Ellen Bennett and Casey Caplowe’s first date was to Burning Man, so it’s fitting that their November nuptials eschewed a traditional ballroom for a weekend-long explosion of color, food and culture.

After Good media group co-founder Casey proposed in September 2017 in front of the Grand Teton, the couple chose Mexico City for their destination wedding. “I brought Casey there as a surprise for his birthday a couple of years ago,” explains Ellen, who is the founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based apron company Hedley & Bennett and is half Mexican. “I remember the awe he experienced, so we wanted it to be a full-blown cultural immersion.” While planning, they traveled there nine times, culminating in Casey’s 200-page presentation deck of inspiration for Mexico City-based planners Memora Eventos.

In a weekend of surprises, 230 guests, including California culinary luminaries Nancy Silverton and Jonathan Waxman and Mexico City’s Enrique Olvera, were treated to a progressive feast. (All of the food was overseen by chef Daniela Soto-Innes of Olvera’s NYC restaurants Cosme and Atla.) On Friday, they took brightly painted boats down canals to the Xochimilco neighborhood to sample local specialities such as Nicos chef Gerardo Vazquez Lugo’s soft-shell crab tortas. Between noshing, guests frolicked in a marigold field specially planted months prior by Memora Eventos.

At the Saturday ceremony at Condesa DF hotel, the wardrobe bucked tradition: Ellen’s bridal party wore boldly colored jumpsuits, while the bride donned a custom yellow-dipped Christian Siriano gown. Meanwhile, Casey’s fuchsia Paul Smith loafers dictated the wedding’s color palette, including Ellen’s bouquet of celosia by floral designer María Limón.

 

Following the ceremony, officiated by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams founder Jeni Britton Bauer, and a celebratory shower of rose petals, guests headed to the grand Proyecto Público Prim. The 100-year-old greenery-filled space’s transformation was inspired by local markets, with food to match. After a toast rapped by actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Oh Joy! founder Joy Cho, guests tucked into a second dinner around 10 p.m., which included chilaquiles and a chocolate dessert bar by local pastry chef José Ramón Castillo.

“The weekend had an unfolding quality where people didn’t know what to expect next,” Casey says. Ellen adds, “Everyone left with 10 times more love than [when] they arrived: for the country, for each other and for new friends.”

Written by KAREN PALMER.