A cliffside palapa above the Sayulita coast. A mariachi band tucked behind the chairs. Two fifty-pound suitcases packed with hand-chosen decor, hauled all the way from California. This wedding had its own rhythm from the start, and nowhere is that more visible than in the images captured by Ben & Kadin. Their work moves between candid and cinematic with an instinct for the quiet, unscripted moments — the kind that end up meaning the most.
This is the story of Chey and Kaleb, who turned a five-day stretch in coastal Mexico into one long, sun-soaked celebration with the fifty-four people who matter most to them.
Location: Sayulita, Nat, Mexico
Style: Vibrant, Authentic, Intimate
Time of planning: 1 year
Number of guests: 54
Setting: Private Palapa
Season: Fall
Chey and Kaleb’s story started years before they actually got together. They met as seniors at Huntington Beach High School, in the same English class and the same friend group, but never quite crossed paths on purpose.
Eight years later, in the restless summer of 2020, Chey and her best friends set up camp at a quiet, off-the-grid spot on the Kern River in Sequoia National Forest. About an hour in, a group of guys wandered down to the same stretch of beach. One face looked familiar — it was Kaleb, with two of his closest friends. The two campsites merged into one, and a weekend of fishing and hanging out along the river turned into something more. From that point on, Chey and Kaleb were rarely apart.
The proposal came four years later, on day five of a six-night backpacking trip through the Sierras with Chey’s father, her godfather, and their closest friends. At the top of a mountain overlooking a lavender field and a lake, Kaleb got down on one knee with his grandmother’s wedding ring, fifty years old and sized to fit perfectly. Two more days of hiking followed, with no cell service, just the two of them and the mountains.
What Was the Inspiration?
Chey’s vision for the wedding was shaped by years of being on the other side of it.
“Honestly, I’ve worked at so many weddings, and I have seen how many trends come and go. A lot of brides go for the clean aesthetic, it is very safe and very beautiful, however, I am more of a colorful palette, kind of girl. I always knew I wanted to incorporate dark reds with dark browns, light browns and soft colored linens. The concept of the wedding was easy — a place where everyone could enjoy themselves and relax, a venue that was easy to get to, and just an overall stress-free couple of days with friends and family. The town of Sayulita is exactly that.”
Morning & Bridal Fashion
Chey’s dress was a true collaboration. Her friend, the designer behind Taelored Collections, hand-made the gown — an ivory satin corset top paired with a long, straight skirt — over the course of eight months, working closely with Chey on every detail. She wore Zara shoes underneath.
Hair and makeup were handled by Korbin Ressler of Beauty by Korbin, a wedding hair and makeup specialist who also happens to be Chey’s now brother-in-law. Her bouquet and the day’s florals came from local Sayulita florist Luka Diseño Floral, built around drooping amaranthus and bold anthuriums.
"I had visions of drooping amaranthus and lots of bold anthuriums and oh boy did they deliver. Our wedding florals were unlike anything I had seen on their social media page, but I just knew deep down they were going to make it happen."
Later in the evening, Chey changed into a second look: a reimagined version of her mother’s 1995 wedding dress, its high-neck bodice cut down into a standalone top and paired with a white mini skirt found online. “The fact that it zippered up perfectly the first time I tried it on was a crazy experience. I chaotically changed in the women’s bathroom with my girlfriends.”
Groom's Getting Ready
Kaleb’s look was custom Suit Supply, paired with black Tecovas Dean Zip boots and a Theory shirt. As a professional model, his sense of style has always been second nature to him, and there was never a question of trading the suit for something more casual, heat or no heat.
“He was absolutely drenched in sweat by the time the wedding happened, but it wouldn’t have been any other way,” added the bride.
First Look
The morning started slow, by design. Chey and Kaleb didn’t want a wedding day spent apart from their guests, so before anything else, the couple joined everyone for breakfast on the beach. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen — a deliberate choice that let their closest friends simply enjoy the trip as a vacation, rather than a role to perform.
Chey didn’t start getting ready until 2 p.m. At 4:30, her dad picked her up by golf cart and brought her to Casa Los Arcos, the cliffside rental where her mom was staying, just below the wedding venue. She got ready alongside her mom, stepmom, grandma, younger sister, and closest cousin, then headed to the property’s private beach for portraits with Kaleb before the ceremony.
“We decided to do our photos before the ceremony because we wanted to spend as much intentional time as possible with our family and friends during cocktail hour. I have been to so many weddings where the bride and groom disappear for an hour or more, which to me, has always felt a little off.”
Ceremony
“We are both a bit introverted, so we chose to do private vows, and we wanted to keep the ceremony fairly quick,” shared the couple.
They asked Kaleb’s uncle to officiate, a simple enough process to arrange in Mexico. The couple walked him through the basics about a week before the wedding, then left the rest in his hands.
