Santa Barbara or Paso Robles

Paso will usually be warmer than SB. We were in Paso last year in June for our anniversary and it was triple digits and pretty uncomfortable. Are you looking for a winery wedding?
If not, the Murual room at the SB Court house is STUNNING, and where we had booked our ceremony before Covid 🤪. It’s a county spot so it’s very reasonable, price wise. Depending on the size of your wedding there’s some great restaurants in SB that do receptions. Good luck with your search!

We've lived in SB, San Luis Obispo, and Solvang, and spent a lot of time in the Paso & Santa Ynez wine areas. Your assessment is right on target: SB is on the ocean/cooler/gorgeous/AND CRAZY EXPENSIVE and PR is hotter, but less expensive. If it were me, it would really come down to budget and the type of wedding you want. If you can afford what you want in SB, that would be my easy choice. Paso will almost certainly be really hot in the summer; although, more budget friendly. Any options in San Luis, Morro Bay, or Cayucos? They'd be cooler than Paso, and possibly somewhat less expensive than SB. No matter what you choose, you can't really go wrong with the Central Coast!

View Quoted Comment Thanks so much! The courthouse in SB is beautiful and great suggestion to pair that with a restaurant. We did looked at El Paso which is super cute and does host receptions. I should have clarified we actually have 2 venue holds (1 in SB, 1 in Paso). We are flexible on our budget and love both locations but realize one will be quite hot but less expensive for our guests the other will be much better weather but more expensive for our guests. As a wedding guest what would you prefer? 🤪

View Quoted Comment Thanks for your input and great suggestions MOB! We did look at a couple places in San Luis and Cayucos that did not pan out. I should have clarified we actually have 2 venue holds (1 in SB, 1 in Paso). We can afford and are flexible with our budget and would love to do SB but realize it will be more expensive for our guests (lodging in SB and Goleta is almost double Paso). As a wedding guest what would you prefer hot weather/less expensive accommodations or good weather/more expensive accommodations ? Another option is to offer accommodations in Ventura or Ojai and shuttle our guests to SB. It would be a 30-40 minute shuttle ride…is that too long to have guests on a shuttle? We are trying to accommodate our out of town guests from MI, HI and Los Angeles but perhaps we are over thinking things🤪

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Oh, that's hard. Yes, lodging in SB is crazy expensive -- especially in the summer.... You know your guests best, are they generally people who can afford and regularly spend a lot on travel or are they likely comfortable with more affordable options? The last time we came through SB, I think we spent between $300-400 for a Holiday Inn on the border of Goleta.... Yikes! Having done that drive many times, I wouldn't love driving in from Venture or Ojai; in theory, shuttles sound good, but then guests are locked in to the shuttle schedule. I don't think you're necessarily overthinking -- these are decisions that may have a big impact on your acceptance/decline rates. I'd talk with all your high priority guests and get their input and thoughts, and then make your choices with that info. Good luck!