Santa Barbara Courthouse Wedding

If you’re searching for a beautiful location to have your wedding, Santa Barbara offers one of the best city hall and courthouse wedding venues around LA. This stunning historic landmark in Santa Barbara captures the blend between the Spanish and Moorish architectural influences making it a dream to photograph. From the large exterior Sunken Garden and Palm Terrace to the elaborate hand-painted murals covering the interior walls of the Mural Room, the details make the Santa Barbara Courthouse a premier wedding location. The clay-tiled terracotta roof and white stucco walls frame the Spanish Colonial Revival style that rolls throughout the entire architectural design. The details can be seen in the decorative tiles, elaborately painted wooden beams, large arches, and wrought iron gates. When walking through the Santa Barbara Courthouse it feels like a castle in Spain and it’s easy to forget that it is a fully functional California Superior Courthouse. After the destruction of the original courthouse in 1926 following the earthquake, the three-year build to replace the courthouse in the Spanish-Revival style spared no expense. The total project cost of the build back then was $1,368,000, which is is over $21,000,000 in today’s value. When it comes to beautiful city halls and courthouses, the Santa Barbara Courthouse is a stylish and elegant wedding venue.

Escape to Santa Barbara - A Getaway destination location

It is not uncommon for Santa Barbara to be a couple's social destination getaway location.  After being married at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, it's often become a special city that out-of-town couples share between just the two of them. The city of Santa Barbara and all it has to offer becomes a quiet getaway to escape for wedding anniversaries and is a romantic place to visit when taking time away for just the two of you. This makes getting married here memorable and gives you both a great excuse to visit Santa Barbara in the future.

Couples come from all over the US to Santa Barbara to enjoy it’s Spanish Style beauty for their wedding backdrop with Los Angeles being one of the most popular home cities. Many couples in and around the Los Angeles area may be looking for a courthouse or civil ceremony wedding location where they can elope and that is also beautiful. Santa Barbara’s Courthouse is not only a stunning destination elopement location but your civil ceremony is easily included.

When it comes to elopements, simplicity and ease are the goal. The Santa Barbara County Clerk Recorders Office makes the civil ceremony process simple. The interior of the recorder’s office is beautiful. When people first think of a courthouse or civil ceremony location, they think of a nondescript white room. The Santa Barbara Recorders office is a beautiful Spanish style atrium with a few smaller trees framing the space. It’s a photo worthy location to start the paperwork process and capture a few photos before your ceremony.

Amazing wedding photography locations around the Santa Barbara courthouse for your wedding ceremony and photos

As a Santa Barbara Courthouse wedding photographer, I specialize in capturing the beauty of this iconic venue. Whether you’re planning a Santa Barbara Courthouse wedding ceremony or a Santa Barbara court wedding, the location offers incredible diversity for stunning photos, from the Mural Room to the lush Courthouse Garden Wedding. With years of experience photographing Santa Barbara Courthouse weddings, I know every detail, making your special day unforgettable. I am intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the courthouse. I used to live a few blocks from the Santa Barbara Courthouse and have photography many couples who have eloped here.

The courthouse and sunken gardens captures the American Riviera vibe that Santa Barbara is known for. From the Spanish architecture to the green plants around the exterior, this space says ‘Santa Barbara’ visually. For couples looking to elope at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, this wedding venue is perfect artistic collaboration that serves as an amazing backdrop for intimate micro weddings. Whether you're securing a Santa Barbara marriage license or having a Santa Barbara civil ceremony, the courthouse is ideal for those wanting to have a more intimate wedding in a beautiful setting. The Santa Barbara Courthouse mural room and the stunning grounds create breathtaking backdrops for your wedding photography.

Click the photo below to view a full gallery at the Santa Barbara Courthouse

Elopement Pricing & Packages

Santa Barbara Courthouse Wedding Photographer Pricing

My Santa Barbara Courthouse wedding and elopement packages are tailored specifically to this location, with a deep understanding of its beauty and unique charm. I photograph elopements at the courthouse so often I can often tell when the ground keepers have cut back the folliage. Whether you’re having an intimate one-on-one Santa Barbara County Courthouse wedding or a small civil ceremony Santa Barbara with a few family and friends, it’s important to me that your wedding photos reflect the elegance of your wedding day and the Santa Barbara Courthouse’s Spanish vibe. Getting married at the Santa Barbara Courthouse is a truly visually unique experience and I’ve created this guide to make the process as simple as possible. We’re having an elopement after all, the process should be simple and easy.

