One of the most popular elopement locations in California is the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. Constructed in 1929, the Spanish-Colonial style courthouse is famous for its iconic architecture, and is a National Historic Landmark. Eloping here is fairly easy, but there are some things you should know. I’m sharing all in this ultimate guide to Santa Barbara County Courthouse weddings.
For an elopement at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse with no permit or appointment needed, I recommend one of the Private Ceremony locations (bring your own officiant & marriage license). For a one-stop-shop elopement experience where the license and ceremony are all taken care of at the same time, I recommend an appointment for a License & Civil Ceremony by the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. For all of your choices, read on!
- Option 1: License & Civil Ceremony by the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office
- Option 2: Civil Ceremony only by the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office
- Option 3: Mural Room – Civil or Private Ceremony
- Option 4: Other Areas of the Courthouse Gardens – Private Ceremony
- Option 5: Clock Tower – Private Ceremony
- What about Sunken Garden Ceremonies?
- After the Ceremony: Wedding Portraits at the Santa Barbara Courthouse
- Where to Celebrate Afterwards
- Where to Stay Nearby
- Where to Park
- What Else to Know
Ceremony Options at Santa Barbara County Courthouse
Option 1: License & Civil Ceremony by the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office
The Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office performs civil wedding ceremonies during regular business hours Monday through Friday at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse (excluding holidays). You must have an appointment made in advance! Book the appointment online up to 90 days in advance. The appointment fee of $23 is nonrefundable. I recommend booking a spot for your Santa Barbara County Courthouse wedding as soon as you have decided on this location, because these do tend to book up fairly fast.
For what to bring to your marriage license appointment, visit the County of Santa Barbara’s Clerk-Recorder website.
The Deputy Marriage Commissioners can perform your marriage ceremony in English or Spanish. The guest limit is eight people including children and photographers (10 people total including the couple).
For this option, you’ll first obtain your license inside the Hall of Records. It’s a very pretty historic room that is detached from the main courthouse building. You’ll use the entrance that faces the corners of E Anacapa St and E Anapamu St. Once you check in, you’ll be seated in wood chairs facing the staff member who is assisting you. The license itself is $100 for a public license or $111 for a confidential license. The ceremony fee is $104.
Your witness should remain inside with you – don’t forget to remind them to bring their ID! I recommend that any other guests wait outside due to the small nature of the room and the other appointments that might be happening during the same time. If you are eloping with just the two of you and no guests, you may ask your photographer to sign as your witness. I have done this many times for my elopement clients and am always honored to be a witness for them!
After the license appointment portion is complete, the Deputy Marriage Commissioner will ask you to wait for them outside at the ceremony site. They put on a plain black officiant’s robe and meet you outdoors. There are two spots you can choose from for your ceremony:
Door Location
(recommended for small elopements with 0 or 1-2 guests)
This is a small shaded area by the back door that leads directly to the Hall of Records office. I recommend this for elopements where it is just the couple and their photographer, or for 1-2 guests only. The space is too small for more guests to fit comfortably.
Garden Location
(recommended for any elopements, with 1-8 guests)
This is a larger grassy area overlooking the gardens with the courthouse and clocktower in the background. This space can comfortably fit a higher guest count, so if you are bringing up to 8 guests, I recommend choosing this ceremony location for your Santa Barbara County Courthouse wedding.
After the ceremony is complete, the officiant will go inside to quickly print your marriage certificate. Typically during these moments, you’ll take a few photos in the ceremony spot while waiting for them to return. Once they bring it back out in an envelope for you to take home, all the legal parts are complete! After this you are free to venture around the courthouse grounds for photos, as well as go inside the rest of the courthouse (if during the hours that the building is open.) The courthouse is open Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm. A security checkpoint with metal detectors is at the main courthouse entrance.
More info here: https://www.countyofsb.org/605/Marriage-Ceremony-Information
Option 2: Civil Ceremony only by the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office
For this option, everything is the same as option 1 above, with the exception that you already have a marriage license obtained ahead of time (from either Santa Barbara County or your local California County Clerk’s Office.) You must bring your license with you to this appointment. The ceremony location choices and everything else remain the same. You can book your ceremony-only appointment time using this link: https://calendly.com/sb-marriages.
Option 3: Mural Room – Civil or Private Ceremony
To have your ceremony in the Mural Room at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, you must make a reservation with the Parks Division. The following time slots are available:
- 10 am to Noon (Saturday and Sunday only)
- Noon to 2 pm (7 days a week)
- 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm (7 days a week)
The mural room ceremony reservation fee is $700 total (includes $200 non-refundable application fee and $500 facility fee). Reservations can be made online up to 12 months before your date. They are not available with less than 5 business day’s notice. The mural room can hold up to 100 guests.
For your officiant, you may request one from the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office or bring your own. Note that this does not include your marriage license application. Be sure to still book that appointment if you need your license!
Option 4: Other Areas of the Courthouse Gardens – Private Ceremony
To have your ceremony in different outside areas of the courthouse perimeter, such as the Wedding Tree, along Figueroa Street, or in front of the fountain, there is no permit needed. However the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office staff members cannot officiate here for you, so you’ll need to bring your own officiant. Up to 15 guests are allowed at these sites.
