The Secret Garden At Rancho Santa Fe

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

Some guests are opting to stay at an AirBnB. If this is what you are interested in we recommend staying in the following neighborhoods: Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach, or La Jolla. If opting for a hotel, see below for some suggestions!

Budget-friendly, clean, and only a 15 minute drive to the wedding venue. Bonus: dog-friendly!

Hampton Inn Encinitas Cardiff Beach Area

Located in Del Mar and only a 15 minute drive to the wedding venue! It is also less then 10 minutes to: beaches and downtown Del Mar where you will find many shops and restaurants.

Hilton San Diego/Del Mar

Pros: Just a 6 minute WALK to the wedding venue (less than 0.5 miles away) with gorgeous, newly renovated rooms.Cons: Pricey!

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe

Accomodations

Beaches

Encinitas Beaches <a href="https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/encinitas.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/encinitas.aspx</a>

Del Mar Beaches <a href="https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/del-mar.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/del-mar.aspx</a>

La Jolla Beaches <a href="https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/la-jolla.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/la-jolla.aspx</a>

Restaurants 

Family owned, quaint, tasty Italian food!Located in Cardiff.

Trattoria Positano

Great food, drinks, ambiance, and live music nightly!Located in downtown Encinitas.

The Roxy Encinitas

Great spot for dinner and a bottle of wine!Located in downtown Encinitas.

The 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro

Family and dog friendly Italian spot!Located in Del Mar.

North Italia

Enjoy seafood with an ocean view! Located in downtown Del Mar.

Jake's Del Mar

The best margaritas and tacos!Located in downtown La Jolla.

Puesto La Jolla

Casual, fresh, delicious sushi spot located in the heart of La Jolla Cove. Walk-ins welcome!

Shiku

Awesome steakhouse with ocean views!Located in La Jolla Cove.

Eddie V's Prime Seafood

Hiking, Parks, and More

Beginner friendly hike along the cliffs of Torrey Pines with spectacular, panoramic views of the ocean! Located in La Jolla.

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Spectacular ocean views in a lush, botanical garden! One of our favorite places. Located in downtown Encinitas.

Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens

Balboa Park is known for its museums, architecture, and gardens!Located in downtown San Diego.

Balboa Park

World famous San Diego Zoo! Located in downtown San Diego.

San Diego Zoo

Things to Do

Q + A

Rachel and Dallas met on the dating app, Hinge, in February 2021 amidst the pandemic. Rachel had been working as an ICU nurse for two years at that point, and they were both on the search for a relationship. They chatted on the app and connected right away with their sense of humor. Since the pandemic was in full swing, they agreed to have their first date on Zoom. They talked on Zoom for two hours and realized how easy it was to talk to each other. After the initial video date, they met in person for a beach walk and dinner.

How We Met

Photos Through the Years

Fun photos from vacations, date nights, holidays, and more!

Jazz Concert: September 2021

Kauai: October 2021

First Christmas together: December 2021

Dogsitting: March 2022

Being Tourists in Dallas' City of Chicago: July 2022

NYC: November 2022

Hiking for Dallas' Birthday: March 2023

Beach Walk in our Hometown: April 2023

Cooking Class: April 2023

The Night Dallas Proposed! Oct. 28th 2023

Rachel's Birthday Dinner: August 2024

Our Story

Having our friends and family there on our wedding day to support us is truly the biggest gift.

Please do not feel like you have to give us a wedding gift in addition to your amazing presence. However, if you would like to give us a gift, we have chosen not to include a physical gift registry.

We dream of going to Italy and Croatia for our honeymoon in the fall of 2025, and have provided a link BELOW to contribute to our honeymoon fund. There will also be a box at the wedding venue for cards, if you prefer.

Please follow the link below to make a digital gift using HoneyFund. There is no fee, a receipt will be emailed to you, and you can write us a message so we know who to thank! HoneyFund asks if you'd like to donate extra money to a charity and defaults to $1, but you can select $0 if you choose.

<a href="https://www.honeyfund.com/site/plikuhn-bushnell-03-15-2025" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.honeyfund.com/site/plikuhn-bushnell-03-15-2025</a>

Our Registry 

Photos

Dallas grew up with his brother Wyatt in Homer Glen, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, raised by their loving parents: Ken and Paula. He graduated from New York University with a degree in Music Business. His professional background in sales began with his first summer job during college in 2007, and he has since found a home in the renewable energy industry since 2019. A lifelong pianist and musician, Dallas is a board member of a San Diego based non-profit organization which hosts an international piano competition for adult amateurs. Personal fitness, music, golf, surfing, and everything San Diego offers are his natural habitat. He hopes to raise a family here with Rachel!

Dallas Plikuhn

Rachel grew up in San Diego and was raised by her incredible parents: Maxine and Bill. She went to school at UC Davis and also at MCPHS University where she got her degree in Nursing. Rachel worked as an ICU nurse from 2019 to 2021. She left the hospital in early 2022 and now works as a GI nurse in an outpatient facility. Rachel met Dallas when she was working night shift at the hospital and now she is happy to have a normal, daytime schedule (and Dallas is too!). Rachel has two amazing sisters, Nicole and Desiree, who live out of state. Rachel enjoys reading fiction books, cooking, exercising, seeing live music, and spending time with her friends/family. She also loves spending time with her little doggie sister, Lily. 

Rachel Bushhnell

Rachel has been friends with Alex for over 12 years. They first met in college at UC Davis and were roommates their senior year. Alex is the kind of friend that feels like family. She is someone you can call when you want to celebrate, when you need advice, when you need some tough love, when you want to be silly, and when you have exciting news to share. Alex lives with her husband and toddler in Northern California where she works as a Neurologist. 

Alexandra "Alex" Nicholson

Wyatt is the younger brother of Dallas, only 15 months apart. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Business, and has traveled & lived all over the U.S., in addition to living and studying abroad in Australia. He works in technology sales just like his brother, and lives with his family in Temecula, CA. Wyatt is tremendously loyal, bright and cares deeply for his friends and family. He's also a low handicap golfer, underground ping pong player, and natural athlete. He and Dallas have always connected through sports and music growing up.

Rachel & Dallas

Rachel & Dallas

R&D

Wedding Day

Reception