Brian and I set out on Saturday, in what we thought would be a rainy and gloomy day, to find a beach location for the wedding and a venue for the reception. As we got closer and closer to the beach the rain slowly turned to drizzle. Before we knew it there was no rain or drizzle to speak of. By noon it was a beautiful and almost perfect day. (I’m starting to believe that Brian really does have control of the weather.) After spending the morning touring different beach sites and pavilions with our wedding coordinator, Irene, we thought we had found a great spot for both wedding and the reception – Chase Palm Park Pavilion. So we parted ways with Irene and agreed to wait and let her check on the availability after the Memorial weekend.

We ended up hanging around Santa Barbara that day to see if we could inquire on group discounts at some of the various hotels in the area and check out some local restaurants, etc. but since the sun poked through the clouds we decided to get some more pictures of Chase Palm Park Pavilion. When we got there I took a few pictures through the window and I happened to see a flyer for one of the other City of Santa Barbara facilities – Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center. Brian and I ventured over there and it was actually being setup for a wedding reception that was similar in size to what we were planning. It was love at first sight! This was the place and Brian and I fell in love instantly – it was exactly what we had been searching for! Now all we had to do was wait until after the holiday weekend to see if we could book it!