The Unitarian Society | Camille and Bradley

Located directly across from the tranquil Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens in downtown Santa Barbara is the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, a historic, nondenominational church with a long tradition as a wonderful wedding location. This venue includes the Sanctuary, a reception hall, a terrace, and two gardened courtyards along with access to the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden across the street which is perfect for many photo-ops.

Our couple enjoyed the tranquil Sanctuary Chapel, in exchanging their vows, then moved outdoors to the beautiful Parish Courtyard for hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and dinner. They topped off their celebration in the Parish Hall with dancing, dessert, and a late-night snack of perogies.

Camille and Bradley went with a very classic plated dinner menu, with a few special surprises up their sleeves for their guests. First, they included a ‘Trou Normand Appetizer’ which literally means the Norman hole, which is a course served as a ‘middle course’ in a large meal. The traditional belief is that the dish, made of a vibrant sorbet with citrus vodka, will restore the appetite. As the guests dined on the surprise middle course, Catering Connection servers started another special experience for guests: they dispersed flowering tea balls into each guest’s glass, which were provided by the bride and groom, then proceeded to pour hot water over it so the guests could watch their tea “bloom” right before their eyes.

Menu offerings from Catering Connection:
Hors D’Oeuvres: Chicken & Waffle with Warm Maple Syrup Dip; Warm Brie and Dried Apricot Filo Tartlet with Toasted Almonds; Short Rib Mouth-Watering Beef Short Ribs Braised in Cabernet Reduction over Polenta Round; Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese, Fresh Mint and White Balsamic Vinegar Reduction | Dinner Menu: First Course; California Baby Field Greens Crumbled Goat Cheese, Roasted Santa Barbara Pistachios, Grilled Peaches and Crisp Pancetta, Champagne Vinaigrette and a Selection of Freshly Baked Artisan Rolls with Butter Trou Normand Appetizer: Sorbet with Chilled Citrus Vodka | Tea Ceremony; Flowering Tea Pods offered to Each Guest with hot water poured over, as the guest watched their tea pods ‘bloom’ | Entrees: Classic Beef Wellington with Beef Tenderloin Wrapped in Crispy Puff Pastry with Mushroom Duxelle Served with Cabernet Reduction Sauce, Glazed Baby Carrots and Duchesse Potato or Grilled Rosemary Airline Chicken Breast Served with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce, Glazed Baby Carrots and Duchesse Potato or Vegetarian Entrée; Vegetable Wellington with Sauteed Mixed Vegetables, Spinach and Mushrooms served with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Glazed Carrots and Duchesse Potato Vegan Selection; Quinoa Stuffed Bell Pepper with Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables, Red Pepper Sauce over Wilted Spinach | Dessert: Wedding Cake Provided by Lazy Acres Catering Connection Mini Dessert Buffet: Chocolate Profiteroles; Cheesecake Bites; Brownie Bites; Lemon Curd Tartlets with Raspberries and Blueberries | Late Night Snack: Perogies Station; Savory Perogies with Potato, Cheese and Meat served with Crisp Onion Bits and Sweet Perogies with Blueberries served with Sour Cream and Sugar.