We hope to finalize our guest count by early July to pass off to our vendors. RSVPing in any form (Zola, by mail, face to face, carrier pigeon, etc.) will help us accommodate everyone.
Please arrive at 6:00 pm. The wedding ceremony begins at 6:30 pm sharp. Prior to the ceremony, we invite you to explore the exhibits at the aquarium. (Make sure you see the penguins, since they won't be available after the ceremony!)
The easiest way to get to the Birch Aquarium is by car. There is plenty of free parking available at the aquarium parking lot. Alternatively, the SD MTS 30 bus stops up the hill from the Birch.
The entire wedding will be at the Birch Aquarium. Before and after the ceremony, we invite you to enjoy the exhibits (like the newly-opened Living Seas!) and take in sunset views over the tide pools.
Semi-formal. A nice button-up shirt, slacks, knee-length or longer dresses, that sort of thing. We're anticipating warm summer evening weather.
We have an oceanic theme with guiding colors of seaglass green, blue, a sandy golden brown, and off-white. However, any colors should be fine so long as they fit our dress code.
We hope to accomodate as many plus-ones as possible. Please let us know when you RSVP if you intend to bring someone, giving us their name and dietary restrictions. Children are allowed, but we do realize that they can be unpredictable, so please have them on their best behavior if you do decide to bring them. Please let us know if you are bringing children when you RSVP.
We ask that all phones be turned off during the ceremony. As much as we love sharing our journey with others, we don't want a bad ringtone or shutter sound effect to distract from the moment. Professional photos will be available upon request following the wedding. Outside of the ceremony, photos are allowed, but we ask that you be respectful and conscientious. We also ask that you follow aquarium rules: no flash photography, don't traumatize the fish, etc.
Yes. The Birch Aquarium has level thresholds throughout and has wheelchair accessible routes to the tidepools and exhibits.
Both, but the ceremony will be held outdoors. The wedding will begin at 6:00 pm, about an hour and a half before sunset. The weather will most likely be warm. After the ceremony concludes at 7:00 pm, there will be indoor and outdoor activites until 8:00 pm (following sunset), whereafter we will transition to entirely indoors. The entry courtyard and tidepools will also be accessible during this time.
Our registry is on Zola (this website--use the "Registry" tab.) Please limit physical gifts to what is listed on the registry, or check with us first. Money and experiences are always appreciated!
Please send gifts through our Registry page (see above). We will also have a receiving table for cards/gifts at the wedding.
We have no specific hotel recommendations, but we do recommend staying in the Pacific Beach, La Jolla, or Sorrento Valley areas for a sub-15 minute drive to the venue that skips I5. Traffic shouldn't be too bad on a Saturday evening, but this is Southern California. If you are staying with a +1 or other guests, AirBnB rentals may have better variety in La Jolla (as it is mostly residential).
Our dinner buffet will offer beef and fish as well as a variety of salads and sides. There will also be tray-passed hors d'oeuvres served during the cocktail hour at 7:00 pm. If you have any dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten free, etc.), please let us know and we can accommodate you.
We've had to cut down our guest list and those that can't attend in person will be able to do so online. We intend to have a stream set up during the ceremony with anonymous attendees and no chat to protect people's privacy. The stream will focus on the procession and please let us know if you do not want to be on camera.
If you arrive at 6:00 pm, you'll have about 20 minutes to see the little blue penguins (adjacent to the ceremony location). They will be unavailable after the ceremony, so we strongly encourage you to go see them while you can! As of May 2025, the Birch Aquarium will have opened the new Living Seas exhibits on the north wing of the building. This is an excellent place to see octopus, jellyfish, and the kelp forest tank. In the South Wing, we love the weedy sea dragons. You will see some of the south wing as we transition from the ceremony to the cocktail hour.
For wildlife: Besides the aquarium, we're big fans of the San Diego Bay Wildlife Refuge (a great place to see Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers!) Snorkeling in La Jolla Cove or Ocean Beach is delightful this time of year. The Botanical Gardens in Encinitas have a wide variety of desert plants. For culture/museums/etc.: Balboa Park, including the Spreckel's Organ Pavilion, the International Houses of Hospitality, various museums, and the Zoo. The Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma has tidepools, a lighthouse, and various wartime exhibits. The USS Midway Museum offers life-at-sea exhibits and restored planes on a real aircraft carrier. Old Town has many historic buildings (including the supposedly haunted Whaley House where we had our first date!) Chicano Park, just a few blocks from where Ella works, has the largest concentration of Chicano murals in the world, plus a great museum and cultural center and a nearby arts district. Other: August is a great time to go to the beach! Text Ella for her favorite spots. Seaport Village near downtown is touristy and cute. Coronado and the Hotel Del are fun to walk around and you can take a ferry from downtown. There's also SeaWorld and Belmont Park if you enjoy rides/amusement parks.