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The Narrative Loft
The Narrative Loft
Glowing Night
Glowing Night
First Dance
First Dance
Dinner Setting
Dinner Setting
Dinner Setting
Dinner Setting
Indoor Ceremony
Indoor Ceremony
Cake Cutting
Cake Cutting
First Dance
First Dance
Short Walk to Beach
Short Walk to Beach
Boho
Boho
Boho Wedding
Boho Wedding
An SB Dream
An SB Dream
An SB Dream
An SB Dream
Glam Wedding
Glam Wedding
Industrial Design
Industrial Design
White Loft
White Loft
Food truck option
Food truck option
Late Night After Party
Late Night After Party
Late Night After Party
Late Night After Party

Interested in this vendor?

Classic Loft Style

About

The Narrative Loft is a wedding venue located in Santa Barbara, California. The open studio space with exposed beams brings the eclectic feel of downtown New York City right in the heart of Southern California. Its versatile layout makes it easy for couples to create the reception of their dreams.

Facilities and Capacity

The Narrative Loft is located in the historical Vercal building, right in the center of downtown and surrounded by the city’s creative scene. It sits on the top floor, accessible by an old-school stair walkup, and provides enough space for over 150 guests. Originally designed as a photography studio, the space is ready for unforgettable images. It’s abundant with windows to bring in plenty of natural light during your event, and is equipped with blackout shades, allowing complete control. The venue acts as an open canvas for couples, and is easily customizable to match your nuptial vision. Its high ceilings and exposed beams can be easily decorated with drapery, lighting, and other décor. With an AV projector and surround sound music system, every guest will get to enjoy your music, speeches, and romantic video or photo montages. As a pet-friendly venue, you can feel free to incorporate your furry friend during the ceremony. Ample parking is available with over 100 spaces for you and your guests’ convenience. The property is just a three-minute drive from the beach, ideal for a quick getaway to the oceanside.

Services Offered

The welcoming team at the Narrative Loft will happily help you coordinate your event and make sure everything goes according to plan. They will handle cleanup afterward, allowing you to spend the rest of the night with your friends and family without worry. While you are free to choose your own vendors, the team will be more than happy to connect you with their recommended choice of photographers, florists, and other service providers. Outside of the ceremony and reception, the venue can also be used for elopements, showers, engagement parties, and rehearsal dinners.

illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

Which of the following are included in the starting site fee?

Clean Up
Lighting/Sound
Parking

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

1

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall
Historic Building
Loft

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Elopements
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Clean Up
Pet Friendly
Wifi

What transportation and access is available?

Parking

What months are included in your peak season?

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Reviews of The Narrative Loft

Write a review
Write a review
Xiomara
Xiomara Sent on 12/16/2022
5 out of 5 rating

This is a perfect venue

Your wedding will be PERFECT!!! I am so fortunate to have chosen such a beautiful and affordable venue; best of all CONSIDERATE staff. My wedding day, like many, was wild. The wedding planner was a no show. This meant I had no one to step in and help set up the event. THEY STEPPED IN! (A very small part of my deposit was taken but that's 100% understandable as they did someone else's job!!) They helped and made my day as beautiful as ever. I had a perfect reception and night! And if you have the pleasure of working with Bree, you can breath a lot easier. She will truly assist you in any way she can. If you want a beautiful and stress free night, choose this venue.
Vanessa
Vanessa Sent on 10/31/2022
5 out of 5 rating

We loved the Narrative Loft!

Bree and the Narrative Loft are such a great find for the SB area! Bree was always super responsive and helpful and we loved how many options we had to customize the space to match our vision. The space really can be made your own, and I loved the juxtaposition of the traditional loft feel with all the greenery that is added. It's also super conveniently located -- near downtown SB and the "funk zone" if folks want to continue the party after the receptin like we did :)
C
Courtney Sent on 05/18/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing!!!

