Jocelyne Katz and Alberto Chehebar met over two decades ago at a dinner at a mutual friend’s house. Shortly after, the two – the former Chilean model and the art collector – began dating. They fell in love, but for years had no desire to get married. “We never thought about getting married. We didn’t feel like we needed to,” Jocelyne explains to VOGUE. “Why would we want to change something that works so well?”
After 20 years together, Jocelyne and Alberto decided to get married.
But then they approached their 20th anniversary – and their perspective began to change. The couple wanted to celebrate this milestone in a meaningful way. At first, the two thought they might do something with close friends and family. “Then we thought: why not get married?” says Jocelyne. “After 20 years together, it was already clear that we wanted to be together forever.”
Jocelyne and Alberto consulted Melissa Sullivan, a wedding planner from Studio Sully, for advice. And then, on a sunny afternoon in January this year, the time finally came: the couple married in the studio of their artist friend Brigitte D’Annibale in Malibu, California – a unique location with a site-specific art installation.
The bride wore a cream-colored wedding dress by Gabriela Hearst.
The bride chose a wedding dress by designer Gabriela Hearst. “At first I was completely against a white dress,” says Jocelyne. “I had never dreamed of my wedding in my life and I didn’t want to start a new tradition at my age.” But just a week before the big day, her mind changed when she and Alberto happened to pass by Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst’s boutique on Rodeo Drive. “Alberto saw a long dress in cream white and asked me to try it on,” she says. “We were both immediately smitten.” She paired the dress with pearl earrings and Hindu prayer bracelets, while Alberto chose a three-piece pleated suit by Issey Miyake and shoes by Prada.
The wedding took place in the garden of the artist’s studio – including a cocoa ceremony.
On the day of the wedding, the couple walked hand in hand through the garden with their grandchildren, accompanied by a flute player. Their mutual friend Joyce Braverman married them in a ceremony that Jocelyne describes as “beautiful, simple, unique, and spiritual.” “Everyone felt the love. The greatest gift was that my three children and their families were able to share this moment with us.”
A lunch followed in the garden, with views of the Santa Monica Mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The wedding cake was a lucuma meringue creation, Jocelyne’s favorite from her childhood in Chile. Chefs Oren Zroya and Jennifer Naylor provided a lavish dessert buffet. As the afternoon turned into evening, the real celebration began. “When the stars appeared in the sky, we danced like no one was watching,” says Jocelyne.
Wanting to honor the spiritual side of their relationship, Jocelyne and Alberto decided to end their wedding day with a cacao ceremony – an ancient, sacred ritual from Mesoamerica that is said to promote love, connection, and deeper healing. “We sat together around the fire and meditated under the guidance of Zohar Chiprut, a wonderful friend from Mexico,” Jocelyne recalls. “Together we expressed gratitude for our lives and the magical moments we have shared.”
Looking back, Jocelyne says that the long wait for her wedding was more than worth it. “Break patterns, wear comfortable clothes, only invite people you love, enjoy good food and music, be in nature, and above all: stay true to yourself,” she advises. “Then you won’t regret the day.”
See more pictures of the dream wedding in Malibu here.
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