WEEKEND IN SANTA BARBARA

My weekend in Santa Barbara was prompted by a work trip. If you don't already know, I work for Cupid Content Co., a wedding content creator company! This particular weekend I would be shooting a welcome party on Friday and a wedding on Saturday!

I think I have only driven through Santa Barbara but never truly stopped and stayed. After visiting this past weekend I am going to have to come back for a personal trip. It was seriously so fun and cute! I felt like such a little local walking to all the different venues. Let's get into this lil recap.

I drove in on Friday afternoon arriving around 4 p.m. My intention was to stop for lunch on my way but by the time I got settled, there was no place to stop off the freeway. I settled for, "okay when I arrive I'll find something", and then here I was just getting snacks from my hotel lobby instead. They definitely held me over til dinner.

I stayed at the Moxy which was a pretty nice hotel in a central location to the city life. Everything was under a ten minute walk so I really liked that. Also, when I checked in I was given a token for a complimentary cocktail. With only an hour before clocking in for the welcome party I decided I would have a drink when I got back for the night.

The welcome party was on the rooftop of The Hotel Californian, which is a property that basically expands across a lot of the area. It was such a nice venue and had really friendly staff! The welcome party is always nice because I get to see a glimpse of the couple, their guests, and the media team before we dive head first into a 10 hour day together.

When I got back for the night I started uploading and editing the content from the day. I got my little night cap and tucked into bed with Chipotle on its way. I could not decide what to eat and everything was closing soon so I settled on a bowl from Chipotle. It was good but I knew it was going to be a struggle to finish it at 9:30 p.m.

Saturday morning I had some time to myself to grab some breakfast. On the short walk over I saw this adorable car and had to snap a pic, the content really never stops. Dart Collective Co. was only a 4 minute walk from my hotel. The streets were busy with a lot of people grabbing breakfast or going for a run, I felt so immersed in the city life.

Somehow I ended up picking the busiest coffee shop but I was pretty happy with my choice. I edited the welcome party content while I enjoyed some potato empanadas with vegan cheese and, of course, my iced oat milk latte. I probably should have ate more or got lunch on my walk back but I ran out of time.

I felt a new level of independence running off and doing solo things. Don't get me wrong I have totally grabbed coffee and sat in a coffee shop alone but it felt a little different in a city that's not my own.

I got back and started getting ready for the wedding. I opted for an updo and I am so glad I did.

We ended up taking portraits in direct sunlight, and we were sweating, probably almost definitely dehydrated.

Unfortunately for me, I can't possibly run around with my big tote bag that has all my water and snacks and whatever else. Sometimes we get lucky and the bags are with us everywhere we go but this time it didn't work out that way. Luckily, we stopped back at our bags before ceremony and downed water and inhaled a macrobar! The struggle of running around on wedding days.

At reception, I was without my tote bag again so I was counting on the venue to help me out with water and a coffee. They were so sweet! Every time we asked for a simple water they offered a fun mocktail for us, which honestly went a long way for our energy levels and mood!

When we got to the point in the night when late-night dancing started, I had my eyes on two men the whole evening. Can't help that I am a girl on the hunt for her husband?! He could totally be at a wedding I am working. The best man actually started interacting with me on the dance floor and taking over my job as content creator to get some serious dancing content. Let's just say my fantasies of meeting my husband at one of these events is slowly but surely becoming more of a potential reality hahaha.

Oh my gosh and we had wedding crashers!!! I had to kick them out. One man was very much drunk and resistant to my kind requests for him to leave. He was making a whole big stink about it and would not just turn around and leave. Luckily, minimal guests were disturbed and the couple did not have to intervene but my god I was shaking for like ten minutes with just adrenalin. He did indeed get escorted out eventually.

The night ended, and the suuuuper sweet photo team offered to walk me back to my hotel, and I was so grateful! Although it was a short walk and tons of people were out and about, drinking was certainly part of the equation, hence our wedding crasher.

When I got back to my room I immediately showered and started uploading content. As I tucked into bed my neighbor was either a wedding guest making it home or someone who had a fun night on the town because they were drunk babbling. I did fall asleep after a bit, I think the excess coffee all day made it a tiny bit more difficult.

The next morning I woke up feeling fairly rested, considering I went to bed around 1 a.m. I had to check out by 11 a.m. and I wanted to make sure I delivered the final welcome party edit before checking out of the hotel.

Once that got situated I got into a comfy but cute outfit for the day. Quickly got ready and got out of there! I decided, you know what, I am in Santa Barbara why don't I make a little afternoon out of this?

It is truly insane how being completely sober at a wedding can still lead to your body feeling hungover the next day. It is next level exhaustion that I am now prepared for. I down Emergen-C's and load up on vitamins, water, and food.

I decided to eat at Santo Mezcal and had JUST missed breakfast, which I was so sad about internally. This was my first solo meal, ever. I had never gone out on my own to restaurant and sat down for a meal. It was definitely a little weird at first but like no one is thinking about me as much as I'm thinking about me.

I thought about getting a little cocktail but I knew it would make me feel more tired on my drive home and potentially drag down my immune system. Instead I got a raspberry limeade mocktail, which honestly was a little too sweet for my taste but alas I drank it.

After my meal I walked down to the pier and got myself a souvenir. I was hunting for a magnet because that's what I like to collect when traveling but I didn't really like any of them. I found myself in a sea shell store next and I found a real stone heart shaped "worry stone". A little stone with a rounded dent in the center that you can rub your thumb in, sort of like a fidget toy of some sort.

It was a bit of a mission all this walking after two days of being on my feet but I don't regret it. After this weekend I really want to make it back to Santa Barbara for fun. Both The Lark and Pearl Social were so much fun and I would be back in a heartbeat for the cocktails and dancing! Not sure if the chef was a staple at The Lark or just for the wedding but the food was also phenomenal.

I can't wait to come back and definitely would love to take the Amtrak to really enjoy the trip over, instead of driving myself! While it was a short trip and mostly work, Santa Barbara I did love my time there, I will be back!