeline and know the venue. Nobody learns your names that morning.
A preview in seven days, everything in eight weeks
A preview set within seven days of the wedding, and the complete edited set within eight weeks — four for an elopement. Those are commitments rather than estimates. If we are ever going to miss one, you hear it from us before the date passes.
Your archive is kept, and it is yours
Full-resolution files, a private online archive, and a print release for personal use with no expiry and no territory limit. You are never asked to buy back your own photographs.
How it works
From your first message to your wedding gallery
01
Tell us about your plans
Send your date, location and a few details about your wedding. It takes two minutes.
02
Check availability
We confirm availability — usually within 24 hours — and recommend the coverage that fits your plans.
03
Plan your photography
We discuss the timeline, locations, light and anything important to you, and a booking deposit holds the date.
04
Enjoy your day
We photograph the moments naturally and deliver your finished gallery after the wedding — a preview within a week.
Local knowledge
Getting married in Santa Barbara & Montecito?
What matters for your photographs here: the places, the hours and the practicalities — from planning weddings in Santa Barbara & Montecito, not from a travel guide.
Portrait locations
- Santa Barbara County Courthouse. A sunken garden, tiled stairs, arcades and a clock tower with a view over the red roofs.
- Old Mission Santa Barbara. The twin-towered façade and the rose garden in front of it, facing the town and the sea.
- Butterfly Beach, Montecito. A narrow beach below a seawall and palms, well known locally as a place to watch the sun go down.
The best light
- 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.
- September to November. The best of the year.
Popular venues
- San Ysidro Ranch — Cottages and gardens, Montecito
- Santa Barbara County Courthouse — Spanish-Colonial civic building
- El Encanto — Historic hotel, Riviera hillside
- Rosewood Miramar Beach — Beachfront hotel, Montecito
Good to know
- A marine layer can sit over the coast until midday from late spring into early summer.
- Many of the private estates here operate under strict confidentiality.
- The town is small and the drive between most venues is short.
The full Santa Barbara & Montecito guide
Wedding photography in Santa Barbara & Montecito
We photograph weddings and elopements in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland and the Santa Ynez Valley — Spanish-revival courtyards, historic hotels on the Riviera, estates under oak and ranch land in the hills.
In late spring and early summer a marine layer can sit over the coast until midday, so morning portraits belong above the town and the beach belongs to the afternoon.
Santa Barbara faces south, which almost 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. It is discreet to a degree worth naming: many weddings there happen on the understanding that nothing will ever be published. That suits how we work.
The best wedding photography locations in Santa Barbara & Montecito
01
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
A sunken garden, tiled stairs, arcades and a clock tower with a view over the red roofs. Open shade under the arches at any hour.
02
Old Mission Santa Barbara
The twin-towered façade and the rose garden in front of it, facing the town and the sea. Soft and clear in the morning before the visitors arrive.
03
Butterfly Beach, Montecito
A narrow beach below a seawall and palms, well known locally as a place to watch the sun go down. The last light is the reason to be there.
04
Stearns Wharf and West Beach
Timber pier, palms and the mountains behind the town. A lively location, better early in the day or at the very end of it.
05
Los Olivos, Santa Ynez Valley
A small ranching town over the pass, with wooden storefronts, oaks and open golden hills. Warmer and drier than the coast, and a completely different mood.
Popular wedding venues in Santa Barbara & Montecito
Places couples choose between here, and how each behaves for photographs. A list, not a list of partners: we recommend nowhere for a fee.
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 County 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.
Rosewood Miramar Beach
Beachfront hotel, Montecito
Directly on the sand, so a ceremony here has the ocean behind it and the late light arriving low along the beach.
Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara
Spanish Colonial Revival hotel, Montecito
Arcades, tile and lawns across the road from Butterfly Beach — the courtyard architecture that defines this coast, with the Pacific at the end of the garden.
When to marry in Santa Barbara & Montecito, and at what hour
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. Rarely genuinely hot at the coast, 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 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
Planning a wedding in Santa Barbara & Montecito
- 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.
