We had our wedding at Dolphin Bay last weekend and Mary Ventura, the venue coordinator, was amazing from start to finish. She was meticulous, thorough, precise, and had lots of great ideas to help bring our vision to life. She was very quick to respond to any communications and stayed on top of everything to make sure our day went smoothly. We had to change our reception plans a few days before the wedding due to a bad weather forecast, but Mary was so quick to help us find backup options to ensure our wedding day was still special. We couldn’t have asked for a better venue to have our wedding and couldn’t thank Mary enough for everything. The hotel staff was also outstanding. Our wedding was perfect and everything was so beautiful! We highly recommend booking your event here. Mary and the staff will exceed your expectations!

We had our wedding here last weekend and it was everything we could have possibly dreamed of. First, Mary Ventura was the best coordinator we could have asked for, no detail was overlooked. Every single guest who stayed onsite at the resort had glowing reviews and were ecstatic about the venue and the setting. Everyone from the valet, to house keeping to front desk staff were perfection to work with. We can't stop talking about what an amazing weekend it was. Amazing experience and venue.

Selecting the Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa for our wedding venue was one of the best decisions we ever made! We had really wanted to get married at the beach, somewhere in the Santa Barbara area because this was so special for us. We have a unique love story, in that we were high school sweet hearts, and first loves, but lost touch for 17 years, and reconnected 3 years ago!
All the vendors that we talked to were difficult to work with, in that there were all these restrictions (e.g. we couldn’t have rose petals on the ground, etc.). We wanted a small, intimate wedding and many places required all kinds of minimums. At first glance, the Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa looked like it would be way out of our budget, and we were worried that the team might be difficult to work with again. The resort is up on a cliff, overlooking the pacific ocean, and to the views are breathtaking. The entire aura is one of elegance and beauty, and it feels like you are in a Disney movie. To our surprise, we discovered that the resort is family-owned and prides itself on its relationship with their clients. They were absolutely amazing to work with!! Not only that, but the cost was so affordable and they were so accommodating! They truly care about making your wedding dreams come true! They took the time to meet with us, several times, and go over detailed plans for our vision. Nothing was off-limits. There were so many tiny personal details in our wedding, and I felt like they made sure to make these happen. They commit to only ONE wedding for an entire weekend, so that they only focus on your event, and give the entire resort pours so much energy and love into it! I’ve never seen anything like that.
Our wedding ceremony was set for the walkway just outside the pool area, and the aisle led up to the ocean, with spectacular views of the ocean. There were families in the pool just before our ceremony, and one of the assistants at the resort went into the pool area and personally spoke to each person, asking if they could remain quiet for our wedding ceremony. I was so touched by their personal approach in doing that, instead of just posting a sign, that people could ignore. The assistant remained in the pool area, to control the noise throughout the entire ceremony, and from the moment I started down the aisle, I didn’t even notice that we had several on-lookers from the balconies and the pool area! No screaming kids. It was wonderful. It was only after we kissed and they pronounced us as husband and wife, that I heard an enormous round of applause and cheering from the pool area, and the rest of the resort. That was so special!
The reception took place outside in the lawn area, with a dance floor, and the Lido Patio area. We had several choices for settings that were affordable, and the setting we selected was perfect! Simple bistro lighting created a gorgeous ambiance, and they provided heat lamps for us, which worked beautifully. The patio provided the perfect intimate setting for us and our family. The food was absolutely incredible!! When we went for the tastings, every single dish was so good it was very difficult to choose. The chef came out and personally answered questions. At our wedding, we couldn’t stop hearing from our guests about how amazing the food was! The only thing is that they cleared the tables too soon, and some people weren’t quite finished, but that’s the only negative thing I could possibly say about this venue.
The coordinator for special events at Dolphin Bay, Krysta went above and beyond on our special day! She learned a couple days before that my twin sister (and matron of honor) would not be able to make it because she was pregnant and had to go on strict bed rest. It was devastating for her not to be there and to miss my special day. So Krysta took it upon herself to stream the entire ceremony and reception on her cell phone so that my twin sister could see it and “be there.” There will never be the words to thank her for doing that, and I get tears in my eyes writing this. Thank you so much, Krysta!
The most meaningful part of the entire day came with our grand finale’. We wanted to light a sky lantern and send it off into the heavens as our grand conclusion at the end of the reception. There was no other venue in California that would allow us to light sky lanterns, given the fire status of the state (with good reason, I must say). However, Dolphin Bay, after talking to our wedding coordinator about how important this was to us, allowed us to light a single sky lantern for ceremonial purposes. We were ecstatic!! Then they suggested that we do a sparkler send off just before the lantern send off. So not only were they okay with the lantern, but they suggested even more! We were over the moon. Everything for our wedding went perfect! And the sparkler send-off, walking the path to the end of the cliff, lighting the sky lantern and sending it up into the heavens is a memory I will never forget!!

Thank you, Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa for making all of our wedding dreams come true!