Picture this – A Perry House Monterey Wedding along The Bay during the fall season. From the private mansion, you can see the ocean water and the view of Monterey. On the terrace, white chairs are lined up in front of a white wedding arch, decorated with cascading white flowers with greenery. Surrounding the wedding ceremony are garden lights twinkling above the seats, and shrubs with in-season florals in bloom. The weather is warm, and the air is fresh. Guests arrived in both traditional Indian and American attire for this wedding, and everyone was so excited to see these two get married at The Perry House.

The Wedding First Look

Zara, the bride, was wearing a custom tan Lehenga from Shop Kynah. The groom, David, wore the same color for his Sherwani and Kurta.

Zara and David opted in to have a first look on their wedding day. Using the upstairs social room, David laid his eyes on Zara fully dressed and looking absolutely beautiful. They took a moment to embrace each other, and held each other closely.

Eager to get started, we worked our way to the nearby Friendship Plaza for their bride and groom portraits, spending around thirty minutes capturing the love they have in the soft sunlight that glowed through the oak trees. The focus was to also capture the details of their attire, Zara’s hair and makeup, the bouquet of flowers, and the moments between these two.

Wedding Family Formals

To take advantage of the ceremony spot, we did the full family formal shot list where the couple was going to say I do. It helped that it was a small wedding, so we were able to take up the right amount of space and spent 10 minutes getting these images done, with some room to spare. I loved seeing the mixed cultures come together to become one family.

Perry House Monterey Wedding

This Perry House Monterey Wedding was held right during golden hour. In fact, it was over right at around sunset time. When the time was picked, some of us forgot the time changed the week prior), but we had clear skies and warm sun that gave us enough even light to still capture the ceremony as it was. The lights were on so it set the mood for the wedding ceremony.

Together, Zara and David said their traditional vows and exchanged garters to show that they accept each other as husband and wife.

The couple also participated in Saptapadi, or known as the seven steps. Here, each time they circled the fire in the middle, they did a prayer or vow for each other. Because California is known for wild fires, they used a lantern with a safely lit fire inside as their fire (or Agni). It was fun to see something traditional take place in a unique way.

Perry House Reception

The finish this Perry House Monterey Wedding Day, the family gathered for some fun dancing and food. The bride’s family did traditional Indian dances to start the night. Both the boys and the girls did their own sets. The bride and groom then did a choreographed dance. In sync, they nailed each move, laughing along as they danced together. To end the set, the whole group on the bride’s side danced to a song. The couple joined in, followed by the rest of the guests. It was so fun seeing everyone party and enjoy all type of music.

For dinner, everyone sat outside on the terrace and ate together as one big family. With the candles lit and the fairy lights on, the setting for the reception was intimate and romantic. Truly the best way to enjoy dinner under the evening sky.

After dinner, Zara and David continued the festivities with a cake cutting then a champagne tower. Both Zara and David did their own champagne tower with the cake in the middle, then together, they finished up one full tower. These are so fun to photograph because it’s a time of celebration. I personally love the cake cutting and how it is still a trend for couples to do. Each one is fun in their own special way. David did take the liberty to feed himself some icing before Zara could feed him a piece. It had everyone laughing. The music from Kelly Productions filled the room during all the sweet moments, making the mood much more welcoming and fun!

Perry House Monterey Wedding

This wedding day for Zara and David was one I will never forget. The day was filled with joy and excitement. Even though there were hiccups along the way (like the power going out while they were getting ready at the hotel), everyone was positive and made lemons out of lemonade.

Zara and David, thank you both so much for having me as your wedding photographer for your Perry House Wedding. I loved that I got to serve you two, your friends and family, and be there as you come together as one and celebrate the incredible love you two share!

The Vendors

Each vendor came together to make this day amazing. Susan, the coordinator for Perry House was there to guide everyone every step of the way, and make sure the details were perfect. Events by Classic did a great job on the catering (as always). The florals? Beautiful! Carmel Floral Design created such beautiful pieces.

The Hair and Makeup was done by Blush Monterey and Zara and her sister and mom could not stop raving about how talented they were. And, if you need an incredible Henna Artist, I know just the one for you! Located in the Bay Area, Silvana is so detailed oriented and perfect for any henna art.

As a destination wedding photographer, I loved being part of this day and getting to photograph not only the incredible and sweet moments of the couple and their guests, but the details. The dress, the attire, and the look and feel of the day was all so pretty. It was so fun getting to work with all these vendors and capture their hard work.

I love being a wedding photographer in Monterey and truly can’t wait for all that is to come in 2026!

Cheers,

Dana Arnold.