Santa Barbara Wedding Planners:
Everything You Need to Know
If you have your sights set on a Santa Barbara wedding, you will need to enlist the help of Santa Barbara wedding planners to ensure the big day is a success. Santa Barbara wedding planners are adept at helping you create your dream day, which is why they’re so valuable. In addition, wedding planners in Santa Barbara can help you find other vendors who will help you turn your dreams into a reality. Whether you’re considering a Santa Barbara beach wedding or are looking into weddings in Santa Barbara vineyards, your Santa Barbara wedding planner can help you curate all of the details of your big day. Of course, finding the right wedding coordinators can prove tricky. If you are unsure of where to begin sourcing Santa Barbara wedding planners, consider viewing our library of real Santa Barbara wedding with the American Riviera as their backdrop. You’ll be able to browse real weddings designed and coordinated by Santa Barbara wedding planners who service the area. Seeing these examples will help you get a better feel for the aesthetic of the wedding planners you’re considering working with. Because Santa Barbara wedding planners have insider knowledge, they are ideal consultants for a destination wedding. Even if you are local, working with the best wedding planners in Santa Barbara reduces stress and makes your wedding dreams a reality.
What should you know about working with Santa Barbara wedding planners?
How much does a wedding planner cost? Is a Santa Barbara wedding planner cost really worth the investment? These are all questions you might be asking yourself if you’ve decided on a Santa Barbara wedding. Referred to as “The American Riviera,” more and more couples are deciding to embrace the gorgeous beach views and Mediterranean weather by having their wedding in Santa Barbara. They want to enjoy the city’s natural beauty and its vibrant, youthful energy. Working with a wedding coordinator is an excellent first step in making this dream come true.
You might be concerned about how to choose the right Santa Barbara wedding planner. However, the good news is that choosing a wedding planner in Santa Barbara is easier than it might initially seem. View real weddings that Santa Barbara wedding planners designed and coordinated in our gallery. By checking out what a wedding planner has created in the past, you’ll get a better idea if the Santa Barbara wedding planning services they can offer are consistent with your vision.
It’s also helpful to compare typical wedding costs across the country to the overall expense of a Santa Barbara wedding planner. The best wedding planners in Santa Barbara are going to cost you, but their expertise and wedding planning experience is worth it. After all, wouldn’t you rather ensure that your wedding coordinator has a good grasp on what you want your big day to look and feel like? You might also be wondering if you need to hire a Santa Barbara wedding planner. For instance, if you have a good handle on the details of the wedding celebration already, do you need the expertise of a wedding coordinator? (Spoiler alert: the answer is almost always yes!) We’re here to help you find the answers to those questions and beyond.
What does a Santa Barbara wedding planner do?
Have you ever wondered: what does a wedding planner do? If so, we’re here to help you figure out what exactly wedding planning entails—and where your Santa Barbara wedding planner comes into the picture. There are endless logistics of your wedding day that the wedding planner oversees. Your wedding planner not only helps you bring the vision of your big day to fruition, they help ensure that all of the details are properly executed. Think of your wedding planner in Santa Barbara as the team captain who makes sure that everything goes smoothly on your wedding day. Some of your Santa Barbara wedding planner’s responsibilities include:
- Ensuring rentals are delivered and set up for your Santa Barbara wedding in a timely manner
- Setting tables, placing escort cards, and arranging guest seating, so everyone feels comfortable
- Setting up and/or overseeing transportation for the couple and wedding party
- Making sure the wedding band and wedding DJ are booked
- Keeping an eye on the clock to get you down the aisle on time for your Santa Barbara wedding, and ensuring the rest of the event continues according to schedule
- Executing a rain plan if necessary, which alone makes your Santa Barbara wedding planner cost absolutely worthwhile—especially if you’re having an outdoor wedding!
