We’ve made no secret of our support for hiring a wedding planner. It is a MUST for ensuring maximum enjoyment of your wedding day! Our favorite choice is to hire a full-service planner, but at the VERY least, you should hire planner for event management (also known as “month-of” coordination) to liaise with your vendors and oversee your timeline so that you can focus on the most important part of the day: getting married!
If you are tying the knot in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria, or Santa Ynez, here are our suggestions for some super-talented wedding designers + coordinators in the area. Without further ado, and in no particular order, our list of the best Santa Barbara wedding planners.
Array Creative Design
Erika Bellitt of Array Creative Design was OUR wedding planner when we got married at Riata Ranch in Santa Margarita! A veteran of the wedding industry, Erika’s blend of modern and romantic design aesthetics, logistical acumen, and infectious positivity makes her an amazing addition to your wedding vendor dream team. Check out my own wedding here (also featured on Martha Stewart Weddings), as well as our editorial at Ronna Ranch in Santa Ynez.
Vanessa Noel Events
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Vanessa long before either of us were working in the wedding industry; it was kismet that our style preferences aligned so well from the very beginning. I know that us being friends makes me a little biased, but Vanessa Noel Events is a stellar designer and such a talent when it comes to graceful execution of every wedding day detail. For some of Vanessa’s design work, check out Janene + Ryan’s Paso Robles winery celebration.
Wild Heart Events
We first met Jaime through her crazy-rad event The Jam wedding showcase in 2016, and we’ve been obsessed with her ever since. Her creative design choices are always rocking our world. Some of our favorite weddings EVER have been with Wild Heart Events (for example, Katherine + Scott’s greenhouse garden party celebration).
Onyx + Redwood
We adore Jessica — she is SO fun to work with and she comes up with delightful style and design concepts for her clients. Jessica and her team are known for their infectious energy, hard work, and high standards for great client and guest experiences. We got to work with Onyx + Redwood on this stunning wedding at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara (which also appeared in California Wedding Day magazine!).
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Amy Nichols Special Events
Amy lends her decade of planning expertise to couples in search of refined, luxe designs and a calm, seamless wedding planning experience. She’s done events throughout California (this garden estate celebration is a favorite) and in destinations worldwide (like this stunning wedding in Bali!).
Event of the Season
Kelly and Cassidy are incredible planners and designers specializing in elegant, luxury Santa Barbara wedding celebrations. Established in in 2005, Event of the Season was named Top Wedding Planner in SB and Ventura County by California Wedding Day magazine. This Hilton Santa Barbara wedding with them was one of our faves!
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Drake Social
Courtney Drake splits her time between Atlanta, Georgia and Santa Barbara, California and produces simply gorgeous events in both states (and beyond!). We LOVED being part of Tyler and Jack’s wedding with her at this private estate in the Santa Ynez Valley. Courtney and her team deliver an effortless, friendly approach to your wedding planning journey that makes the entire experience a breeze.
Amazing Days Events
Sophie is a no-nonsense wedding ninja ready to tackle the million little details that make up a wedding day. We know that an event with Amazing Days Events will always go off without a hitch; they are incredible (okay, amazing) at executing dream weddings envisioned by their clients (like this beauty at Topa Mountain Winery!).
Magnolia Event Design
Some of our favorite weddings EVER have been in collaboration with the lovely Lindsey of Magnolia Event Design. Lindsey has been growing into her role of wedding planner since she was a little girl, and her unflinching attention to detail and luxury design sensibilities have produced some of the most stunning events we’ve ever been lucky enough to photograph. We’re also pretty obsessed with this engagement party shoot we collaborated on with Lindsey!
