Val + Kellen – Birch Aquarium Wedding – San Diego, California

I knew Val + Kellen’s wedding day was going to be a fun one! After our gaming engagement session last year, I was excited to see what they would come up with for the wedding day. 

Valerie has this smile that is just lights up the room, and her and Kellen are so well matched, he is just as warm and welcoming. Everything about the wedding day reminded me of the excitement of childhood. About 10+ times though out the day I wanted to give everyone around me a big hug. I know it might be strange, but when I’m surrounded by love I’m in my happy place. It might of helped that Jay and I even had time to check out the aquarium during dinner and squeal over the cute fishes… okay, maybe the squealing was just from me. 

From the Bride…”Kellen & I met while studying abroad at Oxford in the UK the summer of 2011 and when we discovered out mutual passion for playing Smash Brothers on N64, we knew we were destined for a (nerdy) happily ever after. Our wedding was inspired by our geek love, the ocean, and the great city we are lucky to call home, San Diego! The most fun part of planning the wedding was finding ways to incorporate unique elements our personalities and relationship, especially the nerdy, pop culture references. As for choosing our venue, we immediately fell in love with the Birch Aquarium: the perfect combination of feel-like-a-kid-again fun and nautical elegance was exactly how we pictured our big day. The last thing we wanted was a stuffy, formal wedding – we wanted to throw the biggest party of our lives for our family and friends in a setting that encourages everyone to explore their curiosities, feel connected with nature and San Diego, and, above all, celebrate love!”

Venue: The Birch Aquarium at Scripps || Coordinator: Maryssa Stovall of Hannah Smith Events || Florals: Jennifer Yang of In Flower || Hair + Makeup: Ammi Hsu of Beauty Creator || Singer: Mason James  ||  DJ: Chris of Vario Productions || SlowMo Booth || Invitation: Patrick Ballesteros || Video: The Adventures Of || Cake + Catering: Culinary Concepts ||