Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara Reviews
Reviews
4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
24 Reviews
99% recommend it
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![Nadia]()
Nadia F. Sent on 01/23/2024Perfect Space for an Intimate Ceremony
My husband and I had a “mini/micro-wedding” at USSB December 30th, 2023. After being together for almost 7 years and 2 years engaged, we decided to move forward and elope! We spontaneously made the decision about 3 weeks before the date we chose to do it on. After so much searching and favor from the Lord, we fell upon USSB and fell in love with the sanctuary space. It was absolutely beautiful and perfect for what we were looking for. We had a small, intimate ceremony with our immediate family and a couple friends followed by a dinner at a local restaurant.
THE SPACE:
The indoor chapel is stunning. We are so thankful to have our ceremony and forever photos in a beautiful space like this one.The arch detailing of the architecture and the large stained glass window made our ceremony photos look like a dream. It was just the perfect space for an intimate ceremony. Our family sat in the first two rows of seats. We decided not to mic up or use the sound equipment the church provides, but our guests could hear everything and it was nice to have everyone close to us. The sanctuary also has a beautiful grand piano so we hired a close friend who is a professional pianist to play before & during the ceremony. That was a beautiful touch.
We were also provided a space for myself (the bride) to get ready in. With it all being short notice, we did not arrange for a rehearsal or a tour of the property before the day-off. I was not able to get an early hotel check in to get ready in SB before the wedding, so it was really useful to have somewhere to change and touch up hair & makeup before walking down the isle. The exterior of the church was absolutely beautiful for photos after the ceremony.
THE PROCESS:
Incredible! We worked with Joanie who is just wonderful. She worked very hard to flip the space for us since it was so close to the holidays, AND she did it on short notice! Joanie made our dream come true. She was kind, excited with us, and so generous with her time. Joanie always got back to me very quickly even though we were communicating in between the holidays.
POST-WEDDING REGRETS:
The only thing I wish I could have had the opportunity to do would be to have a large wedding at the USSB! The property is just stunning and truly makes the perfect wedding venue inside and out. I’ve said it a million times already, but the sanctuary was the perfect space for an intimate, romantic ceremony. I cannot have pictured having our “mini/micro-wedding” anywhere else.
I don’t have all of my photos yet, but I will attach the ones I do have!
So-Cal Photographer Instagram: @leenanesh -
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Featured
Tania W. Sent on 07/17/2023A perfect day at the Unitarian Society
We are so glad we chose to have our wedding and reception at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara. We wanted an indoor ceremony venue that embodied the classic Santa Barbara central coast Mission style, but we very much did NOT want a church. USSB was perfect for us because although it has church-ish vibes (and has a PIPE ORGAN, which you're darn right we utilized), there is zero religious iconography inside; nary a crucifix in sight. For us, this was huge.
The staff was always professional, helpful, and quick to respond. They were very flexible around where we placed our catering and even allowed us to block some of their loading zone spaces in order to accommodate a last-minute catering change where instead of being under a tent, our caterers worked out of their food truck to better be able to quickly serve our volume of guests. (Note that we did have to coordinate this with the city as well as USSB.)
We loved that we were able to buy & bring our own alcohol instead of being locked in to purchasing from the venue like so many other locations in SB. And, for all this AND MORE (don't get me started on the convenience of having tables and chairs available to be rented from the venue -- and set up by them too!), USSB was one of the most affordable venues we considered. We have zero regrets in choosing USSB for our wedding & reception and recommend them wholeheartedly to any other couples considering a wedding in Santa Barbara. -
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![Alexandra]()
Alexandra B. Sent on 06/18/2022Wonderful Wedding @ USSB
USSB was the perfect place for our ceremony. Very few restrictions on timing, etc and Joanie and her husband were both very accommodating. Guests commented on the organ and the space itself looks stunning in pictures — like a cathedral! A gorgeous church. -
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![Tori]()
Tori P. Sent on 05/16/2022Amazing, historic, affordable… best kept secret in SB!
Let me start off by saying having everything in one place makes the day so less stressful and the Unitarian Society allows you to do just that! Throughout the whole planning process they were responsive and supportive. The day before their on site person was amazing! Working with my coordinator to know everything for the day before, their on site person also helped tear down the room while the wedding party left to continue the party. Not only was this a beautiful location but an accommodating one. Last minute due to the wind we needed to move inside and honestly I think it was even more beautiful! I’m so excited for all the future people who get married here because it’s really a special place with a ton of history(see the photo of my photographer’s grandparents getting married here)! -
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![Laura]()
Laura B. Sent on 05/20/2022A perfect venue for our early spring wedding!
