Happy Monday, guys + gals! We're starting the week off in such a gorgeous way, with Sarah + Sunny's stunning two part Indian / American wedding feature, captured by the ever-lovely Danielle Poff!

Sarah + Sunny debated all the pros + cons of having a two-day wedding, in order to make sure to both of their cultures felt represented in all the best ways. In the end, they decided on one big, beautiful day-long celebration since they knew if they had everything in one day, no matter how tiresome it may be, that it would be the easiest way for everyone to enjoy and appreciate both cultures. Sarah explains, We made a point of adding in a little something of both of us to each ceremony to make it more 'us' and we did a lot ourselves. Instead of trying to find things that encompassed both of us and our cultures, we made them together. Both officiants explained the meaning behind the minute details of both Hindu & Catholic ceremony and even the bakery was able to mimic the look of our invitation on the second tier of our cake. Our hope was that we could mesh everything together enough that during the weekend, each side would feel as comfortable as we do with each other's traditions- especially since so many people made a pretty long journey out there for us.

Sarah wore a few super stunning dresses throughout the day, and we're just loving this gorge two-piece number she chose for her first look with Sunny!

Tai, the elephant, was hands-down 100% a favorite aspect of the day for both Sarah + Sunny and all their guests! We love these shots Danielle captured of the wedding party and Sarah + Sunny with Tai. So, so gorgeous and fun!

One of Sarah's fave moments of the day was when her friends and family surprised Sunny with a coordinated dance during the Sangeet - and seeing the look on his face knowing they'd been practicing for months!

The Indian ceremony looked so incredibly gorgeous! It must have been so special for all of Sarah + Sunny's guests to partake in both their Indian Hindu celebration and their Catholic American ceremony, which you'll see in a bit in Part 2!

We just loved tagging along for Part 1 of Sarah + Sunny's beautiful, beautiful day! Be sure to stop by again in a bit because we have Part 2 - their stunning, colorful American ceremony + celebration - coming up soon!

photography: Danielle Poff Photography // venue: Monarch Club, Presqui'le Winery Santa Maria, California // event design: Sangeet: The Tent Merchant // day of coordination: Donna Romani Events // florals: Noonan's Wine Country Designs // wedding dress: Vera Wang // hairpieces: Glimour, Eden Luxe Bridal // bride's shoes: Jimmy Choo // bridesmaid dresses: Various Palomino dresses by Lela Rose and Alfred Sung // hair + makeup: Bluebird Salon, TEAM Hair & Makeup // groom suit: Knot Standard //photobooth + lounge: Tinker Tin Trailer Co // videography: Brinton Films // paper goods: The bride // catering: Jay Bharat, Omni // cake: Frost It Cakery // rentals: Classic Party Rentals // hindu officiant: Bhagirath Raval // catholic officiant: Alfred Burnham // music: Epic Entertainment

GWS Preferred Wedding Artist Guide Members

Love our partner's work featured in this post? See more of it by visiting their Artist Guide profile.

Interested in becoming a GWS Preferred Artist? Apply Here.