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Weddings

About

Welcome to El Capitan Canyon, a very special place to enjoy nature at its best! Situated on the picturesque California Central Coast, El Capitan Canyon Resort is located 20 miles north of Santa Barbara and offers unlimited gathering space in a natural environment, allowing you to plan an event for 30 to over 1500 people, indoor and outdoor - ideal for any group function. We have 108 Cedar Cabins,10 Adventure Yurts, and 29 Safari Tents (temporarily unavailable). Our Safari Cabin Suite is the Canyon’s most luxurious cabin - located on a private hilltop known as Safari Village with breathtaking panoramic ocean, mountain and canyon views.

Our unique selection of group activities include Cycling, Hiking, Kayaking, Wine Tours & Tastings, Spa Services and more! Our on-site chef can cater any menu suitable to your needs. Our impeccable service and attention to detail will ensure a memorable event for you and your loved ones.

Your wedding day is truly a wondrous event and should reflect your style, personality and love. The El Capitan Canyon Resort is nestled against the Los Padres National Forest and a five minute walk to the majestic El Capitan State Beach. Located just north of Santa Barbara and only an easy two hour drive from Los Angeles. The upscale resort offers the best of the Central and Southern California coast, near perfect weather, 3,500 acres of pristine nature and a state beach that is a favorite among locals for beach combing and ocean adventures.

Tranquility, inspiration and privacy are critical success factors in any meaningful event, especially for your special day. The sheer expanse of our pristine Gaviota Coastal wilderness means we offer a setting with unsurpassed opportunity for a successful celebration. If you're seeking a wedding style that is rustic, intimate, fun and relaxed, the beauty of El Capitan Canyon is the perfect canvas to create a memorable ceremony that friends & family will remember fondly for years to come. Please contact our sales office and we'll be happy to schedule a site tour and send more information…the possibilities are endless!

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Reviews of El Capitan Canyon

4.6 out of 5 rating
4.6 out of 5 rating
2 Reviews
92% recommend it
  • Quality of service
    4.5 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.3 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.5 out of 5 rating
Weddingwire
4.6/5 2 reviews
Google
4.5/5 531 reviews
S
Shana Sent on 04/26/2014
5 out of 5 rating
I cannot speak highly enough about the group sales staff at El Cap and my experience holding my weekend wedding here.

The venue only offers weddings on "off-season".. approx Oct.-March, and it's conducted as a destination wedding site, meaning guests are expected to attend and stay onsite for 2 nights. So right off the bat it's probably not the right venue for everyone, but it was exactly what my husband and I were looking for.

The staff was flexible, warm, and happy to be of service in all the ways they could. They were open to suggestions and interested in our input. They were even willing to communicate with family members who were less comfortable/familiar with the weekend-wedding concept.

The food was great, the lodging is lovely, but the canyon itself is just exquisite in it's natural beauty. El Capitan will forever be a dear place in our hearts.
E
Elizabeth Sent on 09/15/2011
4.2 out of 5 rating
This is a beautiful wedding venue and my husband and I could not imagine getting married anywhere else! We were able to do much of the decor, etc. by ourselves and really cut down on the price. All of our guests loved the wedding and commented on how great the space was. We were able to have our outdoor wedding with tent reception and terrific bbq cuisine catered by the resort. The cabins are adorable and VERY comfortable.

The one warning I would give is that this venue is only open for weddings for the late fall to early spring (which wasn't a problem for us). El Capitan Canyon sees itself as a spot for destination weddings and expect all of your guests to stay overnight at the resort. The problem was that we were locals, and although we tried our hardest to get our guests to stay at the venue, no all could afford to stay, and it wasn't practical for many guests who were also locals. Although in the end, El Capitan worked with us on this, we felt highly pressured to get more people to stay overnight at the resort. I understand their reasons behind this, but if you're a local couple with lots of SB area guests, be prepared to haggle.
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Real Weddings

Jenny & Sean
25 photos · 12/15/2018

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El Capitan Canyon frequently asked questions

El Capitan Canyon offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
El Capitan Canyon offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Event Planner
El Capitan Canyon is recommended by 92% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.6 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 5 in value, 4.8 in average response time, 4.5 in quality of service, 4.5 in flexibility and 4.3 in professionalism.

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