My cousin Jacob married Emma at the Wedding Bowl in La Jolla, California. Euri and I were there, and it was a wonderful day.

My favorite moment came at the reception, when Jacob danced with his mom, my Aunt June. Anyone who knows Aunt June knows she's a little bit crazy, in the best possible way, and she brought every bit of it to the dance floor. Jacob kept up with her, which is more than most of us can say.

The ceremony at the Wedding Bowl

The Wedding Bowl is a small grassy park on the bluffs along Coast Boulevard South, a short walk along the cliffs from the Children's Pool. It's exactly what the name promises: a patch of lawn, the Pacific right behind you, and plenty of room for family. Jacob got married in his Navy dress uniform, and Emma looked beautiful.

Family on the bluff

Weddings are one of the few times the whole family ends up in the same place, so we took full advantage. My brother Andrew and I grabbed a photo at the overlook, and later the three of us got one with my cousin Tommy, Jacob's brother.

Euri wore a floral dress that matched La Jolla perfectly, from the succulent gardens to the edge of the bluff.

The reception

The reception was on a covered patio with string lights and patio heaters, which you need in December even in Southern California. Emma had her dance with her father, and Jacob had his with Aunt June, so the dance floor got plenty of use.

Seals, surfers and some very expensive houses

We spent some time walking the coast, and La Jolla is beautiful. The houses are also so, so expensive. Every one of them seemed to come with an ocean view and a price I didn't want to think about.

The harbor seals were the stars of the walk. They were hauled out at the Children's Pool, a cove behind a seawall that Ellen Browning Scripps paid to build in 1931 as a safe place for kids to swim. The seals moved in during the 1990s and never left. The beach has been closed every year from December 15 to May 15 for pupping season, so a wedding three days earlier was good timing. Check the city's current rules before you go.

The surfers were out too, and the tide pools had shorebirds picking through the seaweed. I also caught a monarch butterfly working the flowers in a patch of succulents.

Congratulations, Jacob and Emma. And Aunt June, thanks for the best dance of the night.

For more of our trips around the state, see my California travel posts, including our day in Joshua Tree National Park.