San Diego Wedding Idea: Get Married with the Sharks

Planning a San Diego wedding and getting overwhelmed with location choices? After all, you want a location which takes advantage of gorgeous San Diego sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, right? You want a location your guests will remember for weeks, if not months, to come, right? Then, you might consider getting married with the sharks. Or the seahorses. Or any other sea creatures you might find at the fabulous Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla, just outside San Diego.

I attended a birthday party there several weeks back and am still thinking what a wonderful venue the Birch Aquarium is for any kind of large gathering, especially weddings.

What makes the Birch Aquarium the perfect location for your destination wedding? For one, there's the aquarium itself. You can have your wedding at the aquarium after visitor hours, which means you and your guests have the aquarium all to yourselves, free to wander past the exhibits without the crowds. This is nice if your guest list includes people with children who might get bored at a traditional wedding location. Exhibits include the coral reef exhibit with live coral and reef inhabitants such as giant clams, lionfish and chambered nautilus. There is also a nice shark exhibit, displaying swell, nurse, leopard, horn, shovelnose guitarfish, angel, whitetip reef, blacktip reef, and wobbegongs.

Then, there's the incredible view for which San Diego is famous. Located on a coastal bluff overlooking La Jolla Shores beach, the Birch Aquarium has one of the most breathtaking views in the San Diego area. The outdoor tide-pool plaza is the perfect place for your guests to gather at sunset.

The Birch Aquarium can accommodate up to 1,500 people, and is conveniently located to hotels, motels and resorts in the cities of San Diego, La Jolla and Oceanside. You can call them for more information at (858) 534-7769.


Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of Destination Weddings, where you can learn more about Southern California Weddings.