I’ve photographed many weddings at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Most all of them end up being 90 minutes. For those couples wanting to add on a second location such as the beach, I offer additional coverage time as requested.

Please click here to view my Micro Wedding & Elopement Collections and Pricing.

Two common ways to have your elopement at the Santa Barbara Courthouse

There are a few different ways to have your wedding at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. I’ve outlined the two most common approaches to get married at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. I weigh the different wedding ceremony visions against the risks around ceremony site location availability to help you find an approach that’s right for you.

This is my disclaimer. I am not an official or final source for information around operating policy as it relates to getting married at the courthouse. I am simply reporting what I’ve aggregated from my experience having photographed many weddings at the Santa Barbara Courthouse and Sunken Gardens. Although I don’t anticipate this process will change, anything is possible. Especially given the ongoing construction project in its various phases. Double-check location policies and rules with the official sources as their policies may change.

1) Civil Marriage Ceremony at County Clerk Recorder’s Office (the Hall of Records)

Getting married directly through the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder’s office is a quick and simple process if your wedding is smaller in size, ranging from between just-the-two-of-you to around 10 or so people. Here’s is a link to their site with the complete process.

I’ve summarized the process below:

1) The first step is to schedule a marriage ceremony appointment online.

Only weekday appointments are available. The Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office is open Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. So no weekend appointments.

You can book up to 90 days in advance. Meaning, if you want a specific wedding date that is more than 90 days away, you need to mark your calendar to schedule your appointment exactly 90 days before in order to get your desired time slot.

The Hall of Record’s office (arched entrance shown on the left side of the building in the photo above) offers different time slots for your paperwork and ceremony. So which time slot is my favorite time for photos? I prefer the timing when the sun is lowest on the horizon.

The 2:00p time slot is the latest the Hall of Records offers, so the 2:00p time slot is my first choice to get the best light in your photos while also giving you enough time to use the inside of the courthouse after your ceremony without being pressured by their closing time.

The second best time slot for photos is 10:00a. That’s when the light is also low on the horizon, but getting up this early for their wedding is sometimes more challenging for some than others. Whenever possible, I like to avoid harsh sunlight to give you the best wedding photos possible.

Scheduling Tip: Say you want the 2:00p time slot. How do you ensure you get it? Available appointment times are released hourly, exactly 90 days in advance. The website releases each time slot at the end of the hour. Meaning, if you want a 2:00p appointment, that time slot will become available at 3:00 pm 90 days before your requested date. Be sure to mark your calendar day 90 days before your desired wedding date and be on their website to book one hour later than the hour you would like.

The website is their only way to schedule. When you schedule your marriage appointment, you need to use the website. They do not make reservations over the phone or check availability. If couples try to book multiple appointments, all appointments will be cancelled.

Here is a copy of their Marriage Fees.

FAQ:

My preferred wedding day is not available on the Santa Barbara County’s Website Marriage License Appointment Calendar. I am within 90 days of my wedding and there are no time slots available as other couples have booked the available appointment times. I really want this wedding date. What are my options?

EXPRESS WEDDINGS MAY BE AN OPTION, BUT ARE RISKY IF YOU ARRIVE LATE IN THE DAY:

The Santa Barbara County Hall of Records offers an Express Wedding option. This is risky. WEDDING CEREMONY AVAILABILITY IS DEPENDENT ON STAFF AND NOT GUARANTEED. AN EXPRESS WEDDING MEANS YOU WALK UP TO THE COUNTER EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN THEY OPEN AT 8:00A, AND DEPENDING ON WHAT OTHER TASKS THEIR AVAILABLE MARRIAGE COMMISSIONS HAVE ON THEIR PLATE THAT DAY, THEY MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY REQUEST. If you arrive when they open at 8:00a they are more likely to be able to accommodate your request. You may have to wait a few hours while they work you into their availability, however it’s more likely if you come early in the day. If you show up at 3:00 towards the end of the day, they are less likely to be able to accommodate a walk-in request. 

