Santa Barbara is filled with spectacular natural beauty, historic architecture, and romantic hideaways making it the perfect destination wedding location – sometimes. There are a few dates throughout the year to mark off on your wedding planning calendar as “dates to avoid for your wedding.”

Santa Barbara is home to many community celebrations and special events, drawing tourists from all over the world to our little town. During these times it becomes virtually impossible to book a hotel room, get a restaurant reservation, or even to simply drive down State Street. If the crowds don’t bother you then the rise in prices might. Of course, specific dates will vary from year to year but here are some times to watch out for.

Fiesta or Old Spanish Days is a wonderful celebration of our town’s Spanish heritage and takes place over five days, starting on the Wednesday of the first week of August. It is always guaranteed to be a wild party, filled with performances, parades, and loads of confetti. Fiesta may be a great idea for a festive weekend away, but isn't such a great idea for the weekend of your formal wedding.

Celebrating the official start of summer, Summer Solstice is launched with a wild and lively parade. Every year this weekend event draws more and more tourism and delivers a memorable weekend of fun. If you’re not worried that your great aunt Betty may be shocked by scantily clad belly dancers and frolicking flower children, then maybe this would be fun for the whole family. If this would pose a concern, avoiding this weekend maybe advisable.

UCSB Graduation every June, floods Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Ventura and every hotel room and restaurant within a 50-mile radius of Santa Barbara. Students and families begin booking reservations in the fall for these spring dates that almost always fall on Father’s Day weekend.

Valentine’s Day can seem like the perfect time for a wedding, but you may want to proceed with caution when planning your Santa Barbara wedding around this holiday. It is important to remember that Santa Barbara is a popular romantic getaway, and hotel rooms - as well as restaurants - can book up quickly. If you are set on this date, it can be done, but will require some additional planning considerations. Remember that flower prices will be much higher for a Valentine’s Day wedding.

Another general rule for Santa Barbara is that despite our nearly perfect climate, we do suffer from something the locals refer to as “June Gloom.” This is a time when the sky seems to cloud over and hides away for nearly a month each year. If you are determined to have sunshine and glistening blue oceans, than you may want to avoid a June date. On the bright side, photographers will tell you that overcast weather is great for your photographs, if not for your spirit.

The general rule for selecting your perfect Santa Barbara wedding date, would be simply avoid the high tourism weekends. Check the events calendar at www.newspress.com and plan around other festivities. Doing so will ensure that you and your guests will be able to enjoy your perfect Santa Barbara wedding.