San Ysidro Ranch

San Ysidro Ranch
900 San Ysidro Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
805-565-1702
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Average Base Cost: $27,000

Average base cost for a San Ysidro Ranch wedding is calculated by figuring a 60-person guest list for a Saturday ceremony in the Lower Gardens and evening reception in the Hydrangea Cottage during high season, including their ceremony/reception venue rental fees, food and beverage averages for 60 guests as well as the mandatory valet fee. Transportation to venue, entertainment, decorations, photography, and tents are not included. Average price includes gratuity and state sales tax. Price is rounded up to the nearest thousand.

How it Breaks Down

There are several locations at the San Ysidro Ranch that are used for weddings. They include the following:

The (Lower) Gardens:

Located at the front of the property with a vista view.

• Site fee of $3,000-$10,000 based on date.
• High Season is May-November. Saturdays in High Season are $7,500, and Friday/Sunday are $6,000 (Holiday Weekends are $10,000)
• Weekdays are $3,000 and everyday in Low Season (December-April) is $3,000
• Accommodates up to 120 guests in conjunction with indoor reception venues
• Saturday weddings are required to reserve a reception venue as well
• $6,000 Food and Beverage minimum for all Saturday weddings May-November
• Acoustic music only
• Full property buyout required if tenting or serving a seated meal (passed appetizers do not require a buyout). Notes on a full property buyout are below.

The Wine Cellar:

Features masonry barrel-vaulted ceiling, stucco walls, and private patio with loquat trees and wood-burning fireplace

• Site fee of $750-$2,500 based on date
• Accommodates 8-20 guests at one large table or 30 guests at multiple tables. Max guest count of 20 for ceremony and reception
• Food and Beverage minimums: Lunch ($75/pp), Dinner ($150/pp), Cocktails and Hors D’oeuvres for 2 hours maximum ($75/pp)
• No dancing is permitted on the Wine Cellar Patio
• Tenting not possible

The Old Adobe:

Dates back to 1825 and is the oldest building on the property. Has a wood-burning fireplace with a private dining experience.

• Site fee of $300-$400 based on date
• Accommodates 2-8 guests
• Food and Beverage minimums: $500 for 2-4 guests or $150/pp for 5 or more guests
• May be booked in conjunction with the Hydrangea Cottage

Hydrangea Cottage:

Residential decor with wood floors and fireplace.

• Site fee of $1,500 for day use only, $2,500 for an evening event, and $9,000 for an evening event, including 6 adjacent junior suites for the night of the vent.
• Accommodates up to 60 guests
• Ceremony and Reception Fee: $12,000 (includes 6 Junior Suites)
• Food and Beverage minimums: Lunch ($2,000), Dinner ($6,000)
• Tenting permitted

Note: Saturday weddings must book in conjunction with The Gardens

The Stonehouse Restaurant:

Old world lounge, dining room, and patio overlooking lush property and water in the distance.

• Site fee: Lunch ($5,000 and must conclude by 3 p.m.), Dinner ($10,000 Sunday-Thursday, $25,000 Friday and Saturday)
• Accommodates up to 100 guests utilizing both the dining room and patio
• Food and Beverage minimums: Lunch ($7,000), Dinner ($15,000 Sunday-Thursday, $25,000 Friday and Saturday)
• Based on ownership approval

The Plow & Angel:

Below the Stonehouse Restaurant with a cavern-like, moodier setting.

• Site fee: Lunch ($2,000 and must conclude by 3 p.m.), Dinner ($10,000-$20,000)
• Food and Beverage minimums: Lunch ($3,000), Dinner ($10-$20,000)
• Accommodates up to 50 guests
• Based on ownership approval

Note: Minimums do not include tax or service charge

Upper Estate Lawn:

10,000 sq. ft. lawn features views of the Pacific Ocean Channel Islands.

• Site fee of $12,500-$20,000 based on date
• High Season is May-November. Saturdays in High Season are $20,000, and Friday/Sunday are $14,000 (Holiday Weekends are $25,000)
• Weekdays are $12,500 and everyday in Low Season (December-April) is $12,500
• Accommodates up to 200 guests
• No food and beverage minimum
• All kitchen equipment as well as serveware and furniture must be rented through an approved, outside vendor.
• Shuttles, golf carts, or trolleys are required to transport guests to the Ranch and the Upper Estate Lawn. Off-site parking for groups of over 60 required
• Events longer than one hour require restroom facilities outsourced through an approved vendor
• A licensed event planner is required

Additional Fees/Notes: A $750 ceremony fee applies to all ceremonies taking place on the property. A ceremony may not take place on the property without a reception to follow.

Property Buyouts: A full-property buyout is an option for a wedding here as well. To do this, a minimum of $150,000 must go to hotel accommodations (you have to rent out all 41 rooms), and all event venues must be booked independently of the buyout. The restaurant and public spaces will remain open unless specifically arranged beforehand.

 Food and Beverage: 

A $100 bar set-up fee applies. Drinks range from $12-16 per mixed drink and bottles of wine range from $40/each to $135.

Passed Hors d’ Oeuvres are priced per piece, and range. Example, below (recommended 1 2/2-2 pieces per guest.