Please note that they also have a staggered lunch from 12:00-2:00p every day.

You will also want to check their website to make sure their office is open on your requested date. Even though it’s a weekday, they are occasionally closed on an odd day here and there.

Which days are more popular than others? The short answer, every day seems to be busy. There are around 12 weddings a day for each of the five working days each and every week at the Hall of Records. This includes during the more rainy months. In addition, there are pop-up weddings in and around the courthouse (14 or fewer guests) as well as the reserved weddings made for the Mural Room, Sunken Gardens, and Fiesta Stage. The courthouse is a beautiful wedding location and people come from all over to get married here.

2) The second step is to apply for a marriage license. Do this online BEFORE your marriage ceremony appointment/wedding date. If you arrive to your appointment and have not done your marriage license, they will take you over to the computers for you to complete this before you can meet with them. This pushes back your appointment and can delay your wedding.

When should I complete the marriage license online? It’s important to note that they do not keep your marriage license application on file for longer than 30 days. Be sure the mark your calendar to complete your marriage license WITHIN 30 DAYS of your marriage ceremony appointment. If you fill out your online marriage license online sooner than 30 days before your marriage ceremony appointment, they will not have a copy on file and will ask you to complete it in person when you arrive.

Public marriage application. $110

Confidential marriage application - no witness is required, no copies are available to the public. $111

Very important - Read this

Bring a photo ID with you

In the many weddings I’ve photographed, I have seen a few couples have to reschedule or push back their wedding time because one or both of them did not bring a photo ID. Your witness, if you are bringing one, needs a photo ID with them. I’m also more than honored to be your witness if it’s just the two of you and you don’t have a witness and would like to save the $51 witness fee that they charge for providing a witness.

If either of you have ended a marriage within 90 days you will need to bring documentation of that.

You can not be late to your appointment

Please arrive early. The Clerks office is on a tight schedule with often back-to-back wedding appointments. When you photograph a lot of weddings, you tend to see this happen. Depending on their schedule, some couples that arrive more than 15 minutes late have to wait until another time slot opened up later in the day.

Do NOT bring more than 8 people with you (10 including the two of you)

I get asked by couples if they can bring one or two more guests over the guest limit. The answer is no. The Hall of Record's office is strict about this number. They will count your guests and will not perform your ceremony if you have more than 8 people with you.

The guest limit is Fifteen (15) people including children and your photographer. (15 people total - the couple (2 people) - the photographer (me) = 12 guests can join you ). So that’s the 2 of you, 12 guests, and 1 photographer (15 total). Previously this number was 10. As of December 2024 the Courthouse has yet to update their website to reflect this higher guest count number.

I get that guest lists can easily grow and grow. Here’s a solution if you find yourself with a growing guest list for your micro-wedding. One idea I’ve seen from couples who have a large guest count is to schedule a lunch/dinner reception to include everyone who couldn’t attend over the Hall of Record’s ceremony cap. The Hall of Records ceremony is only 5 minutes long. If you’d like them to meet us after the ceremony to do photos at the courthouse we can certainly take photos post-ceremony of a larger group. Otherwise most couples navigating a growing guest list will set up an evening dinner reception at one of Santa Barbara’s incredible restaurants.

If you are over 8 guests and you would like to include everyone in the ceremony, the courthouse allows you to have a wedding if you bring in an outside officiant at spaces A through H for groups under 15. If your group is over 15 people you are required to reserve a pay location within the garden.

3) You have two options as to who does your ceremony. 

The deputy marriage commissioner who completes your paperwork can also perform your marriage. This is the most common option.

(or)

If you have a friend that you want to do the ceremony, you can appoint a deputy commissioner for a day. They will need to complete the application for a deputy commissioner for a day on the Santa Barbara County Clerk website ahead of time.

To help you get a better idea for the flow of your wedding day, I’ve created a sample timeline. The recorder’s office offers different time slots. 3:00p is the latest time slot they offer, however 2:00p is my preferred time to shoot. This is timeslot gives us a buffer time to use the inside of the courthouse before they close while also giving us lower light on the horizon when compared with earlier times.