“Religion is a big part of both of our families, so uncle Darin made sure to include a few Bible verses, some really funny jokes, and a very special ode to Kaleb’s late father, Ed.”
The ceremony itself took place on the edge of a cliff, with the ocean stretched out behind them.
“Kaleb walked down the aisle with his mom and my mom to Wondering Why by the Red Clay Strays. I walked down the aisle with my dad to the Mandalyn cover of Going to California by Led Zeppelin, and the processional was a surprise Mariachi band that was tucked away behind the guests.”
Cocktail Hour
Cocktail hour unfolded right beside the ceremony spot, where white wicker lounge sets gave guests a relaxed place to settle in while the newlyweds slipped away for portraits with Ben & Kadin.
“We still spent about 45 minutes taking photos with friends and family, but we were a part of the cocktail hour. The bar was fully open, the Mariachi was playing, and we had three fresh appetizers being tray passed. I would pay $1 million to relive that moment.“
Reception
Decor was non-negotiable for Chey. “Believe it or not, we brought about 90% of the decor down to Mexico in 2 fifty pound suitcases. The chargers, the napkins, the cutlery, the table runners, the votives, the candlestick holders, the candlesticks, the custom name shells. Our wedding was going to be 100% completely us, and we weren’t going to settle for anything ordinary.”
The Brisa Mar Palapa offered tables, chairs, plates, cutlery, and glassware as part of the venue, but the couple used only the glassware, opting instead for their own pieces throughout. Seating followed a U-shaped, family-style arrangement, with a family table at the center, friends lining both sides, and a dance floor in the middle.
At the bar, three custom cocktails anchored the night: a margarita, an espresso martini, and an Oaxaca old-fashioned, a drink the couple had grown to love together over the years. Chey designed a custom cocktail menu to match, brought down from California along with custom matchbooks for the tables.
A sentimental touch came courtesy of both moms, who had quietly gathered childhood photos of Chey and Kaleb in the weeks before the wedding and arranged them in frames across the cocktail tables. “I had never even seen half of the photos of Kaleb, so it was a fun surprise,” added the bride.
Music ran through every hour of the celebration, curated down to the smallest detail. DJ Ryan took charge of the dance floor, vetted thoroughly in advance by Chey, who built separate, distinct playlists for the welcome party, the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and the dance party that followed.
“There are always two things at a wedding that I remember: the food and the music. Music has always been such a huge part of my life, almost an obsession. Our first dance song was Right Down the Line by Gerry Rafferty. We could not have picked a better song to share that moment.”
Speeches followed, though none were formally requested.
“I never asked anyone to make a speech, because I believe that people will speak if they would like to, but we ended up having many friends and family want to share stories of our love. I told the Dj no more than 20 minutes for speeches, and we were able to get five or six speeches in that time.”
Around 10 p.m., fireworks lit up the sky over the palapa, a surprise for guests that capped off the night’s biggest moment. Each guest had also found a goodie bag waiting in their room before check-in, packed with an itinerary, sunscreen, shot glasses, and other small travel essentials — a quiet detail that set the tone for the entire trip before it even began.
What Was the Most Memorable Moment?
“The most memorable moment of the day for us was our first dance. We had just gotten married in 80° heat, posed photos are done, a few drinks consumed, stomach full of the best wedding food we’ve ever had, the mood is set, and all of our favorite people are smiling at us under the dimly chandelier lit Palapa. We’re not the ones to typically enjoy many sets of eyes looking, but in that moment it was such peace. It was like all we saw was each other, and we were so focused on the moment, but at the same time we could feel the love surrounding us from everyone.“
“The runner up was the after party. About 30 of us walked to the nearest beach club, barefoot and all, and turned the place upside down. They allowed my friend who is a DJ to plug in his own music, and for about two hours he played while we all kept the party going. At one point my best friend was on the shoulders of one of the employees with a sparkler in one hand and a bottle of Don Julio in the other. It was epic.“
Advice from the couple:
• A destination wedding means a high end budget and some chaos when it comes to the logistics of travel and accommodations, but there are so many ways out there to actually do the opposite. I highly recommend a Mexico wedding, because the travel isn’t very far and your money goes such a long way.
• Your wedding is the one day in your life that you orchestrate from your dreams and visions over the years, why not make it unique. Don’t be afraid to do something different. Use crazy colors, get married in a place no one has heard of, try to create memories your guests will never forget.
• Do what you love, not what other people want you to love. The people in life who love you the most will be there no matter what.
• DIY as much as you can, even if you can afford for someone to do it all for you.
PHOTOGRAPHY Ben & Kadin | PLANNER Veronica Carbajal | VENUE & CATERING Brisa Mar Palapa, Don Pedro’s | DJ DJ Webb | FLORALS Luka Floristería | HAIR & MAKEUP Korbin Ressler, Beauty by Korbin| DRESS DESIGNER Taelored Collections
