Wedding Photography in Santa Barbara, California

Known for its warm climate, sunny beaches, and laidback ambience, Santa Barbara offers a plethora of scenic locations for your wedding photography session. Start off your photo shoot at the beautiful Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara, less than a mile from both downtown and the coast. Your wedding photographer can gather the bridal party for a portrait on the patio, either on its lush green lawn or beside the shimmering fountain. The hotel’s immaculate architecture and verdant palm trees can also serve as a perfect backdrop for a photo of the bride and groom. Once you’ve finished at the hotel, make your descent toward Santa Barbara’s famous Stearns Wharf, located only a few minutes away. Stroll down the state’s oldest functioning wharf as your wedding photographer captures some fun-filled moments. The wharf’s Dolphin Fountain is a great location for a portrait of the bridal party. Finally, the bride and groom can pose for an intimate photo at the end of the wharf, with a stunning panoramic view of Pacific Ocean as a backdrop. 

To conclude your wedding photography session, have your limousine driver take you to nearby Chase Palm Park, another great wedding photography location in Santa Barbara. Have your photographer assemble the bridal party on any of the park’s sprawling green lawns or in front of the corridor of palm trees, which will provide a gorgeous backdrop. Your photographer can also snap a photo of the bride and groom walking along the park’s walkway, seated on any of its cozy benches, or beside the central fountain. Your wedding photography session near the Santa Barbara coast will surely be an unforgettable one!

A Wedding Photography Itinerary in the Gardens

Besides a gorgeous southern California coastline, Santa Barbara also offers some of the state’s most renowned botanical gardens for your wedding photography session. Begin at the Alice Keck Memorial Garden, one of Santa Barbara’s most popular locations for wedding photography and ceremonies. At the entrance of this “crowned jewel” of the city’s parks, your wedding photographer can situate the bridal party for a lovely group photo. You can then explore the garden’s diverse and vibrant flora  as you wander along its winding walkway, with your wedding photographer snapping pictures, unnoticed. Pause for a moment at the tranquil koi pond, a perfect spot for a private portrait of the bride and groom. Then utilize any of the garden’s green lawns for a portrait of the bridal party or for separate photos of the ladies and gentlemen.
Once you’ve finished your photo shoot at the Alice Keck Memorial Garden, take a short limousine ride over to the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens. A nature-lover’s dream, this garden offers many different settings and floral collections for your wedding photography session. Meander through the Meadow Section as your wedding photographer takes photos of the bridal party, using the magnificent hills as a backdrop. Follow one of the garden’s walkways through the majestic Redwood Forest and the bride and groom can pose beside any of nature’s ancient red giants. The shaded Arroyo section is a wonderful place to share some relaxing moments while hiding from the Santa Barbara sun.
Whichever garden you choose to visit first, you’ll be glad to have explored some of Santa Barbara’s most vibrant floral treasures.

Wedding Photography in Style

For a truly elegant wedding photography session, choose the city’s historic Santa Barbara Mission and the La Cumbre Country Club. A remnant of Spanish colonial presence, Mission Santa Barbara is a favorite location for wedding photography in the city. The steps leading to the entrance of the church are a great place to organize a group portrait, with the stunning Spanish architecture as a backdrop. As you explore the structure’s exterior, stop for a photo beside the fountain or pose underneath any one of the building’s white arches. Your wedding photographer can assemble a portrait on the giant green lawn outside or around the rose garden, located inside the mission walls. Be sure to pause inside the ornate chapel, where your photographer can capture the bride and groom locked in an intimate embrace.

Having completed your tour of the mission, drive over to the stylish La Cumbre Country Club and Golf Course, located less than a mile away. Your wedding photographer can arrange a portrait of the bridal party along the driveway or on the lawn, with the club’s immaculate walls and columns in the background. The club is situated in a beautiful natural setting, with panoramic views of the Santa Barbara Harbor, San Ynez Mountains, and Laguna Blanca. Each natural wonder will provide a perfect backdrop for your wedding photography session. Also be sure to venture inside the clubhouse for photos in the chic lobby our outside on the patio.
You’ll always remember these gorgeous wedding photography locations in the city of Santa Barbara!