If you choose a 10:00 am ceremony time, please be mindful that Santa Barbara is known for an overcast marine layer that often burns off later in the day, many days by noon. As a photographer dedicated to the persuit of light, I prefer the creamy, overcast light that the marine layer creates when diffusing the sun. The specular transition from the highlights to the shadows is a soft gradient and flatters the facial features. The gorgeous diffused light that marine layers brings not only looks better than the direct sun, it also creates more saturation in the colors; my favorite light for photographing outside in the Sunken Garden.

I understand many couples like blue skies on their wedding day. Blue skies are beautiful as well. Just know that if it’s overcast on your wedding day, the photographer in me is happiest.

Here is a sample timeline of what a 2:00 pm civil marriage ceremony will look like:

TIMELINE

The Hall of Records is the smaller building on the corner of the Santa Barbara Courthouse (corner of E Anapamu & Anacapa). Technically it’s a detached building, although it looks like part of the courthouse. I’ve included a photo above. This is where we will meet to start photos.

I recommend parking in the round rotunda parking lot (located at 1115 Anacapa St) and walking across Anacapa Street to the Hall of Records.

2:00p The two of you and I meet outside the Hall of Records. The three of us will then go inside along with your witness if you have one. Any family, friends or dogs that may be joining us can wait for us outside on the steps of the Hall of Records.

Arrive early. You can not be late to your paperwork appointment. Build in time for parking and walking across the street. Santa Barbara has a lot of one-way streets. If you miss the parking structure driving because you’re not in the right late, just circle counterclockwise around the courthouse’s one-way streets and try again.

The administrative paperwork process takes around 10 minutes depending on if the marriage commissioner has any questions. Some example paperwork or questions that may cause a short delay could be the spelling of your mother’s maiden name at birth, if the marriage application wasn’t completed correctly or completed at all prior to the appointment, or if one of you forgot your ID.

*Alternatively, if you want to forego the first 10 minutes of photo coverag inside the Hall of Records where you sign your marriage license, we can begin coverage after your paperwork is complete. This would look like beginning photo coverage with your ceremony after you leave the Hall of Records. It’s completely up to you. I feel the Hall of Records is the beginning of your visual wedding story and so I love to include that portion. Some couple’s may prefer to exclude the first 10 minutes inside the Hall of Records where they sign their marriage license. Either way I’m more than happy to accommodate what you would like.

IF YOU BOOK THE MARRIAGE LICENSE + THE CEREMONY, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MARRIAGE LICENSE PAPERWORK ONLY TAKES APPROXIMATELY 5-7 MINUTES.

They will also ask you your mother’s maiden name and spelling at birth. This seems to be a common question that trips up the process.

2:10 Paperwork inside completed. This consists of validating name change details, disclosures, payments to the Hall of Records, swearing oath with your right hand held high and confirmation of how to pronounce your names. The entire paperwork process is around 15-20 min with your Deputy Marriage Commissioner. Photographs of candids signing.

2:15 The Deputy Marriage Commissioner that’s been assisting you with your paperwork then puts on their robe and meets us outside the back door in the Sunken Gardens for your Ceremony. They exit through their employee's rear door.

We will walk out of the building through the door we entered, gather any family or friends waiting on the Hall of Record’s steps, and make our way around the building to the back of the Hall of Records, called the Sunken Gardens.

2:20 Ceremony.

I’ll get you positioned in the Sunken Gardens for the best ceremony photos. In my experience, these elopement ceremonies are short, sweet, and intimate.

2:25 Ceremony concludes.

The deputy marriage commissioner who officiated your wedding will then go back inside their office to complete your paperwork to issue your final marriage license now that your marriage is official.

This is a wonderful time to celebrate and glow before we begin family portraits.

2:30 If any family or friends have joined you for your wedding, this is our time to get Formal Portraits (if applicable) with family and friends.

We will make our way over to take formal portraits with family and friends if this applies to your wedding. If it’s just the two of you, then we will begin photos with you both.

Halfway through family portraits the marriage commissioner will come back out with your official license in an envelope. I love that they typically use recycled envelopes. Pro tip: Bring a bag to put your marriage license into so you don’t have to set it down on the ground in the envelope when we move around the property. If you have family with you, you can pass it off to one of them when they depart to free up your hands for photos.