We had our reception at the Narrative Loft last month in April, and it was nothing short of magical. We had to move our reception there within 5 weeks of our date because of COVID complication with a previous venue. Breanna was the most supportive and really helped us scramble and plan a wedding in 5 weeks. The venue came as a blank space and we were really able to make it what we wanted. 100% recommend!
Kate
Kate Sent on 03/24/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful Space

What a beautiful venue. We had our reception at the Loft and could not have been more pleased with the space and the service we received. Their flexibility with vendors and the feel of the space allowed us to have the perfect reception for our wedding of ~70 people.
Michelle was responsive to my emails and we were able to visit the space as many times as we needed during the planning process. The staff even provided specific measurements so I could create a to-scale layout.
I would highly recommend the Loft for any event venue, not just weddings - though we couldn't've asked for a better venue for ours.
Rosa
Rosa Sent on 03/16/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Awesome Venue

Awesome venue! Great working with Bree, The Narrative Loft Director. Bree's attention to detail, and going the extra mile while planning our daughter's wedding was extremely helpful. The venue is a real bargain compared to other locations we researched in Santa Barbara. Plus, only a short stroll to the beach; nice bonus for our guests.
Farther of the bride and I give them Five Stars.
M
Michael Sent on 03/15/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Venue!

My wife and I got married here at The Narrative Loft and we could not be happier with our venue choice. It is such a stunning venue right in the center of Santa Barbara. The space is even larger in person and has so much vibrance at night. You really don't have to do much in terms of decor! Our ceremony was just a 3 minute walk from the venue to the beach. We loved working with Bree, the venue director. She was so caring, professional and responsive throughout the process. It made booking our venue so easy! We also loved the fact that we could bring in whatever caterer we wanted as well as alcohol. This helped us be able to stay within our budget and still have our dream Santa Barbara wedding. We wish we could do it all over again!
K
Kristina Sent on 03/15/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Sb wedding!

I had my wedding at the Narrative Loft in early 2020 pre-pandemic. We worked with the Event Director and getting everything organized was seamless and communication was great. The architecture and design of the space is awesome--it allows for so much versatility depending on event style/theme and even budget. It's really hard to find an event venue like this in Santa Barbara not to mention because of the location (non-residential) you can keep your party going until 1am and we took advantage of this and we danced the night away! If you are looking get away from the typical hotel wedding/event and prefer to have a space curated to your own taste and style plus the flexibility and creativity of choosing from any vendors + having the space until 1 am vs the normal 10pm curfew, you should absolutely take advantage of booking this amazing and one of kind venue in SB!
C
Christina Sent on 03/09/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful loft for any special event!

This is an amazing venue! Our daughter's wedding reception was beautiful. Bree, the event coordinator, made everything easy for us and was always there if we had any questions. Loved this loft!
M
Marcell Sent on 09/18/2016
5 out of 5 rating
My wife and I were determined to find the perfect location for our wedding reception. The requirements were an open, loft-style event space that we could make our own. When she found The Narrative Loft, she knew it was perfect, and of course, it was!

The staff was incredibly fun, easy to work with, and very communicative. Since we live in San Francisco, they made planning super easy and streamlined. As we both run our own small businesses, we appreciated working with people who shared our expectation and work ethic.

Given that it was our wedding, we didn't get a chance to see what the end result would look like until after all the guests had arrived. When we walked into the space, we were stunned at how beautifully everything came together and how happy everyone was!

We would highly HIGHLY recommend The Narrative Loft for events and would love to throw another party there if we can! To read more on their blog about our wedding and the vendors we used, go here: http://www.thenarrativeloft.com/blog/2016/9/12/what-a-lovely-day

Many thanks to The Narrative Loft for making our special day perfect!
C
Cerita Sent on 03/05/2017
4.9 out of 5 rating
This event space is top notch! The space was intimate enough to talk and mingle with everyone but large enough to have multiple activities going on throughout the night. The staff are incredibly attentive and you're given a lot of flexibility how the space is designed. Couldn't have asked for a better location!
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Awards

11
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2022 Winner

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The Narrative Loft frequently asked questions

The Narrative Loft includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Clean Up
  • Lighting/Sound
  • Parking
The space offered by The Narrative Loft for wedding events is known for:
  • Banquet Hall
  • Historic Building
  • Loft
The Narrative Loft offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
The Narrative Loft offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
  • Elopements
  • Rehearsal Dinner
The Narrative Loft offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Clean Up
  • Pet Friendly
  • Wifi
The Narrative Loft is recommended by 98% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.9 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 5 in quality of service, 5 in average response time, 5 in professionalism, 4.9 in flexibility and 4.8 in value.

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