Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara 1535 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

"I love the church and I absolutely love Florence. She's such a special lady. I'm glad I Met her and her family, and they Will always be a part of my life."

"I have been a wedding and event planner in Santa Barbara for 10 years and during that time I have worked at the Unitarian Society a number of times. I am always excited when clients tell me they have chosen USSB as their wedding venue because I simply adore this venue. It's in an ideal and picturesque location in downtown Santa Barbara close to many other attractions including the Santa Barbara Courthouse and Alice Keck Park which are both lovely for pre or post wedding photos. I also love working with Joanie and her team who are always friendly, attentive, and accommodating when it comes to helping couples plan their big day. The venue itself is beautiful with its Spanish style architecture and offers a wide range of options with their indoor and outdoor spaces, giving couples the versatility to create their day however they choose. Most of all, I love that USSB is an inclusive and safe space that welcomes and celebrates love in all its forms. - Brenda Cali, Gatherings for Good"

"Unitarian Society is a great wedding and event location! They have versatile event spaces at their location for either indoor or outdoor options, which best accommodate up to 100 guests. We have done a wedding of 120 guests but you need to get a bit more creative with some of the space layouts. They do have a commercial kitchen available and have provided lighting and some rentals for our couples in the past, which is always helpful. The staff that works with you for both planning and as the contact on the event day are kind and helpful. We look forward to many more events partnering with the Unitarian Society!"

"USSB is an excellent venue to consider for your next event or wedding! Joanie truly stands out as a venue manager. Her responsiveness and attention to detail from the outset have made the planning process seamless for both me and my clients. The venue itself offers remarkable value, featuring both indoor and outdoor settings right in the heart of downtown. I particularly love the outdoor courtyard, with its exquisite Spanish tile, which is perfect for wedding receptions."

"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"