One story began in 1782, when Spanish soldiers and their families journeyed to Alta California and created the Santa Barbara settlement. The village grew around El Presidio, a military base that protected the Mission and functioned as an important center of civic activity. El Presidio, which still stands downtown, included a Catholic chapel where Jose Calisto, a soldado de cuera (“leather-coated soldier”), and Juana Maria Vitalia Feliz were wed on December 3, 1786. They were the first couple to be married in the little adobe church, which remains a popular wedding venue to this day.
Another story began more recently. Jacqueline Berniard and Josh Briner of Santa Barbara got engaged and planned their wedding for the fall of 2016. While Jac, a Catholic, had always looked forward to a church wedding, Josh had been previously married, and the Catholic church requires more than a legal divorce for a formerly married party to be eligible to marry in a church again. They require an annulment from the Vatican, a process that, according to the priest who broke the devastating news, would take at least a year. With the deposit for the reception site already paid, 12-18 months was time the young couple did not have.
Jac led the charge to secure another location, but weddings venues in Santa Barbara are commonly booked at least a year in advance. After an exhaustive search, only one location was available on their date: El Presidio Real’s chapel, recently relinquished by the Catholic Church and currently owned by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historical Preservation.