Once In A Lifetime

Santa Barbara, United States

5

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 805-453-6172
Website:
www.sbonceinalifetime.com
Address:
Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
700 ftAnacapa & Ortega
0.2 miGarden & Canon Perdido
0.2 miChapala & De la Guerra
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes

Today

Today 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Santa Barbara) 09:36 Tuesday, 10 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Full Service Wedding Coordinating, day-​of-​planning, customized timelines, vendor management, contracts, budgets, location planning (ceremony & reception), rehearsal dinner and anything in between!

History

Established in 2006.

Once in a Lifetime-​Santa Barbara Wedding Coordinating was created by Santa Barbara native, Dalina Michaels. While Santa Barbara is a «destination wedding» location, there is no reason to pay destination prices (unless you really want to!). Our goal is to work with YOUR vision for your wedding day, and make sure we don’t break the bank while doing it! With extensive knowledge of the area and connections with others in the industry, Dalina will do everything she can to help your dreams come true. She will help you to find the perfect venue for your perfect day, and the vendors needed to bring it all together. Whether you are from out-​of-​town and you are looking for someone to do it all, or you’re a local and you just need a few loose ends tied up… Once in a Lifetime would be honored to help you plan your wedding day. Your first consultation meeting is always free and we look forward to creating your «Once in a Lifetime» moment with you!

Meet the Business Owner

Dalina M.

Business Owner

Dalina Michaels is a Santa Barbara Native who had has been helping brides plan their wedding day for the past 5 years. After graduating from Westmont College with a degree in Communication Studies and Theatre Arts, Dalina spent several years as a television news producer and later worked in sales & marketing for a global software company. Now, Dalina is thrilled to be in her hometown helping brides navigate through the fun (but often overwhelming) wedding planning process. In her spare time, Dalina enjoys being a part of the local theatre community, and is on the Board of Advisors for the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. Six years ago, she had her «Once in a Lifetime» moment when she married her husband, Mike. Together they are enjoying raising a precious and most precocious toddler, Natalie Rose.

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20 reviews of Once In A Lifetime