2:50 Your commissioner returns from their office and gives you your final marriage license in an envelope. 

2:55 Following the family photos, we will excuse your family and friends while the three of us (the two of you and I) play around the Santa Barbara Courthouse taking some amazing photos together.

We continue taking photos around the beautiful Santa Barbara Courthouse grounds.

Typically I like to start taking photos inside to before taking photos around Courthouse interior. The inside of the courthouse is available weekdays until approximately 4:30 when the security guards do rounds and remove people for a 5:00p close time.

3:15 After we are done with the interior, we make our way outside and take photos around the exterior of the courthouse, in the Sunken Gardens.

3:30 Conclude Photography.

• Most micro weddings are typically 1.5 hr for the courthouse location.

• You can always add on more time if you want more photos. If you want to add a second location like the beach, that’s usually 2 1/2 hrs.

2) Hire a coordinator & Officiant and have a private marriage ceremony (under 15 people)

Another way to have your wedding at the Santa Barbara Courthouse is to bring in a coordinator and an officiant to plan and perform your private ceremony. The courthouse staff refer to this type of a ceremony as a “pop-up” wedding as there are no reservations or bookings. You are limited to under 15 people. They are strict about the 15 or fewer people, especially when it comes to using the Mural Room inside the courthouse on the second floor. They will count your guests, and if the total count including vendors is over 15, they will require that you have a permit/reservation to use the Mural Room.

A private ‘pop-up” marriage ceremony gives you a wider range of ceremony locations than marrying through the Clerk’s office shown in the first option I outlined above. In the first option, the Clerk’s office is limited to performing your ceremony near their office door. While the location for a civil ceremony is very beautiful, some couples may have a certain location on the diverse courthouse grounds that hold a special place in their heart. If you have a few favorite locations picked out for your ceremony, or if you’re set on a particular location, a pop-up, private ceremony may be for you.

A) If you have 15 or fewer guests and are flexible between two or three ceremony locations for your wedding, you can choose from whatever ceremony locations are available around the courthouse’s exterior based on day-of availability from their listed locations A through H on their county map. It is a public space, so please be aware that someone may be performing a ceremony in your favorite spot. I tend to find that micro wedding ceremonies are generally pretty short and sweet. If this is the case, it’s often possible to just wait 10 to 15 minutes for them to finish their ceremony and move to a different location for photos. If your top ceremony site location is reserved by another couple through the courthouse, then it is unavailable for us. The risk of not reserving the space is that space may not be available to you when you show up on your wedding day. The Santa Barbara Courthouse is a popular destination location for weddings. There are many incredible alternative options around the Santa Barbara Courthouse grounds for wedding ceremony locations if your first or second top choices are reserved when you show up.

B) If you have more than 15 guests, or if you want the peace of mind to lock in and reserve your location so you can have chairs and have flowers, or if you want to have your wedding in one of the courthouse’s garden locations or inside the Mural Room, you will need to reserve your ceremony location ahead of time. This ensures that the space you want for your wedding is reserved for you on your wedding day. The Anacapa Arch in the center of the Santa Barbara Sunken Gardens is a popular location for larger wedding guest counts. The Fiesta Stage has a similarly staired elevated platform with an equally stunning backdrop and makes for an incredible photographic location for a wedding ceremony. If you find your guest count is around 30 or so, the Rotunda Lawn or Palm Terrace photograph very well.

By bringing in an outside coordinator you can schedule your wedding closer to golden hour, allowing us to tie in a second sunset location like the beach. The lighting is better closer to sunset; fingers crossed we get an awesome sunset on your wedding day. This also puts us closer on your timeline to dinner time if you have planned reservations at a nearby restaurant to celebrate. The downside with scheduling your wedding closer to sunset is the interior of the courthouse closes at 4:40 meaning you most likely won’t be able to get photos inside the courthouse if that was important to you.

Summary of available Ceremony options at the Santa Barbara Courthouse based on guest size

Here’s the unofficial rules around guest size summarized as best I understand.

*Please note that this information is to be used directionally and should be confirmed with Santa Barbara County’s Wedding Coordinator as their policies and rules change.