My husband and I had our wedding at USSB in March, and everything about the venue was just perfect. The sanctuary is GORGEOUS with incredible stained glass; the courtyard was a perfect place for dinner, with delightful string lighting on the palm tree after the sun went down; and the dancing space was also perfect for our guests. This was a great space for a hybrid indoor-outdoor event that could accommodate many different pandemic risk tolerances. The USSB staff were very helpful both leading up to the event and on the day itself, really going above and beyond to make sure we were able to make the event happen just the way we wanted it. We would absolutely recommend this venue to anyone looking for a place to have their wedding! -
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![Jennifer]()
Jennifer M. Sent on 03/01/2020Beautiful Wedding Ceremony
We had our ceremony in the sanctuary at the Unitarian Society and our experience was excellent. Communication was mostly via email with Greg, the facilities coordinator. He was professional and quick to respond. Greg was very helpful in answering questions and coordinating times to visit the location. All the staff we met when we visited the venue and during rehearsal were also helpful and provided ideas and guidance. The sanctuary itself is beautiful. We fell in love with it the first time we saw it. We highly recommend this venue to our friends and family! -
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![Marisa]()
Marisa P. Sent on 08/23/2019The perfect venue for the perfect day!
USSB really is the perfect place to have a wedding. THe beautiful sancutary and courtyard, with all the accoutrement nesseary for a beautiful and memorable day. Thanks to Greg, Jon and all the wonderful folks at USSB for the help and collaboration. -
![Sarah]()
Sarah P. Sent on 06/13/2019An incredible place for a wedding
The Unitarian church was fantastic! An absolutely beautiful venue for the ceremony and a convenient and scenic space for the reception. We also found the staff there to be responsive and professional. In an extremely expensive wedding town, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful venue at such reasonable prices. -
Stephanie B. Sent on 11/13/2019
USSB is an affordable and beautiful location
We highly recommend USSB for your wedding as it's not only a typical Santa Barbara environment but the staff is wonderful. It's an affordable location in an expensive destination wedding city. Our day was perfect and it's thanks to the staff that made it all possible. -
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User945375 Sent on 09/24/2012The Unitarian Society is a beautiful venue. Celina, the facilities coordinator was a wonderful to deal with and made planning a wedding for another state so much easier. My daughters reception was just perfect and beautiful. -
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Kristina Sent on 06/10/2012The Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara was a wedding dream come true for us. Our dreams were to get married at an all in one location, since we got married on Cinco de Mayo we definitely wanted a Latin/Spanish mission feel. The venue was absolutely perfect for our needs and the grounds are so beautiful. Our guests all had a wonderful time and they thought the Sanctuary, courtyard, garden fountain area and dance hall were all fabulous. We even heard that our wedding was the best wedding they have ever been to. The staff made us feel special and they were very easy to work with. -
![Latoya]()
Latoya Sent on 09/28/2016We held our ceremony at USSB August 20, 2016, and it was perfect. The pictures do not do this place justice (as beautiful as the pictures are). When I first visited the space in person, I teared up!
Greg worked with us and answered all of our (many) questions quickly. The church was so beautiful on its own, we didn't feel the need to even decorate! They offered us a "getting ready room" that looked like an office space, but we only had access to it beginning at 1pm for our 3pm wedding, so we did not end up using it (as we were taking our first look photos at that time). Using other rooms/spaces would cost extra, as would using real flowers for the flower girls, or throwing "rice" (we were going to throw lavender, so don't worry about the birds!) for clean up.
The park across the street would be a good place for photos (we stayed at the Simpson House Inn across the other street, so we used their beautiful space for photos instead).
So glad that we got to use this beautiful space for our big day! -
User868731 Sent on 07/18/2012The venue was absolutely fantastic and one of the most beautiful locations in Santa Barbara we found (and we looked at tons!). Our guests couldn't stop raving out it's beauty and charm and the proximity to Alice Keck Park for wedding pictures was awesome. We were able to choose our own vendors and bring in our own decorations/alcohol/etc. which was a great money saver and huge plus. VERY great venue. The only negative (especially since it was an out of town wedding for us) was that there is no set-up or dropping off of anything prior to the afternoon of the event date and everything must be out the night of the wedding. This makes for a hectic morning/afternoon and event close - but everything went smoothly in the end and looked amazing so I guess I can't complain too much!!! -
![Brittinee]()
Brittinee Sent on 03/30/2012My husband and I got married at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara. The venue is the cutest thing you will ever see! For the price, in Santa Barbara, I can't complain. I was given the space for use of a 10-hour span with the church, reception hall, and courtyard to use. My family really enjoyed the private and quaint ceremony. My only gripe is with the staff at the venue. The music person did not fix what we had asked of him the day before the wedding. Therefore, I walked down the aisle to music in the distance. I was sad about it, but for a college budget it was almost perfect. Now, it will be perfect if you hire all the necessary people (DJ, catering: Tamara's Catering is the best, flowers, etc). I would get married here again if I had to do it all over again!
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