A Unique Weekend Wedding at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas

Marcy McCulley still can’t believe she had no clue Juan Camacho would be proposing to her during a vacation with friends in June 2013.

Over the years, the couple had discussed marriage but had never talked specifics. Reality hit when Juan bent down on one knee during an excursion to the Monastery of St. Mary on the island of Mljet. “He put so much time and effort into planning every surprise,” she recalls. “I’ll forever be in awe.”

Once back in the States, Juan arranged for them to spend time with her parents during their layover in Chicago, a gathering that immediately sparked Marcy’s interest into serious wedding planning. “I had never fantasized about what I wanted my wedding to be like before, but suddenly I was intent on ensuring every detail was exactly what we wanted,” she says.

Though living in San Francisco at the time, the couple decided to host their event in Bentonville, Arkansas, the city where the two had met in 2009 as young professionals. From the very beginning, they knew the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, an architectural beauty encompassing 120 acres of native Ozark forest, would be their wedding site. Guests would stay close-by at the 21c Museum Hotel to enjoy the long holiday weekend.

“Everything about the venues we chose was so perfect,” says the bride. “The cool vibe, the art collections and the attentive staff were precisely what we wanted our family and friends to experience during our time together.” Marcy and Juan married in the Great Hall on a Sunday evening. She wore a strapless Vera Wang gown featuring a lace bolero and mermaid silhouette. He wore a dapper black and blue Tom Ford tuxedo.

Their formal Christian service was highlighted by tradition including a Ukrainian crowning, an ancient practice of the Eastern Rite.

“From the scripture readings to the papal blessing we received, we were humbled by all the love we were shown,” Marcy says of the ceremony. A high-energy gospel choir led the 350 congregants to cocktail hour where an equally rousing 12-piece mariachi group, an ode to Juan’s Hispanic heritage, took over the entertainment.

Later, dinner and dancing took place at Eleven Restaurant, overlooking the water. Thousands of pale colored flowers–roses, hydrangeas and peonies–adorned the tables and chairs, softening the modern architecture of the space. Personalized menus marked each place setting. Though they made a grand exit from the reception in Juan’s father’s 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, these newlyweds couldn’t stay away. They joined their guests back at the hotel for an after party, complete with an acrobatic act, before the night came to an end.

“If we could do it again, we would do it exactly the same way,” Marcy says. “We still can’t get over the fact that it was our wedding.” The Camachos spent their honeymoon in Cape Town, Africa, followed by a safari in Kruger National Park and and a bit of island life in the Seychelles.