I deeply regret trusting this salon with my elopement wedding-day hair…read more
I booked Montecito Village Salon weeks in advance for my August 6, 2026 wedding. I initially spoke with Ariana, who was incredibly sweet, patient and accommodating with all my questions. I got off the phone genuinely excited and relieved that I had found this place.
We booked a trial with Andrea for August 5 and my wedding appointment for August 6. They gave me Andrea's Instagram, I researched her work, and felt confident choosing her. I also booked appointments for my mom and sister.
I wasn't sure whether I wanted half-up or a full updo, and Ariana reassured me we could decide at the trial. I wrote down the prices quoted: $64 blowout, $65 half-up and $99 updo.
Then Monday of my wedding week, I was told Andrea was sick and ALL her appointments for the entire week were canceled--including my Thursday wedding appointment.
Of course people get sick, but my immediate question was: How do you know on Monday that someone will still be too sick to work Thursday?
Maybe there was a legitimate explanation, but none was given. Andrea didn't reach out. The owner didn't reach out. There was no meaningful apology. They knew this was my wedding, that I had specifically researched Andrea and that the trial was important to me. The way it was handled created unnecessary distrust.
The replacement stylist couldn't accommodate my scheduled trial time, so days before my wedding I lost BOTH the stylist I carefully selected and my trial.
I tried to make the best of it and sent a detailed message explaining what I envisioned so my replacement could prepare. I was told it would be passed to the owner. Nobody ever acknowledged it.
On my wedding morning, my mom, sister and I arrived, and unfortunately several staff members came across as snobby and dismissive.
My replacement stylist was sweet, but asked what I wanted as though she hadn't received anything I sent. She didn't seem confident taking the lead or making recommendations. I felt like I needed to direct her instead of being able to trust an experienced stylist to guide me.
My half-up was pretty enough, but extremely basic and done quickly. Thankfully, I had spent about $300 on a hair Botox treatment days earlier, so my hair was already very smooth and manageable, which contributed significantly to the relaxed finish.
My mom and sister's experience was worse. They arrived with washed hair and said so, yet their hair was washed again. I was the bride and finished at least 30 minutes before them. My mom showed an inspiration photo and was told it could be recreated, but the result was so off that my sister ended up helping guide the stylist to fix it. Neither was happy. This wasn't one disappointing result--it was THREE in one day.
Then came checkout.
They tried to charge me $200.
I had been quoted $65 for half-up and $99 for an updo. I received a basic half-up. When I questioned the $200, the front-desk employee was dismissive and, from my perspective, almost smirking, essentially saying because I was a bride, that's what they charge.
But they KNEW I was a bride when they quoted me! My wedding was the entire reason I called.
If bridal hair automatically costs $200, that should have been disclosed when I booked--not AFTER the service.
After I pushed back, they reduced it to $100, still more than the $65 quoted. I tipped fairly on top because I didn't want the stylist punished for how the business was being run.
What bothered me most was the complete lack of ownership. No meaningful apology for canceling my chosen stylist, no acknowledgment of losing my trial, no acknowledgment that my detailed message apparently never reached my stylist, and no outreach from the owner.
I'm a business owner myself and genuinely care about seeing local businesses succeed. I understand employees get sick and mistakes happen. To me, what defines a business isn't whether something goes wrong--it's how leadership responds when it does.
There were so many opportunities to acknowledge what happened, communicate transparently, apologize or make some effort to restore the experience. Instead, we felt like none of it mattered.
I genuinely wanted to love this place, especially after my wonderful initial conversation with Ariana.
Thankfully, the local business that did our makeup afterward was the complete opposite: warm, talented, professional and genuinely excited for us. I happily paid $200 + tip there because the service AND customer experience warranted it. They completely changed the energy of our morning.
Based on our experience, I would not recommend Montecito Village Salon for bridal or important special-event hair. This wasn't one bad result--it was three in one day. Even if my hair had turned out phenomenal, I still couldn't recommend this business because of the lack of transparency, communication, accountability and customer care.