1) Micro-wedding conducted through the Hall of Records Marriage Commissioner: Under 15 guests (including photographer) (15 total)

Reservations strongly recommended. Walk-ins allowed based on availability (come early in the day (8a, 9a) as walk-ins later in the day are more difficult to accommodate same day before their last available slot at 3p).

Ceremony location is limited to directly outside the back entrance of the Hall of Records with the Sunken Gardens in the background.

No vows are allowed during the ceremony. I find it a special moment for couples to do vows off in a quiet corner after the official ceremony.

This booking is handled through the County Recorder’s Office.

2) Bring your own outside marriage Officiant (Limited to Exterior Courthouse Spots A through H. No-reservations required): Under 15 guests (including photographer)

No reservations needed. First-come-first-serve basis. No set up allowed (no chairs, tables, decor, arch, etc). You just walk up, stand and do your vows, then vacate.

Ceremony locations are limited to Areas A-H on their courthouse map (shown above) and are available 24/7. These locations include the front facing Courthouse locations along Anacapa Street and the side Courthouse locations along Figueroa Street. Please note that spots F, G & H are near the bus stop and air conditioning unit. Throughout the year tourists will get dropped off and the loud bus beeping when parked and air brakes can interrupt the ceremony ambiance. The air conditioner powering the courthouse is rather loud and somewhat difficult to hear over during the summer months.

The interior garden areas are for reserve and pay only (Sunken Garden, Fiesta Stage, Rotunda Lawn, Bird of Paradise, Palm Terrace)

You are not allowed to put down chairs for your guests. No tables, decor allowed.

3) Bring your own outside marriage Officiant (Five Garden Locations available. Reservations and pay are required): 15+ guests, allows you to put down chairs

Reservations and pay are required.

Mural Room (inside the courthouse).

Garden ceremony locations are available. Five available reservation locations in the Sunken Gardens (Palm Terrace, Sunken Gardens, Giant Birds of Paradise, Fiesta Stage, Rotunda Lawn).

Allows you to put down chairs for your guests. Tables and decor are allowed.

Wedding photography tips for an amazing wedding from a photographer who knows the Santa Barbara Courthouse and Sunken Gardens well

1) Spiked heels are a ‘no’ for exterior photos on the lawn of the Sunken Gardens.

I recommend blocks or flats rather than spiked heels as the grass we will be walking in often sinks depending on the moisture in the air. If you wear spiked heels your calves may get tired as you walk around the grass on your toes…and if your calves don’t get tired when walking across soft grass then you’re in amazing shape, and most likely wear heels on a daily basis.

2) To help get the most our of our photo time following the ceremony, please bring a bag to hold all of your msc items. A bag allows you to put your loose items together such as ring boxes, marriage license, wallets, cell phones, sunglasses, touch-up makeup and helps keep suit pockets from bulging. A bag lets us easily transport the items from photo location to location around the courthouse. All these msc items in one bag can easily be set down and picked up when we walk around the courthouse to take photos. It's much easier having all the msc items all in one bag rather than having to set down and pick up separate loose items over and over in between photo locations.

3) There is a metal detector at the entrance to the inside of the courthouse as it is a working courthouse. Make sure your keyrings do not have small pocket knives attached to them.

4) Photo locations: I know the courthouse location intimately well and can fit in as many of my favorite photo-spots as we have time. If you have particular photo locations that have sentimental value or that you've seen in my work or other work from the courthouse, please show me screenshots on your phone when we start so we can do our best to include those.

5) Please remember that Santa Barbara’s Courthouse and Sunken Gardens is a Shared public space

One thing to be aware of is that without reserving parts of the grounds, the space stays open to the public. It’s not uncommon for tourists to be walking the grounds taking photos of the beautiful architecture. People are allowed to walk around and we need to share the space. I’ve found most tourists cohabitate the space well with couples in their wedding attire allowing us to both get the photos we want.

The Santa Barbara Courthouse is a popular tour destination. Please be mindful that we share this public space with tourists visiting from all over the world. If people are in the background we can either wait or try to come back to our favorite spots when the tours have moved on. The courthouse prohibits our family or friends from yelling “move!” if guests are in the background of a photo. The deputies will approach us if they hear. If found the polite way to go about sharing a space for photos is to nicely approach tourists who may be in a background and ask if they would allow us a few minutes to capture a photo. Most visitors to the Santa Barbara courthouse are very gracious when they see formal wedding attire and gladly share the public space. Often if we wait a few seconds the people in the background will move as they make their way through the property. The courthouse is a beautiful icon of Santa Barbara and it’s important we all graciously share the space as we enjoy the stunning visual architecture.