In addition to these functions, a wedding planner can also drive the design of the Santa Barbara wedding by keeping an eye on the details so that they are not just individually beautiful but also cohesive. Another part of wedding planning is facilitating the design’s execution. This means the Santa Barbara wedding planner will be sourcing furniture rental companies, lighting design, tablescape rentals, and installation specialists. If you have a wedding planner for your Santa Barbara wedding, it will be easier to figure out the details, such as which other vendors to use. This is because they’ll be able to recommend vendors who they’ve worked with before, and who they trust to deliver exceptional work.
How do you find Santa Barbara wedding planners?
So you’ve decided to work with a Santa Barbara wedding planner. Great decision! Your first step is to check out our library of weddings to view real Santa Barbara weddings on the site. You’ll be able to get a better feel for a wedding planner’s style and capabilities by checking out the weddings they’ve designed and coordinated for couples in the past.
In addition, you could also reach out to your Santa Barbara wedding venue for suggestions. They may have someone in-house whose services are part of your wedding package, or they might have worked with a wedding planner who they can recommend. In addition, you could also find wedding coordinators for your Santa Barbara wedding through word of mouth referrals. For instance, if your cousin got married in Santa Barbara a few years back and you adored the details of their wedding, you can certainly inquire about their wedding planner.
How much does a wedding planner in Santa Barbara cost?
To give you some context, the average Santa Barbara wedding cost is $47,252. While a day of wedding coordinator will be less expensive than full-time assistance, average wedding planner prices are about $1,996. Of course, this price varies depending on the services you need. For example, planning a luxury ceremony will require different wedding planner packages than an intimate backyard celebration. If you’re having a 200-person ballroom wedding, your Santa Barbara wedding planner cost will likely increase.
It’s worth noting that insiders believe that it is far more realistic to set aside 5-10% of your overall budgeted Santa Barbara wedding cost. What dictates the wedding planner cost depends on whether you need a day of planner or a full-service planning and design team, as well as the size of the event they’ll be coordinating.
Another factor that influences your wedding planner cost is the pricing structure. Sometimes it is a flat fee that provides a fixed number of service hours at Santa Barbara wedding venues. You should also consider the number of people helping the pro; the larger the planning team is, the higher the Santa Barbara wedding cost.
If you have a Santa Barbara beach wedding that requires travel and accommodations for an out-of-town team, the cost will go up as well. Any vendor you want to bring in from out of town or out of state to your proposed Santa Barbara wedding venues, will increase your cost as you will need to cover their travel and accommodation. Conversely, the Santa Barbara wedding planner cost will go down if you only need help on the day of the ceremony or with certain facets of the wedding, such as Santa Barbara wedding catering selection.
What are the options for wedding planners?
There are several types of Santa Barbara wedding planning packages. Examples include destination wedding planning packages, options for a Santa Barbara beach wedding, or hourly services. Many Santa Barbara wedding venues have in-house wedding planners you can work with, but often their scope is limited to logistics at the venue (ie, they are not likely to help you plan your ceremony order or stuff welcome bags.)
If you are shopping for wedding planner packages, check out the details of the different tiers. Day of wedding coordinators who only oversee the logistics of your Santa Barbara wedding day typically will not complete planning before you arrive at your chosen Santa Barbara wedding venues. Full wedding planning packages outline a predefined list of preparation and day-of services. Your Santa Barbara wedding planner will charge extra for add-ons such as creating and delivering welcome bags.
How do I get in touch with a Santa Barbara wedding planner or multiple wedding coordinators?
Once you’ve decided that you’d like to work with wedding planners in Santa Barbara, it’s time to select the wedding planner that you want to coordinate your big day. Perusing our gallery allows you to get a feel for what wedding planners can create. You can also access the wedding planners’ websites directly through the directory. You have your pick of the best wedding planners in Santa Barbara, determine if you need a day-of Santa Barbara wedding assistant, or decide if you should hire a destination wedding coordinator. Once you do that, you’re ready to book the one you like the best.