This Artist Bride’s Hand-Painted Danielle Frankel Dress Shaped the Aesthetic of Her Carmel Valley Wedding
Artist Mackenzie Cantor and entrepreneur Benjamin Taft were fast friends in college—but it took six years and one trip around the world for them to realize they were meant to be more. “Mackenzie and I knew each other as friends for many years, and I always had a crush on her,” shares Ben. In 2022, the pair took a big risk for their first date and went on a spontaneous trip to the World Cup in Qatar.
“Mackenzie agreed to come on the trip with me (with encouragement from her mom) and intuitively knew that the trip would end in one of two ways: either we would never speak again, or we would get married,” says Ben. “The rest is history—and we ended our honeymoon with this year’s World Cup finals!”
In March 2025, Ben surprised Mackenzie with a proposal before her gallery show in New York City.
“All of our most important friends and family were already coming out to support the show, so I figured everyone would be in one place and it would be the perfect time to make something happen,” he says. Ben had the gallerist ask Mackenzie to come in early to be interviewed by a journalist and take photos. The photographer was also an actor and was ready to play a part. Ben explains, “After a few minutes of asking interview questions and getting her to strike different poses, she looked over at me and said, ‘Are you her boyfriend or something?
Do you wanna at least get
Do you wanna at least get in for a photo before you leave?’ I said ‘sue’ nonchalantly, got in front of her painting with her, and got down on one knee.” Mackenzie adds, “Ben proposed privately in the gallery in front of one of my favorite paintings I’ve made and later that evening, we had the show and all of our friends and family came to celebrate.”
The couple decided to tie the knot just over a year later on June 6, 2026, at the Carmel Valley Ranch in California.
“The area has become a special place for us that we visit multiple times a year, so it made us feel super comfortable and relaxed to be in a place we know and love so much,” says Mackenzie. As an artist, the bride had a clear picture of how the wedding weekend should look and feel. “I deeply wanted the entire experience to feel intentional and cohesive,” she says. “Sophia Goff, our wedding planner, helped me perfectly capture the essence of Ben and I, as well as execute my creative concepts and vision.” While the bride took on crafting the visual journey of the weekend, the groom handled its soundtrack.
“From choosing the specific songs that played in the brief shuttle rides to curating every single playlist for every moment to orchestrating live strings at dinner, Ben was in charge,” says Mackenzie. The aesthetic of the wedding took shape once Mackenzie found her dress. “I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be in one of Danielle Frankel’s hand-painted gowns,” says the bride.
The painter in me couldn’t resist wearing
“The painter in me couldn’t resist wearing an actual work of art down the aisle.” Mackenzie fell in love with the Juniper gown, but had a slightly different vision for the colors and silhouette of the dress. “I worked with their amazing team to trade sketches and color swatches back and forth to design our own custom take on the gown,” she says. “We changed the waistline, the colors of the painting, the length and shape of the base, and added material to exaggerate the hips.” The bride calls the final result “a masterpiece.” Mackenzie decided to have cream and pastel blue hues of the gown define the palette of the wedding and the hand-painted florals mirrored in arrangements.
“The second I found my dress, I knew the aesthetics of the wedding needed to be built around the gown,” she says. 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
“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
“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
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.” Our beautiful golden hour rehearsal dinner on Harvest Landing overlooking the vineyard and golf course at Carmel Valley Ranch.
Together with the design team at Prim & Pixie, I designed the menus with debossed paper affixed to thin black wood panels and engraved wooden name tags to match. —Mackenzie
Our rehearsal dinner flowers by Unwritten Florals drew inspiration from the surrounding landscape with accents of Spanish moss and branches. —Mackenzie
Moments before rehearsal dinner began, we took a walk through the vineyard.
Our friend Lauren Brantley styled Ben in this
Our friend Lauren Brantley styled Ben in this textured silk Giorgio Armani shirt, which was a staple of our Friday night look. Mackenzie glistening in the sunlight wearing her mom’s original wedding dress. —Ben
Signing our ketubah with guidance from Rabbi Peretz and my dear childhood friends who served as our witnesses, brother and sister Josh and Eliana Lauder. —Ben
Some of our closest friends and family gathered around as we signed our ketubah.
My close and very stylish friend from college, Rustin Sotoodeh. —Ben
This shot captures the warm and beautiful essence of all 50 of us gathered around the same long table overlooking the vineyard as the sun set. My best friend Matt Stern and his fiancé Erika turned around to enjoy a better view of one of the speeches. —Ben
Us with our maid of honor Grace and best man Vik on either end of us enjoying a laugh from the most hilarious speech of the evening: Mackenzie’s childhood friend, Addie.