6) E. Figueroa Street is where the tourist buses park to load and unload visitors. If you’re considering a wedding on the E. Figueroa side of the courthouse building, be mindful that brake noise, bus passengers talking, and other noise associated with the buses loading and unloading may be a part of your ceremony experience. This side of the building also houses the air conditioning unit. The large AC unit that supplies the entire two-story city-block sized courthouse with it’s cold air is small and not quiet. The air conditioner may make it hard to hear your wedding officiant since they are not mic’d.

To clarify, this location is marked (H), (G), and (F) on the county’s wedding location website. https://www.countyofsb.org/1065/Courthouse-Garden-Weddings

When NOT to have your wedding

Fiesta Week, an annual City Wide, 5-day Festival on the Wednesday before the first Friday in August

Santa Barbara's huge annual festival is called Old Spanish Days - Fiesta Week. The Fiesta Stage at the Spanish-style Santa Barbara Courthouse is ground zero for Fiesta Week. Santa Barbara's Old Spanish Days Fiesta is an annual, city-wide, 5 day festival that begins on the Wednesday before the first Friday in August. Set-up at the Santa Barbara Courthouse in preparation for Fiesta begins before then. This week is not an ideal week to get married at the Santa Barbara Courthouse.

Graduation Ceremony - Mid June

Be sure to check the local graduation calendars if you’re planning a mid-June wedding. The sunken gardens fills up with graduates and their families

Friday’s in the Summer - Movie Night

Every Friday in the summer locals will claim their spot in the morning by laying out their blankers for the weekly summer Friday night evening movie. Although it’s still possible to shoot a ceremony through the Hall of Records and body-block out some of the visual clutter in the background with creative photo angles, scheduling your summer wedding on a non-Friday gives us the most location flexibility to create photos together in the Sunken Gardens.

World Dance For Humanity’s Thriller Dance Performance in the Sunken Gardens

This non-profit flashmob takes over the Sunken gardens from around 1p-4p on the Saturday before Halloween to raise money for charity. If you’re into flash mobs it’s a pretty amazing display of the local dance community coming together. If you’re planning a wedding, the Saturday before Halloween may be a challenging time to take photos in the Sunken Garden’s given the large number of people who will be there attending.

Wedding map of the Santa Barbara Courthouse

The Santa Barbara Courthouse pulls up in Google Maps as “Superior Court Of California County Of Santa Barbara”. The address is 1100 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

I’ve made a map below from Google Maps of the Santa Barbara Courthouse and Sunken Garden Wedding Locations. The Sunken Gardens, Fiesta State and Palm Terrace are most popular. Shown on the County website but not shown here are the two less popular locations, the Rotunda Lawn which is directly to the right of the Fiesta Stage in the shadows and the Giant Birds of Paradise which is directly to the left of the Fiesta Stage. I’ve posted the direction of the one way streets that swirl around the Santa Barbara Courthouse. If you miss Public Parking Lot 7, the Round Parking Structure, you can loop around the courthouse and try again. Be sure to be in the right lane when driving down Anacapa Street to turn into the parking structure. From there you and your guests will walk across the street to the front entrance main archway of the courthouse.

Please feel free to screenshot the map below and share with any family or friends that may be joining you for your wedding.

Restrooms

Talking about restrooms on a wedding website is odd, I know. But it’s real talk and I hope this resource helps in whatever way it can. This comes up often enough that I want to share a few resources to help as much as possible with planning before the wedding so you and all your guests are comfortable.

