Tell us a little about yourselves!
Maya and Kurt live in San Francisco, California and share a love of travel, adventure, cooking and eating great food, and lazy days at home.
We met in high school chemistry class in San Diego, California. After navigating life apart during college, we moved to Thailand together and spent two and half years teaching English and exploring Asia. From there, we moved to San Francisco so Maya could attend law school while Kurt worked as an engineer. We got engaged on an extended trip to Greece and Spain in 2021 and were married in Mendocino in July of 2023. We’re excited for all of the adventures ahead, and feel lucky to to get to navigate life together.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We knew we wanted to get married overlooking the ocean, and this simple premise guided our venue search. Getting married at Cuffey's Cove allowed us to combine our love of Northern California with our love of travel, as we got to spend our wedding weekend in one of the most beautiful places on the planet while also feeling very much at home. We also really enjoyed being able to invite our loved ones on a bit of an adventure!
Our venue, Cuffey's Cove Ranch, gave us free rein of the incredible coastal ranch for our entire wedding weekend. We stayed at the Kenney House on the property for the weekend, as did the bridal party. The groomsmen also stayed on site in glamping tents from Wayward Glamping, as did a large number of our friends and cousins. We loved being able to host multiple events on the property, how much freedom and privacy we had with the venue, and the view was absolutely breathtaking the entire time. It was magical.
How many guests did you have?
We had 117 guests. We were honored to have that many people make the journey to our venue and to be a part of our weekend.
Tell us about your outfits.
Maya’s wedding dress is from Sarah Seven, and she wore a detachable train for the ceremony. Her veil is family heirloom which has been worn by brides in her family for over 100 years. Her after party dress is from House of CB. Kurt’s tuxedo is from The Black Tux.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Frankly, the most important aspect of the weekend was that we had an amazing time together and that it felt authentically like us. We didn’t want it to feel stuffy and we really just wanted to have an epic time in a stunning place. This helped us focus on our favorite things.
We loved being able to write our own vows, to get married overlooking the ocean, to eat Thai food for dinner outside (under the gorgeous tent), to do our first dance to “Naive Melody” by the Talking Heads and to dance the night away. It was amazing to not have a strict or early shut down time, and we prioritized getting a great DJ, having amazing drinks and late night pizza. This energy really carried through, and Maya’s uncle/the officiant, Kevin, even wrote the couple their own surprise song, entitled “Finally.” It was funny, irreverent, incredibly personal and beautiful. The guests sang this at the welcome party as a surprise and then again after speeches the wedding night. It was unreal.
Given all of the focus on fun, we also prioritized having shuttles to get our guests home.
In sum, it was important to us that we could be present with each other and our guests during the weekend, and we did not want to feel like we were working the event. Our coordinator, Madeline Hurst, did an amazing job of making sure we truly had the best time and were very present for this sacred weekend with each other and with our people.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Again, it was important to us that the weekend felt personal and like us, and that helped us incorporate a lot of many personal touches. For instance, our table “numbers” were all places that we traveled together and we had Thai food from Thai Rice Spoon Catering as a call back to the two years we spent living in Thailand together.
We wanted the weekend to feel transportive; to have our guests enjoy the magic of the location and the weekend with us. We are so grateful to everyone who made the journey, and we wanted them to feel that. We decided to include personal photos with every guest attached to each of their menus, so everyone had a photo from some time in our lives that we had experienced with them. That was a great detail that people loved and we had a lot of fun putting together.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Remember that this event is about you. Spend as much time together as you can during the wedding and party as it goes by in the blink of an eye and having memories and moments together is more memorable than independently catching up with family and friends.
In terms of practical tips, having more staff for the weekend/events is great because it takes the pressure and work off of you and off of your wedding party. If you’re having a rehearsal dinner, try to have a photographer there as well so those moments are captured. Definitely invest in some sort of video because it truly goes by so fast. Also, start writing your vows early!
Wedding planning can be a ton of work, but the day/weekend will be worth it.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our coordinator, Madeline Hurst, went above and beyond. She truly guided us through the process of planning a wedding and having an amazing weekend, and she made us feel completely taken care of and at ease.
We loved working with Matt Rowland and his team with Matt Rowland Events for our rentals. They really transformed the venue for us. Radostina Boseva was an incredible photographer and we absolutely loved working with her! DJ Tony from NorCal Pro Sound blew us away and kept everyone on the dance floor.
Finally, our florist Evita from Eva Lina Floral did an incredible job. The florals were truly works of art.
We had an amazing team and are so grateful.
Photographer: Radostina Boseva @radostina.photography | Videographer: Family Artifacts @family_artifacts_ | Ceremony + Reception Location: Cuffey's Cove Ranch @cuffeyscoveranch | Celebrant: Kevin Joyce @enjoyproductionspnw | Entertainment: DJ Tony Muzzin - NorCal Pro Sound @norcalprosound | Wedding Coordinator: Madeline Hurst @fernfootevents | Hire: Matt Rowland Events @mattrowlandevents | Flora: Eva Lina Floral @evalina.floral | HMUA: Beauty on Set @beauty_on_set | Catering + Beverages: Thai Rice Spoon Catering @thairicespoon_catering + Mendocino Outland Bartending @mendocino.outland.bartending | Paquitas Mexican Grill @paquitasmexicangrill + Ellery Clark Catering @elleryclarkcatering | Cake: Franny's Cup and Saucer @frannyscupandsaucer | Stationery: by the couple | Glamping: Wayward Glamping @glamp_girl | Restrooms: Rhoades Side Restrooms @rhoadeswork | Ceremony Dress: Sarah Seven @sarahseven | Party Dress: House of CB @houseofcb | Suit: The Black Tux @theblacktux | Engagement Ring: James Allen @jamesallenrings | Wedding Rings: No. 3 Fine Jewelry @no3.shop | Veil: Family Heirloom | Earrings: NST Studio @nst_studio