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Scottsdale, AZ
Dalina was a true gem! She organized a 30th b’day party for me in Santa Barbara (I live in Scottsdale). Very professional, responsive and sweet. It was a tremendous success! I highly recommend her for any event. She’s very knowledgeable about the Santa Barbara area and made great suggestions to keep me and my guests busy throughout the weekend.
Josh S.
Place rating: 5
Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
It was a pleasure working with Dalina! Danni and I had an unusual wedding to say the least and Dalina was the greatest when it came to all of our ideas.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Dalina was a huge blessing to us and our wedding! With her experience, she knew exactly what we needed and helped us plan a masterpiece! She was there with us and investing in us every step of the way and it was great to have someone with her expertise by our side guiding us through the complicated wedding planning process and that gave us peace of mind. She connected us with a great upscale caterer in Santa Barbara, with incredible food (tritip, salmon) with professional servers at unheard of prices that gave our wedding the upscale feel that we wanted. We really appreciated how she was always on our side, she knew we were on a budget and helped to find the best vendors that would work within our budget. She took the time to get to know us personally and what we wanted for our wedding, and since we are both actors she helped us develop a themed hollywood wedding, with a black and white film screening, red carpet interviews, prayer and communion in our ceremony, dance off, cocktail hour with live music, and send off into a beautiful ford classic car! The best part was the feedback after the wedding, our friends couldn’t stop talking about how it was the best wedding they ever attended, raving about all of the amazing details packed into one wedding, and they were amazed at how seamless each transition was. They felt like they were in a movie, which was EXACTLY what we wanted, and we have Dalina to thank for helping us turn our dream wedding into a reality! A wedding is so special, a once in a life time event, and to have her there made our once in a life time event very very special. I wouldn’t change a thing about our wedding, and our wedding wouldn’t have been the success that it was without her!!! We can’t thank her enough!!!
Place rating: 5
Goleta, CA
As a fellow vendor of Once In A Lifetime Santa Barbara, Dalina Michaels is the person to go to. I can’t recommend her highly enough to anyone who is looking for an event coordinator to help them navigate and obtain the event they want to create. She is highly professional with great attention to detail and extremely creative. Dalina has such a bubbly personality and is a joy to work with. I can’t wait until we collaborate on another event together!
Goodland Florist
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
We have worked with Dalina on more than a couple occasions and she never ceases to amaze us with her attention to detail and refreshingly clear communication. She is so easy to work with and maintains her professionalism throughout the entire event process. We recently worked closely with Dalina for a 60th Birthday Party and it went swimmingly. She absolutely transformed the space for the birthday girl and it looked stunning. The best part is the client had a blast. That’s when you know you’re doing something right, the client actually gets to ENJOY their party! We hope to work with Dalina many more times this upcoming season because she’s such a joy. Thank yoou Dalina for being on top of it, easy going and just wonderful!
~From the Pure Joy Catering Team
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
I own an event space and I had the privilege of working with Dalina and Once In A Lifetime at a recent birthday party she coordinated. I have to say it was truly my pleasure to have such a diligent event planner on the job! Her attention to detail and clear communication helped to create the perfect evening. I look forward to working with her again and would highly recommend her services!
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
I threw myself a 60th birthday party and my friend suggested I needed a planner and recommended Dalina. I could not have been more delighted! It was a super evening of music, great food and drink, super location. Dalina took care of every detail, and knew all the perfect vendors to meet my needs and budget.
All I had to do was show up and enjoy myself.
I give Dalina my highest recommendation!
Katina Etsell
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
As a professional harpist, I spend a lot of my weekends providing music at wedding celebrations in Santa Barbara and have had the pleasure of working with Dalina on countless occasions. I appreciate her skill at keeping events running smoothly while staying calm and cheerful. She thinks of all the details and has it handled before you ever know it needs to be done. I highly recommend that you hire Dalina so you can relax and enjoy your day!
Place rating: 5
SoHo, Manhattan, NY
Dalina did a tremendous job going above and beyond to make our wedding fantastic!!! In our initial conversation, Dalina brought up so many little details that I had never thought about before, and contributed some fantastic ideas about how we could make our wedding ever better. Not only does Dalina’s precision and attention to detail make her a fabulous wedding planner, but she’s also incredibly personable and friendly and a pleasure to work with! Dalina is also very flexible and adaptable. Not only was Dalina willing to work with me from across the country since we live in New York, but she was also willing to seamlessly adjust and change things as needed up to the very day of the wedding! I HIGHLY recommend Dalina for any couples getting married in the Santa Barbara area!!!
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
As mom-​of-​the-​bride, with a bride and groom planning their wedding from across the country, I learned about Dalina from a from a friend and thought it would be a great idea to hire her for at least «day of» coordination. My daughter and her fiancé were very cost conscious about the wedding, so at first they thought we could get by without paying someone for coordination services.
As plans developed, with the wedding ceremony taking place at our church and the reception at Cabrillo Arts Pavilion, it became clear we needed someone to oversee the reception preparations while we were involved with the ceremony. Dalina was the obvious choice, with her experience, organization, great attitude, and wonderful reviews! It was one of the best things we did in planning the wedding.
During the weeks leading up to the wedding day, Dalina provided support by phone and e-​mail, as much as we needed. She asked great questions and provided guidance, just to make sure we weren’t overlooking anything. She connected with all the vendors for introduction and coordination.