Where are the restrooms for my guests when I have my wedding at the Santa Barbara Courthouse? The restroom situation isn’t as easy as you would expect. The restrooms available to the public at the Santa Barbara Courthouse grounds are located on the other side of a metal detector inside the courthouse. The Santa Barbara Courthouse is a working courthouse, and as such the courtrooms require all visitors to first go through the screening process when entering the building. It’s for the courtroom’s safety. The process of joining the tourists in line to enter the courthouse can be somewhat cumbersome as there may be a longer line to enter. Any bags or purses need to be searched and go through the x-ray machine. The security guards require cell phones to be out of their pockets, belts removed, and keys placed on the trays. Tourists visiting the courthouse most often bring bags and the process of entering the courthouse when there is a line takes time. Think ‘TSA at the airport’. When you enter you need to walk all the way down to the end and around the corner for the restrooms. There is one way to enter the courthouse and one way to exit and no shortcuts around the process. I’m sharing all this here so you have an idea of what the restroom situation is at the courthouse for your and your guest’s comfort.

Three other alternatives to going inside the courthouse are the Santa Barbara Public Library, Public Restrooms by the Bikestation at City Lot #6 on Anacapa, and the Santa Barbara County Administration Building.

1. The Santa Barbara Public Library is located next to the rotunda parking structure across Anacapa Street, opposite the courthouse archway entrance. It’s open hours are Monday - Thursday 10a - 7pm, Friday & Saturday 10a - 5p, and Sunday 12p - 5p. This is the closest option to where most people park when visiting the courthouse.

2. Google Maps lists a public restroom by the bikestation at City Lot #6. This is located on Anacapa and is the closest restroom if you’re wedding is at the Hall of Records, as it’s just caddy-corner across the street to the entrance of the Hall of Records.

3. On the opposite side of the street from the public restrooms at City Lot #6 is the less frequented Santa Barbara County Administration Building. This is a closed building with hours and like the courthouse requires you to go through a metal detector. In my experience, there is rarely a line and you can get in quickly. This would be an alternative should you not want to use the more public restrooms available off Anacapa Street at City Lot #6 mentioned above. The entrance to the Santa Barbara County Administration Building is on Anacapa, although their address is Anapamu Street. The door is located where Google Maps lists Santa Barbara County Planning at 123 E. Anapamu. Oddly enough it is on Anacapa Street not Anapamu.

Wedding coordinators are worth their weight in gold

The best advice I can give you if you’re planning a private wedding ceremony for you and your family and friends is to hire an Elopement coordinator

Take your wedding day off. I mean it. If there’s one day you deserve to invest in yourself to not work and enjoy the day, it’s your wedding day. If you want simple and stylish, the services of an elopement coordinator are unmatched. The whole idea of an elopement is to keep things easy and stress-free in the first place. If you have a vision and style, my best recommendation would be to not work on your wedding day. Give yourself the gift of taking your wedding day off and don’t work, please. Selfishly, your and my photos will turn out better when you are relaxed and don’t have to work on your wedding day. Hire an elopement coordinator so they can do all the work for you. A coordinator lets you show up and enjoy the simplicity that a micro wedding or elopement offers, while not compromising on all the style you love. I’ve worked with some incredible officiants in Santa Barbara photographing hundreds of weddings and I would be happy to make a recommendation that fits your personality and vision.

The exterior of the courthouse shows little construction. I haven’t inquired as to why. The heavy rain in January could have put a pause on some of the restoration - however this is 100% speculation on my part. Visually the courthouse looks amazing! There’s a small half height orange guardian barrier around a small portion in the front right off to the side as of the end. This little fence has been up during the month of Feb 2023. It’s very much out of the way of photos.

As of Oct 2022

The photo above is Phase 1 which is the Rotunda corner (shown in mimosa yellow on the map below). As of October 2022, the exterior of Phase 1 was still in construction despite expectations listing September for Phase 1 completion. It appears from my observations around where the tarps are on the courthouse contrasted with the Proposed Phasing Plan map below that the restoration work is taking longer than expected. I know how challenging it is to plan your wedding date around construction. Unfortunately, restoration dates are estimated making it challenging to predict what phase of construction will be in process on any future date. I hope this information is as helpful as I can be with construction timelines being outside of our control.

Phase 2 includes the Fiesta Stage (shown in periwinkle lavender). This is estimated to start August 2023.

Phase 3 includes the main archway (shown in surf crest green). Both Phase 2 and Phase 3 are popular locations for weddings and photos.

Phase 4 (shown in light rose) is the back patio, a less popular spot for photos and somewhat easier to shoot around.