I would recommend obtaining your marriage license ahead of time, and bringing it with you for your officiant to sign off. You can find information on obtaining your marriage license in Santa Barbara here.
If you need an officiant, I am happy to recommend several professional officiant friends in the area. Or, I am also ordained and can perform a simple ceremony for elopements with up to 1-2 guests!
Note: I am unable to be both officiant and witness for the same ceremony.
These locations are marked A-H on the courthouse map:
Wedding Tree – Location G
I love the wedding tree for afternoon ceremonies. The light is very pretty, and it’s a less busy area of the courthouse since it’s away from the main entrances.
Figueroa Street Ceremonies – Locations D, E, F, H
There are several ceremony spots along Figueroa Street. The staircase and lawn areas are also fairly private and picturesque.
Anacapa Street Ceremonies – Locations A, B, C
The ceremony spots along Anacapa Street include by the front entrance to the Hall of Records, the area next to the fountain, and a lawn area by the side of the building. These spots do tend to have a slightly higher number of people passing by, but the backdrops are very nice!
Option 5: Clock Tower – Private Ceremony
Ceremonies are technically allowed in the clocktower for groups of under 25, with no permit or reservation needed for a Santa Barbara County Courthouse wedding. However I typically do not recommend this location because it stays open to other visitors no matter what. If you have your heart set on a clock tower ceremony, just make sure that you are okay with random tourists going up and down the elevator during your wedding! For this location, you also must bring your own officiant and have your marriage license ahead of time. The clocktower is open Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm.
More info here: https://www.countyofsb.org/1819/Santa-Barbara-Courthouse
What about Sunken Garden Ceremonies?
Areas in the Sunken Gardens can be reserved for Santa Barbara County Courthouse weddings through the Parks Division as well. However, I recommend these for larger weddings only, and not elopements, because the fees start at $1200 and include a 3 hour window. This is ideal for large weddings with setup of chairs/ceremony decor, but not needed for an elopement. Portraits for your elopement can be taken in the sunken gardens after your ceremony, so you can still enjoy this part of the grounds.
After The Ceremony
After your ceremony, you can take photos around the courthouse grounds, and inside during open hours. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm. Be prepared to go through a security screening at the main courthouse entrance with metal detectors.
Here are some of my favorite Santa Barbara County Courthouse wedding photo locations, inside and outside (including some hidden gems!)
Where To Celebrate After
One of the best things about getting married at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse is that it is centrally located right by State Street! This is the most popular area of Santa Barbara, with many restaurant options.
For a morning ceremony, you may want to toast with coffee and donuts afterwards at Hook & Press. They are just across the street from the courthouse, within easy walking distance, and they offer fun donut flavors as well as other breakfast food and coffee + tea.
For a romantic lunch or dinner restaurant near the courthouse, I recommend Finch & Fork, a farm-to-table upscale spot located in the Kimpton hotel open daily, or Trattoria Vittoria, an Italian restaurant with brunch Thursday-Sunday and dinner Tuesday-Sunday.
For other nice dining options elsewhere in Santa Barbara, I like Flor de Maíz for upscale Mexican by the waterfront, Tre Lune for fine dining Italian, or Reunion Kitchen for American dining inside the Cabrillo Pavilion on East Beach.
If you’d like to reserve a private room nearby to celebrate with anywhere from 20-300 guests, the Courthouse Distillery is available and offers catering from nearby Italian restaurant Mizza.
Where To Stay Nearby
You might want your photographer to start at your lodging for getting ready photos, depending on your amount of coverage time. There are a plethora of choices for where to stay in Santa Barbara for your elopement. Some of my favorites are shared below!
- Simpson House Inn
- Palihouse Santa Barbara (walking distance to courthouse)
- Kimpton Canary Hotel (also walking distance, slightly further away. Dog friendly!)
- De La Vina Inn (also walking distance to courthouse)
- Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort (right by the beach)
- Harbor View Inn (right by the wharf + beach)
- The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara (Luxurious & dog friendly! Also has beach access)
Where To Park
If you aren’t staying nearby with plans to walk to the courthouse, you’ll want to drive and park at one of these spots:
- Street parking: 75 minutes free from 9 am – 6 pm, Monday-Saturday on nearby streets surrounding the courthouse. Pay attention to fire zones and other reserved areas. Recommended for 1 hour stops only. No time limit on Sundays.
- Library Garage: first 75 minutes free, then $3 per hour after that, Monday-Sunday. Recommended for stays over 1 hour.
What Else To Know
When hiring your Santa Barbara courthouse elopement photographer, you want to choose a photographer with experience at this beautiful location. Professionals familiar with the venue can recommend the best areas for photos based on the time of day, season, lighting, and how private you want your experience to be. I have photographed at the courthouse over 30 times already and can confidently be your Santa Barbara County Courthouse elopement expert!
My elopement photography packages always include a sneak peek of photos within 24 hours. Your full gallery is delivered in 4 weeks or less. And all of my photography packages also include content creation, for behind-the-scenes iPhone videos of the day – perfect for social media or just reminiscing on memories, allowing yourselves and your guests to be present in the moment!
Ready to book? Contact me to check availability for your date!
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