The last week or two, we were super-​busy with wedding events and DIY activities — a bridal shower, preparing favors and escort cards, arranging flowers, etc. After such a busy time, I can’t tell you what a relief it was to know the reception was in good hands on the day of the wedding. While we were off enjoying the ceremony, I had complete confidence Dalina had things under control at Cabrillo Arts Pavilion. And did she ever! When we arrived for the reception, I was in awe to see how everything came together so beautifully under Dalina’s skill and care. Also, with Dalina keeping track of the reception timeline and moving things along accordingly, it was truly an enjoyable and relaxing time for all — no family or friends needing to watch the time to facilitate activities. A great and memorable day, and Dalina helped make it that way! HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER!!!
Place rating: 5
Santa Cruz, CA
I cannot recommend Dalina and Once In A Lifetime enough. She was the critical factor that brought everything together to make our wedding day perfect. We live in San Francisco, so we had to plan our Santa Barbara Cabrillo Arts Pavilion wedding from 300 miles away. Additionally, the venue wasn’t full service, so things like caterer, beverages, plates/​utensils, linens all needed to be brought in. I have no doubt that Dalina was the reason I was able to 1) stay sane in the week leading up to my wedding and 2) enjoy my day to the fullest.
There are so many inevitable snags when you’re planning a destination (or any) wedding, Dalina was my MVP through all of them. To name a few:
* Our caterer dropped out on us last minute — Dalina found us a new one that fit our style perfectly and deliciously by the next day!
* Because of the caterer switch we now needed waitstaff — Dalina recommended and coordinated with an amazing company that made our day even better.
* We wanted brownies instead of cake — Dalina scheduled brownie tastings for us in SB and our brownies were a hit. They got completely finished even though we ordered 2 per person!
Dalina is an amazing communicator, she talks with all your vendors to make sure they’re on the same page. She knows exactly how to support you. Our wedding was DIY so I made things like tablecloths, chalkboards, etc. Dalina knew exactly how to give me the freedom to add my own personal touches while also overseeing minute details so I was worry free. I cannot recommend her enough. She makes the impossible possible. She is fantastic to work with.
Have Once In A Lifetime coordinate your wedding, it was easily the most important purchase for making our wedding day perfect!
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
As a DJ, it always helps when you have a great wedding coordinator to communicate with and makes sure everything on your timelime runs smooth! I have worked with Dalina for many years and she does an awesome job everytime! I would highly recommend her!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Dalina was the best investment that my husband and I made on our wedding day. We were both able to worry and stress free with her amazing help. I highly recommend her, she is professional, sweet, and incredibly organized!
Place rating: 5
Solvang, CA
Dalina was on the same gig as I was a few nights ago. Pleasure to work with her and I hope to again soon! She was calm and collected and friendly!
Place rating: 5
Oxnard, CA
As a catering owner, I had the opportunity to work with Dalina and it was a great experience. She was on top of everything, very organized and knew exactly what and where everything needed to go. She knew where the bride and groom were at all times and what needed to happen next — kept everyone on time and organized — It was a pleasure working side by side and we hope that we see her in other future events!
Place rating: 5
Tustin, CA
Honestly? I wish I could give Dalina TEN stars. She was awesome and made my wedding at Chase Palm Park run perfectly. But more than that I appreciated that she genuinely cared about me and that my wedding was everything I wanted it to be. I cannot stress enough how helpful she was in the planning process. I told her that she needed to change her title from day-​of coordinator because she is so much more. I did most of the vendor work and decision-​making, but she was always available with advice or ideas leading up to the wedding. And when I had one of my bridal freak-​out moments, she was right there saying exactly what I needed to hear. Not only do I recommend having at least a day-​of coordinator because you can’t handle everything yourself on your wedding day, but I most definitely would recommend Dalina.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I was the Dj for a wedding recently and Dalina was the coordinator. She was very easy to work with and made the wedding run very smoothly. I would highly recommend her!
Place rating: 5
Paso Robles, CA
We had the privilege of working with Dalina on a wedding in Solvang last summer. It went without a hitch. As the owner of Central Coast Party Helpers, staffing weddings and events with professional servers, bartenders, kitchen help etc, it’s of the utmost importance that we have the right coordinators to see things through. My staff work diligently providing an awesome «experience» for our guests and Dalina helped with that. Food provided by Full of Life Flatbread was delicious, timely and well presented. We truly enjoyed working with Dalina and look forward to more events.
Brigitte
Place rating: 5
Pasadena, CA
We hired Dalina for our June wedding at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara. We highly recommend Once in a Lifetime. We took a very long time to select a wedding coordinator for our wedding. We even cancelled on another coordinator to hire Dalina. We do not regret it.
Dalina went above and beyond to ensure our wedding day ran smoothly. Prior to the event she advocated for us when issues came up with our venue and was always there to answer questions we had. We do not live in Santa Barbara, so we had a lot of helpful recommendations from Dalina. She was very thorough and professional and made sure all bases were covered prior to the event. We also respected that she was not pushy with her ideas at all. She heard us out with what we wanted, and gave very helpful advice and left the decisions up to us. Additionally, she is so friendly. Which is always a plus when dealing with the wedding world.
The day before the wedding we had another issue come up. it wasn’t realized that Dalina had to be present at the venue when the event rentals were delivered. She contacted us and let us know she would be there. We felt terrible, what an inconvenience. However, she did not give us a hard time about it and she probably moved her schedule around and went above and beyond to be there 4 hours before our event started! She is just wonderful and we can’t recommend her enough. Having her coordinate our wedding took much of the stress off of us and the wedding day was nothing but enjoyable.
We couldn’t be happier about the choice we made. Weddings are such a huge ordeal. there are so many things that come up and we are so thankful we hired Once in a Lifetime.
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
If you want your next event to be the «event of your lifetime», hire Dalina.
Her attention to detail is impeccable. She brings warmth and confidence to every event she does, and makes it look easy! Don’t hesitate~ call her now!