Jessica + Alex's Perry House Wedding - Monterey, California

The Perfect Venue For An Intimate Wedding

From the moment I met Jessica + Alex (checkout my blog post to read all about their Engagement Session HERE), their love for one another was clear. They are goofy, sweet, and absolutely adore one another. As we were capturing their wedding day, it was evident that this wasn't just how they felt about each other, but how they felt about each one of their guests in attendance at their wedding. They showed so much care, love, and care for each person in their Wedding Party as well as all of their loved ones who came to celebrate them. The Perry House always draws in the sweetest couples and Jessica + Alex are no exception!

Read more about the history of The Perry House HERE.

One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is seeing how my couples acts. Are they nervous? Are they anxious? Are they checking things off on their mental checklist the whole time? Have they completely given up on making decisions and have fully jumped into going with the flow? Is one of them hungover and fighting for their life? I've seen it all and it's so fun to see where my couples are and how I can serve them in those moments.

Those moments of getting ready and doing final touches. Helping tie ties, pin boutonnieres, zipping stubborn zippers, taping boobs, showing everyone how to pose so they look and feel their best, and, or course, teaching my suit-wearers that in a 2 button suit, it goes from top down as top = Always and bottom = Never. DO NOT button both!

On Jessica + Alex's day, these two were on the same page. Alex cared so deeply about all of the details that Jessica had poured so much time, effort, and love into incorporating (like how she had parts of her mom's wedding dress on her robe and bouquet wrap) and he wanted everything to be perfect for their day. Jessica was so excited and full of energy as we got ready in the Bridal Suite with her incredible bridal party helping out where needed, her Maid of Honor being the most attentive and helpful.

They chose to have their First Look be during their ceremony and it was so sweet. Once they were up there together, hand in hand, the nerves melted away and the their love truly shined. There were many tears from everyone in attendance, some of the sweetest vows I've ever heard were exchanged, lots of smiles and laughs were shared...it was a truly beautiful ceremony.

After we had completed capturing their Family and Wedding Party Portraits, it was time for us to go on a little adventure ourselves to do their Couple's Portraits. We went on a little walkabout to find some perfect photo spots and get away for a little bit so the newlyweds could enjoy some time "alone" (well, as alone as you can get with your photography team there as well lol).

After we had finished up, we headed back to Perry House and while Jen (the amazing Maid of Honor) was helping Jessica with her shoe, Alex looks at me excitedly and said, "Can you please take a picture of her right now? I mean, wow. She's just perfect. I want a picture of her just like that." I'm not going to lie, I had to try so hard not to cry in this moment. As a photographer, I was trying to look through his eyes and see what he saw. What I saw was a busy/ugly background, a woman in the midst of fixing up her outfit, and an unposed facial expression. But what he saw was his beautiful bride, on their wedding day, just existing and being the most beautiful person he's ever seen in his life. As I held back my tears, I snapped the picture and looked back at him and he was just admiring his bride with all of the love in the world in his eyes.

The night continued with some of the most perfectly balanced funny / heartwarming speeches, plenty of belly laughs, and all of the best dance moves being busted. So much love, joy, and excitement was shared between these two and all of their guests.

To be chosen to document such an intimate event in couples' lives is never something I'll take for granted. It's incredibly humbling each and every time a couple chooses me and my team to be with them in these most important moments. Allowing us to be a part of their friends and family for the day, trusting us to capture these moments just right for them to look back on and remember that feeling for years to come, and choosing to share this joy with "complete strangers" (at first, after the Engagement Session we're bffs obviously). Either way, it's truly an honor and incredibly humbling each time a couple allows us to capture this time in their lives.

I could keep on but it's more fun to look at some photos 😍 Here are just a few Sneak Peeks from Jessica + Alex's Wedding! Scroll down!