I worked with our stationary team to brand our Casino Night “Taft Royale.” The name was plastered all over the menus, napkins, and even the felt on our game tables. Our menu was centered around martinis and french fries (which we called lucky chips). —Mackenzie
We had live poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette tables for our guests to enjoy. Mackenzie throwing a lucky hand in a game of craps!
My mom’s original wedding dress was the perfect
My mom’s original wedding dress was the perfect fit for casino night with its hand-embellished sequins and pearls. —Mackenzie
Our rabbi, Rabbi Peretz, and his wife Miryum. Many admitted that weekend that he was the coolest rabbi they’d ever met. My mom and I having a dance break. She looked stunning in a black sequin gown from Monique Lhuillier. —Mackenzie
My wedding gift came with a bow on it.
—Ben
A detail shot of the hand painted florals on my custom Danielle Frankel wedding gown. —Mackenzie
My mom peeking at the painting underneath the layers of crinkle organza on my wedding dress. —Mackenzie
My bridesmaids and I sharing a moment before the ceremony. —Mackenzie
My bridal bouquet was designed to match the hints of light pink florals painted on my gown. —Mackenzie
My film bridal portrait before walking down to have my first look with Ben.
44 rolls of film were shot over the course of the weekend. —Mackenzie
My bridesmaids lined up with their bouquets. —Mackenzie
I popped outside for a quick photo while all of my groomsmen got ready to reggae music and Mac Miller classics. —Ben
Ben and his groomsmen sharing a laugh while he and his now brother-in-law Simon exchange a quick handshake. Our first look. Our first look—continued.
Helping Mackenzie’s dress not catch too many leaves
Helping Mackenzie’s dress not catch too many leaves. —Ben
Sharing a moment alone. My bracelet is my “something borrowed” from my mom. —Mackenzie
Quick shot before heading into our private vows. My veil was Danielle Frankel’s simple veil and blusher, which perfectly accented the dress. —Mackenzie
Heading to the ceremony after we exchanged our beautiful vows in private.
My bridesmaids sitting upfront during the ceremony. Not only did our bridal party wear all black, but every guest did as well. —Mackenzie
Us exchanging rings while Ben’s sister, Evelyn Taft, officiates. Not only is she ordained, but she is also a broadcaster (the L.A. weatherwoman on CBS). Her stage presence was especially exceptional. Our first kiss as husband and wife under our chuppah, which I designed to be a sneak peak into the larger version of the structure for dinner.
The florals were a wide variety of flowers that wrapped the legs of the structure and blended the architecture with the surrounding nature. —Mackenzie
Walking out of our ceremony to “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce and Jay-Z. My girlfriends celebrating after the ceremony. —Mackenzie
Mackenzie’s friends Allison, Kate, and Maddy heading to cocktail hour. My bridesmaid Ally with her fiance, Riley Tinsley.
—Mackenzie Mackenzie’s friend Isabella heading to our dinner
—Mackenzie
Mackenzie’s friend Isabella heading to our dinner reception. I designed our dinner structure to feature neutral linens, black wooden chairs, rice paper walls, and hanging pendants. —Mackenzie
Our tabletops had mix-matched vases full of different types of flowers, rice paper menus and name cards, as well as delicate glassware. —Mackenzie
Our all-black bars had large sculptural centerpieces to add a pop of color.
I really wanted the flowers to feel like art pieces. —Mackenzie
Seeing all of our escort cards laid out for the first time as we entered our dinner structure for a sneak preview before guests arrived. Ben wore his custom Tom Ford tux as well as a unique Michael Michaud brooch I gifted him (and all of his groomsmen) on the day of the wedding. Ben is also wearing a custom Danielle Frankel handkerchief that matches the painting on my gown.
—Mackenzie
Entering our dinner reception and greeting all of our friends and family. My mom and dad watching our grand entrance. —Mackenzie
As the sun set, our dinner structure was uplit through the trees creating a glow that shined through the rice paper walls and cast shadows from the branches inside. Ben and I seated at our sweetheart table while listening to my dad give his speech.
—Mackenzie My high school girls coming over
—Mackenzie
My high school girls coming over to celebrate with me during dinner. —Mackenzie
Rather than wedding cake, we opted for Ben’s favorite dessert, vanilla ice cream sundaes. We served our sundae desserts in long silver stemmed chalices with trays full of toppings. Cheering my ice cream before sneaking away to change into my second look. —Mackenzie
Mackenzie’s girlfriends Matilda, Allison, and Isa dancing the night away.
I designed the dance venue to be head-to-toe blue velvet. We wanted the space to feel like an elevated nightclub. —Mackenzie
My second look was Oscar de La Renta’s stunning crystal wave embroidered dress. I knew I wanted something sparkly, long, and not white, so when I found this dress I immediately knew it was the one. —Mackenzie
A final espresso martini cheers before entering the dance floor for the rest of the night!
Source: www.vogue.com
