Over Memorial Day weekend, Alex and I headed to the west coast (the first time for both of us) for a weekend wedding! The happy couple live in New York but are both originally from various parts of California. So, they called us back to their home state to celebrate and we happily obliged.
Hotel:
We checked into the beautiful Harbor View Inn steps away from the beach and all the best restaurants and wine tasting rooms. We were greeted with a complementary bottle of wine.
I was given a media rate for the hotel, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The room was spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was clean and beautiful with a tub and shower. L'Occitane products covered the counter tops. We had a beautiful terrace overlooking the pool and the harbor, hence the name. If only it was warmer, I would’ve been tanning on the balcony and dipping my toes into the pool.
The best part about this hotel, besides all the amazing accommodations, was the walkability to everything in Santa Barbara.
We rented a car, but it sat all weekend and collected dust.
We were steps away from the beach and the pier. We were walking distance from all the shops, restaurants and wineries on the main street, State Street and in the Funk Zone, an area with lots of breweries and casual spots for food and drink.
After checking in, we walked up State Street and grabbed Mexican food for dinner at Santo Mezcal. All our Californian friends told us we had to have Mexican food while in SoCal, so that was our first matter of business.
Alex approved of the Mexican food.
Everyone always talks about how expensive California is, so we were afraid about that, but honestly, the prices and the taxes were the same in New York. Expensive, don’t get me wrong, but there was no sticker shock for us.
Saturday:
We woke up at 8am eastern standard time which was 5am west coast time, so we slept in some more but still seized the day by 9am.
Alex took a run on the water, and I walked up and down State Street. So many restaurants and piano bars. Wineries, beer gardens, you name it, they had it. Bakeries, coffee shops (2 Starbucks actually on one street), consignment stores, and then everyone’s favorites: H&M, Old Navy, Banana Republic, (no J.Crew surprisingly), Sephora, CVS, Men’s Wearhouse (which we needed when Alex forgot a tie)—you get the picture. They had just about anything you could need or want.
Saturday was all about exploring. All in all, I walked 10 miles on Saturday and I’m not complaining. It was lovely. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. For brunch we had smoothies from a shop where we waited 45 minutes for our two smoothies… so I won’t be recommending it.
We met the bridal party, friends, and family for a beach welcome party Saturday afternoon. We walked the mile from our hotel. Alex played some beach volleyball, I spectated. I even got a little sunburnt in the clouds, oops.
We then walked back past our hotel and grabbed a late lunch in the Funk Zone. It’s just a little area with trendy breweries, restaurants, and wineries. Such a fun spot that we returned to later in the trip.
The Lucky Penny was great for pizza. It’s a food truck in the Funk Zone. We had the Californian which had pesto and ricotta cheese.
We then started drinking some amazing wine and beer. I had a glass of rose at the Lucky Penny.
Next stop was Validation Brewery, right across the street. Really cool concept. The more people that order each drink, the more “votes” each drink gets and the more popular the drink becomes.
From there we hopped across the street again to Pali Wine outdoor garden. There was live music and tasting flights.
I am an over packer and an over planner but for this trip I just went with the flow. We didn't make any reservations or have any set plans. We just decided what we wanted to do everyday morning of or throughout the day. It was really fun!
For dinner we went to Louie’s California Bistro. It was about a 20-minute walk from our hotel. We walked all the way up State Street. It was a great people watching walk.
I had the filet of sole for dinner and Alex had the salmon. The fresh hot bread is divine.
We stopped at McConnell’s for ice cream on the trip back. The triple chocolate was delicious, I had it twice while we were in California.
Sunday:
Wedding day!
We slept in, and did our respective athletic activities along the beach and grabbed brunch at Dawn Patrol. We made our own hash brown bowls. Yum! And stopped for coffees and pastries.
I took my sweet time getting ready, which is always so fun for me.
I did my hair and makeup and then we drove over to church in Montecito. It’s a beautiful church but unfortunately very hot inside. Unfortunately for me I sweat through my dress, but that wasn’t the last of the issues with this dress.
We dropped the car off back at the hotel after the “I do’s” and I took a blow dryer to my sweat stains. They mostly came out. We Ubered to the Cabrillo Pavilion, a mile down the road from our hotel. I walked by it that morning. A beautiful event space right on the beach.
We had cocktails, dinner and then my dress strap snapped. I was in the bathroom freshening up when the strap popped out of the socket. Lucky me.
I took the hanger strap (you know those annoying ones that don’t stay tucked into your shirts or dresses but you need them to help hang the garment) and put it over my shoulder and ran back to my table. Luckily, I had a wrap and was able to cover myself. We waited for after the first dance and the father of the bride speech and then hopped in an Uber back to the hotel to change. Just when the party was getting started, I had a fashion emergency.
I was thinking of safety-pinning the strap but then I was concerned about the other one…so lucky for me, I’m an overpacked and my overpacking came in handy.
I had a less formal, short dress, that I usually wear for date nights, and changed into that. All in all, I was back to the dance floor in under a half hour.
But wait, there’s more. Within 5 minutes of being back, I’m on the dance floor, dancing and I get splashed with a whole glass of Prosecco, right on my hair, dress and face… I could not stop laughing. You cannot make this stuff up.
It was a very fun party with great music and great people.
After the bride and groom said goodnight to us all and made their grand exit, we headed back to State Street for more drinking and dancing. We went to the Red Piano for live music. So much fun!
Besides my dress drama, my accessories were amazing. I wore my Loeffler Randall Camilla heels in platinum for almost 8 hours and they were so comfortable. No blisters or anything. The balls of my feet did hurt by the end of the night because there is no platform on these shoes and the footbed isn’t padded but I survived. My bag was also a big hit. Beautiful bag, such an elegant statement. Surprisingly it fit a lot. And 5 stars for my wrap, that I borrowed from my mom, which helped shield my dress situation from the public.
Monday:
We slept in and had one last day before ending our trip.
We had brunch at Helena Avenue Bakery. Get the giant cinnamon roll! So delicious.
Alex found a spot on the top of the mountain that was about a 15-minute drive straight up-hill from our hotel. It was at Franceschi Park. It was beautiful to see the whole city, beach, and mountains. The mountains in Santa Barbara are the only mountains in the US that run east-west. Fun fact!
From there we drove to the cliffs on Cabrillo.
We had a light snack and tasting flight at Margerum Wines Company, which was delicious. We truly didn’t have a bad meal or drink this whole trip.
Then Alex wanted to go bike riding. We rented bikes right across the street from our hotel. It was $7 for an hour. Pricier than Citi bikes in NYC, but I’m glad we did it! We rode up and down Cabrillo along the beach. Highly recommend.
For dinner we went back to the Funk Zone, right next to Helena Avenue Bakery, to The Lark. It’s a family style restaurant. The food was incredible and unique. It was tough to get a reservation, so I knew it was going to be good. We sat outside under some heat lamps and enjoyed our last meal in Santa Barbara.
We had the loveliest trip. It was the perfect mix of relaxation, exploration and fun. We were so happy to get to go to our sweet friend’s wedding and explore a new destination. We absolutely loved California.
Next summer we will be back in California for another wedding (!!!), but this time in the north of the state in Sonoma. We are so looking forward to it!
Thanks for reading and thanks again Harbor View Inn for working with me!
Shop below for my outfits (I'm not linking the dress that failed me, don't worry). (Contains affiliate links):
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