Allie & Joseph
BOTANICA | OCEANSIDE, CA
Allie and Joe live in Chicago. They met on a dating app, and when it came time to get married, they picked a garden 2,000 miles from home. On September 30, 2022, they married at Botanica in Oceanside, California, a hidden garden venue in North San Diego County with spring-fed waterfalls, ponds and old fig trees. Tionna Van Gundy and Kristina Valle of Wedicity planned the weekend from Chicago, the same way we plan destination weddings in Mexico and Italy.
The weekend opened with a prix fixe dinner at Valle, the restaurant at the Mission Pacific hotel. On the wedding morning, Allie and her bridesmaids got ready at The Seabird Resort in matching green palm-print pajamas and white cat-eye sunglasses, dancing on a terrace above the beach. The invitation suite by Amore Creative, pale blue with white palm fronds, had already set the coastal tone.
Allie and Joe saw each other first on their suite terrace, with palm trees and the Pacific behind them. Joe wore a navy suit with a blush bow tie. Allie wore a fitted off-the-shoulder gown with floral appliqué sleeves and a cathedral veil edged in three-dimensional flowers. Her bridesmaids wore satin and chiffon in champagne, blush and tan.
The ceremony took place in Botanica's garden in the late afternoon, under a sprawling tree. Chic Flowers built a circular arch of pampas grass, dried palms and blush roses in front of a rock waterfall, and lined the aisle with more pampas and woven lanterns. Rose petals covered the aisle between rows of wooden cross-back chairs. Guests got champagne and programs that doubled as fans. Allie walked down the aisle to Kina Grannis's cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love," a nod to Crazy Rich Asians, and Joe dipped her for a kiss on the way back up.
Cocktail hour stayed in the garden. A living wall held rows of champagne flutes, and the seating chart was printed on three blush arches under the heading "Our Favorite People." A pink rotary phone took audio messages for the couple, and a mirror sign by Peachy & Folk read "All of this because two people swiped right." Guests sat in a lounge of rattan chairs around an emerald velvet sofa.
Dinner was served in a tent strung with lights. The sweetheart table sat under a neon "Mr & Mrs" sign, framed by pampas and white florals. Wood farm tables were set with gold woven chargers, blush napkins, amber glassware and eucalyptus runners, and Botanica's kitchen catered the meal. Vox DJs ran the music, Allie's brother-in-law sang, and the night ended with glow sticks on the dance floor and an after-party at The Seabird's pool terrace.
Katelyn Rose Weddings photographed the day, and we told the full story of the weekend in Allie and Joe's Oceanside wedding recap on the Wedicity Gazette. For another California wedding, see Lindsey and Nathan at Carmel Valley Ranch. If you live in Chicago and want to get married somewhere else, a destination wedding planner based here can carry the details for you. Start a conversation with us.
VENDOR CREDITS
Planner & Design: Wedicity (Tionna Van Gundy & Kristina Valle) | Venue & Catering: Botanica | Accommodations: The Seabird Resort | Photography: Katelyn Rose Weddings | Videography: I Heart Creative Films | Florals: Chic Flowers | Hair: Styled by Jordan | Makeup: Makeup by Adrianne | Stationery: Amore Creative | Signage: Peachy & Folk | Entertainment: Vox DJs | Photo Booth: Pixster Photo Booth | Welcome Dinner: Valle
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