Most Santa Barbara couples book Full Day coverage, from $2,550: one photographer for up to ten hours, with a second photographer available as an addition. Couples flying in often choose Destination Wedding, from $3,350, for the full day; when it helps, we can arrive early to walk the venue at the hour of the ceremony, and that is agreed per inquiry. Travel and accommodation are quoted separately and itemised at cost, and the exact price comes in reply to your inquiry.
Discretion is worth stating plainly here. 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 — without your written consent.
The one thing to plan around is the marine layer, which can sit over the coast until midday from late spring into early summer. Preview within seven days, the full set within eight weeks, a private online gallery, full-resolution downloads and a personal print release.
More questions about Santa Barbara & Montecito
- How much does a wedding photographer cost in Santa Barbara?
- Full Day coverage starts at $2,550 for one photographer and up to ten hours, and suits most Santa Barbara and Montecito weddings. Half Day coverage starts at $1,650 for up to five hours, and a full-day Destination Wedding at $3,350. Travel and accommodation are itemised at cost, and the exact quote comes in reply to your inquiry.
- Will our wedding appear anywhere?
- Not without your written consent. That is our default everywhere, and in Montecito it matters more than most places. No blog, no portfolio, no social post, no submission to a publication, and we sign an NDA on request.
- 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 usually clear.
- Which month is best for a Santa Barbara wedding?
- 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 be married at the Santa Barbara Courthouse?
- Ceremonies there are booked through the county, which confirms the current rules, rather than with us. The sunken garden and arcades are open to the public, which makes it a lovely place for portraits even when the ceremony is elsewhere.
- How far ahead should we book?
- Autumn Saturdays at the well-known Montecito and Riviera venues go well ahead, often more than a year. Spring, winter and weekday dates are easier to place.
- Can we elope in Santa Barbara?
- Yes. The Elopement booking starts at $950 for two hours with one photographer, including location and timing planning. A courthouse ceremony, the Mission and a beach at sunset fit comfortably into a short, walkable afternoon.
Questions
Something else on your mind? Ask it when you check your date — every inquiry is answered personally.
Wedding photography in Santa Barbara & Montecito: your questions
How much does wedding photography in Santa Barbara & Montecito cost?
Elopements start from US$950 for one to two hours, a Half Day from US$1,650 and a Full Day from US$2,550. The final price depends on your date, location and coverage, and any travel is itemised at cost — we send an exact quote when we reply.
How far in advance should we book?
Nine to fifteen months ahead is usual for a weekend between May and October, and the most popular dates go first. Weekdays and elopements can often be arranged with less notice, so a closer date is always worth asking about.
Do you photograph intimate weddings and elopements?
Yes — often. An elopement or a wedding of a dozen guests gets the same care as a large one, with coverage from US$950 for one to two hours and help choosing the places and the hour.
Can you photograph weddings at our venue?
Almost certainly. We work at venues across Santa Barbara & Montecito and beyond, and if we have not photographed yours we plan it from the light, the layout and the timeline before the day. Tell us the venue when you check your date.
Do you travel outside Santa Barbara & Montecito?
Yes. We photograph weddings across the United States, the rest of Europe and the United States. Travel is quoted separately, itemised and at cost, so you can see exactly what it adds.
How many photographs will we receive?
It depends on the day rather than the clock: a full day usually comes to several hundred edited photographs, an elopement fewer. We do not set a minimum, because a number becomes a target — everything worth keeping is delivered.
When will we receive our gallery?
A preview within seven days, then the complete edited gallery within eight weeks for a wedding and four weeks for an elopement, with high-resolution downloads and personal printing rights.
Do you require a deposit to book?
Yes. A short agreement and a booking deposit reserve your date, and the deposit is part of the total, not added to it. The balance is due before the wedding.
What happens if the weather changes?
We plan a covered alternative for the portraits with you before the day and adapt the timing on the day itself. Soft rain and cloud can make beautiful photographs; nobody is sent out into a storm.
Check availability
Planning your wedding in Santa Barbara & Montecito?
Tell us your date, location and plans. We’ll check availability and help you choose the right coverage for your day.
No obligation · Fast response