Hors d’ Oeuvres

Charred Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish, Arugula and Parmigiano Crostini 7 

Smoked Salmon Roulade on Potato Gaufrette with Dill Cream 7 

Halibut Ceviche with Avocado on Tortilla Chip 7 

Tuna Tartar with Asian Slaw on Crispy Won Ton 7 

Potato Blini with Crème Fraîche, Chives and American Caviar 9 

Kataifi Tiger Prawn with Pineapple & Plum Chutney 8 

Dungeness Crab Cake with Cajun Rémoulade 7 

Traditional Quiche Lorraine in Crispy Philo Cup 6 

Beef Tenderloin Tostadas with Pico de Gallo and Pepper Jack Cheese 8 

Your choice of one First Course, one Second Course, and two Entree selections of which the guest picks one upon seating. Examples of options are below:

Fresh Burratta with Vine Ripe Tomatoes 
Garden Basil, Balsamic Drizzle, Sweet Onions 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Mango Relish 
Fennel & Three Chili Aioli 

Sweet Pea Risotto 
Sautéed Wild Mushrooms, Parmesan Reggiano, Micro Celery 

Butternut Squash Soup 
Cinnamon Chantilly & Toasted Pepitas 

Grilled Asparagus Salad 
Frisee, Wild Mushrooms, Manchego Cheese 
Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette 

Arugula Salad 
Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano 
Ranch Lemon Vinaigrette 

Parmesan Crusted Halibut 110 
Gnochetti, Kalamata Olives, Oven dried Tomatoes, Pesto Beurre Blanc 

Roasted Colorado Lamb Loin 125 
Salsify Strewn Quinoa, Baby Vegetables, Ginger Infused Red Wine Jus 

Ginger Lime Marinated Tofu 105 
Lemongrass and Steamed Jasmine Rice with Baby Bok Choy and Coconut Curry 

Dessert course is an additional $14/pp.

Dinner buffets with desserts range from $100/pp to $165/pp, example of the latter is below:

Montecito: $165 
Panzanella Salad, Croutons, Vine Ripe Tomatoes, Cucumbers 
Onions, Creamy Basil Vinaigrette 
Iceberg Lettuce, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Tomatoes, Bacon 
Herb Vinaigrette 
Lime Marinated Halibut Ceviche, Home Made Tortillas Chips 
Grilled Maine Lobster Tails, Citrus Herb Butter 
Rosemary Marinated Striploin with Whole Grain Mustard Jus 
Cedar Plank Smoked Wild Salmon, Horseradish Dill Crème Fraîche 
Garden Herb Roasted Heirloom Potatoes, Garlic, Olive Oil 
Grilled Vegetables with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Manodori Vinegar 
Valrhona Chocolate Cake Milk Chocolate Feuillantine 
with Caramel and Fleur de Sel de Guérande 
Seasonal Fruit Almond Tart 
S’more Macaroons 
Served with Freshly Baked Breads and Butter 

More Stats

Space Type: Inside/Outside options

Size: From 2-200 depending on location choice

Bridal Suite: This would be your room

Parking: Self-parking is not available for guests not staying at the Ranch. Hotel guests are provided with one parking space each. Valet fees for groups of 60 of fewer are $150 per 20 guests not staying at the hotel. Valet fees may be waived when all guests arrive by shuttle.

Food Service Type: Buffet/seated options

How Will Grandma Get There? San Ysidro Ranch is located 15 miles from the Santa Barbara airport, and 90 miles from Los Angeles. Ideally, guests would stay at the Ranch, or at a lower-priced option such as the nearby Montecito Inn.

Note: Rooms at San Ysidro Ranch range from $650-$5,500

Party On! All daytime events may start no earlier than 9 a.m. and must conclude by 3 p.m. All evening events may start no earlier than 4:00 p.m. and must conclude by 10 p.m. Events exceeding the contracted 6 hour event maximum are subject to $150 per service personnel per hour.

The Report

The San Ysidro Ranch is located at the foothills of the Santa Ynez mountain range in Montecito, an exclusive town minutes from downtown Santa Barbara. The ranch was ranked the World’s #1 Resort by Travel + Leisure magazine, and has hosted the weddings of such noteable names as Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier (with Katharine Hepburn as their witness), Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill and Lily Aldridge, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, and most recently Melissa Etheridge and Linda Wallem. The San Ysidro ranch, which opened in 1892, was also the honeymoon retreat for President Kennedy and Jackie O., and has entertained guests such as Marilyn Monroe, John Huston, Julia Roberts, and Groucho Marx. Winston Churchill once described the property by writing, “The mountains, scored by deep canyons, rise up behind, for all the world like grand-opera scenery idealised, and far below, across the green plains of Montecito, one sees the white line of the beach and the Pacific stretching westward to blue islands shimmering in the haze.” The San Ysiro Ranch has 41 private cottages and suites, as well as two restaurants on the property: The Stonehouse and the more casual Plow & Angel. Ty Warner, who also owns the Four Seasons Santa Barbara among other hotels, bought the San Ysidro Ranch in 2000 and paid for a massive renovation which took nearly 8 years to complete.

Woman Getting Married Says

I recently stayed here with my husband and let me tell you—it was BREATHTAKING. The grounds are like something out of a storybook, and the accommodations are unique and plush. If you have the budget, a wedding venue doesn’t get more idyllic than this. While you’ll most likely be paying what you would at another venue for double the amount of people, you’re making up for it in atmosphere/experience. You’ve got sprawling hills, ocean views, outstanding food at the Stonehouse Restaurant and Plow & Angel, and amazing wine (what more can you ask for??).

While the rooms are definitely at the top of anybody’s price range and most guests might not be able to stay on the property, San Ysidro Ranch still tops my list as a dream wedding venue. If I had the budget I would definitely utilize the Upper Estate Lawn because it’s gorgeous, and the Wine Cellar patio and Stonehouse Restaurant are both great if you have a smaller guest list.

The Hydrangea Cottage will allow you a bit more flexibility at a lower cost, and I like the option of adding the 6 Junior Suites to the Ceremony/Reception package. The Old Adobe is also an extremely romantic option if you are eloping and just want to do a dinner for the two of you (or, alternatively, for you and your parents). If you’re looking for a Southern California wedding venue and it fits your budget/needs, you have to go look at the property…even if it’s just for lunch!
See more images from a San Ysidro Ranch wedding here