This Artist Bride’s Hand-Painted Danielle Frankel Dress Shaped the Aesthetic of Her Carmel Valley Wedding

For Ben’s wedding day look, he wore a bespoke Tom Ford tuxedo. “We chose a fabric that had a slight gold shimmer to it so it would reflect off the sun and feel unique to his groomsmen, while still feeling cohesive,” says the bride. The wedding party—and all the guests—wore black for the ceremony and reception. “Having everyone in black really allowed for the artistic elements of the wedding to pop and shine without being drowned out by colorful gowns,” shares Mackenzie. To give her bridal party cohesion, she gifted them all matching earrings and had them wear the same hairstyle. The groomsmen each wore unique brooches from Michael Michaud that were handpicked for their personalities. “It felt like a more creative approach to the boutonnière that would also serve as a gift,” says the bride.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday with the wedding party and family at The Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach. “We wanted an intimate start to the weekend before the cameras and makeup and chaos where we could relax and be present with our closest people,” shares Mackenzie. The following night, the couple held a rehearsal dinner at sunset overlooking the rolling vineyards of Carmel Valley. Afterward, the couple had all their guests join in for a casino night complete with poker, roulette, and craps. “We knew we wanted an interactive activity-based welcome event and chose to do a casino as a nod to my dad, who has played poker my whole life and taught me starting at six years old,” says the bride. That night, Ben wore an ensemble centered around a vintage Armani shirt in textured silk and Mackenzie wore her mother’s wedding gown. “It was so special to get to wear her dress,” she says.

The ceremony took place at golden hour on the lawn of the Carmel Valley Ranch Resort. “Our chuppah was designed to be an architectural preview of the dinner space the guests would see later on in the evening,” shares Mackenzie. “It was a large structure, elevated on a stage with florals that wrapped around to match the surrounding nature.” As the ceremony began, “Canon in D” was played on a grand piano as a nod to Ben’s mother, who is a classical pianist. “When I came down the aisle, the pianist switched to my favorite song: ‘Accidentally in Love’ by Counting Crows,” says the bride.

The groom’s sister officiated the proceedings alongside Rabbi Peretz, who brought Jewish traditions into the ceremony. “Ben’s sister is like a second mom to him, since she is 12 years older and helped raise him, so it was very special to have her up there with us,” shares Mackenzie. Ben shares he felt very present and emotional throughout the ceremony. “Despite all our guests being there, it felt like Mackenzie and I were in our own little private bubble with just the two of us, my sister, and our rabbi,” he says. Adds the bride, “I couldn’t have asked for a better day.”

Guests mingled at cocktail hour before everyone moved into the reception space, which was surrounded by the sounds of live strings. “The structure we designed came together perfectly,” shares Mackenzie. “I wanted the dinner space to feel clean and architectural, with sculptural flowers, and enclosed in nature and it was exactly that.” The evening was filled with speeches from the couple’s fathers, best man, and maid of honor. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, the meal ended with ice cream sundaes. “Ben and I aren’t huge cake people, however, every night we go out to dinner, Ben ends with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream,” says the bride. “We knew we had to incorporate that into the wedding.”

The night transitioned into a blue velvet-filled club, and Mackenzie emerged ready to party in a sparkling Oscar De La Renta number. “We danced all night—including a very energetic and intense long-form hora—and threw a hotel room after-party till 3 a.m.,” she shares.

The groom says he now understands why people often say your wedding can be the best day of your life: “It’s a crazy feeling to have every single person you love in one place like that. And so many of the surprises, like Mackenzie’s dress and how all of the art and design came together, exceeded my wildest expectations.” Adds the bride, “We couldn’t be happier with the wedding but are most excited to be officially married and to start growing our lives and family together.”