Survivor Winner Aras Baskauskas Marries Model Christy Petersen! See Their Photo Album

'Survivor' Winner Aras Baskauskas Marries Model Christy Petersen! See Their Photo Album

The couple said "I do" in a picturesque ceremony on a Mexican beach

Updated on December 1, 2020 09:31PM EST

Aras Baskauskas is a married man!

The Survivor: Panama champ tied the knot with fiancé Christy Dawn Petersen in a laid-back beach ceremony on April 25.

It was important to Baskauskas and Petersen that the ceremony and reception be a relaxed celebration for their 96 guests. “I’m not usually a big wedding fan – most feel so stuffy,” Baskauskas tells PEOPLE. “But this one was so much fun.”

After they became engaged in 2013, Baskauskas and Petersen welcomed their son River Juozas last year.

The couple got married at the Papaya Playa Project in Tulum, Mexico. They exchanged their vows just a few steps from the beach.

All About the Dress

Petersen, a former model who now owns the clothing line Dawn, designed her own gown. The vintage silk dress had a tiered skirt and plunging neckline. She also designed the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Having plenty of eyes on one of her creations is nothing new for Petersen, who designed the dress that Taylor Swift wore in the video for “Style.” “I have a specific idea in mind,” she told PEOPLE in February as she was planning her own wedding dress. “I want it to be perfect.”

To keep with the classic feel of the wedding, Petersen’s ring was made with a vintage diamond that had once belonged to Baskauskas’ uncle’s grandmother.

Dancing, Cake and Skinny Dipping

Once the ceremony was over, the event turned into a party. Food was served buffet-style – including a churro cart. Guests sat at long tables with a clear view of the beach. “There was no assigned seating,” says Baskauskas. “That wasn’t what we were going for.”

The couple chose a tres leches cake and did a traditional cake cutting. They fed each other the first piece.

The dessert clearly went over well. “There was no cake left at the end of the night,” Baskauskas laughs. “I’ve never seen a wedding where people finish the entire cake.”

As night fell, the free-spirited Baskauskas ended up skinny dipping in the ocean with several of the guests. Afterwards, the couple danced until 3 a.m. “We went until they turned the music off,” he says.

All in all, it was a perfect wedding for Baskauskas and Petersen. “It was the best night of my life by far,” says Baskauskas. “There was so much love in the room. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world, marrying my best friend.”