• What is this party on Thursday?

This party is known as a mehndi, or henna, ceremony and will include indian cuisine, drinks, music, dancing, and a henna artist for the ladies. There has been questions on whether this is co-ed or ladies only, but it is for everyone and will be a very fun event, so don't miss out boys. This is not a time for formal clothes, Dress colorfully and be ready to celebrate.

• What should I do while in Monterey?

For those staying near the hotel there are plenty options during the down time. The Marriott is right near Alvarado street which has plenty of eateries and bars. There is fisherman's wharf a short walk away if you are interested in a bowl of clam chowder. Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay aquarium is just a 1.5 mile walk away. And if you would like to go to a playground, then dennis the menace park is only a 0.5 mile walk.

• Where should we park for the wedding?

The Marriott offers valet parking, however it is at $24 a day. My suggestion would be to park at the parking garage that is at Franklin and Washington Street. It is called "Downtown East" and they have a $7 per day entry fee. There are also several parking Lots in the area that run on a per hour fee. For more information visit Monterey Parking Page

• Where should we meet for the wedding?

The ceremony and reception will take place at Marriott however the place to meet at will be in Portola Plaze. This is a large area, but it should be easy to find us as the groom will be the guy on the horse.

• What is this about a horse?

This is a tradition known as the baraat. This is meant to symbolize the groom traveling to the brides house. What will happen is the guest will gather around the horse to dance and make noise and have a general good time as a way to announce to everyone that the groom is arriving. We will have a DJ with the horse to get everyone in the dancing mood.

• How do we transition from baraat to ceremony?

The horse will be led to the base of the stairs at the Marriott at which point the groom and guest will meet with the Bride's family. There will be an express elevator to bring us to the room for the ceremony. Since the dancing will work up a thirst and hunger, there will be finger foods and refreshments available when you get out of the elevator. Please grab some to snack on either during the ceremony. After the Indian ceremony, the bridal party will take some time to change clothes before the western ceremony. And then the western ceremony should go until about 4 o'clock.

• What should I wear?

There will be people wearing Kurtas, people wearing suits, as well as ladies in saris and dresses.  Also some people in more casual clothes so its a wide range and I don't think anyone will feel out of place. Neither Coats nor ties are required so feel free to wear what you feel comfortable in.

• When does the reception start?

After the ceremonies the bridal part will need some time for pictures and guests can spend some time mingling, recharging by the pool, or visiting the beautiful areas in Monterey. The cocktail reception will start at 5:00 on the second floor of the Marriott and people will start to be seated at 6:00.

• How late can we keep this party going?

For those that want to keep the good times going past the time that we have the room, there is a bar downstairs in the Marriott that we can transition to.

• Will there be a send off?

The bride and groom would like to spend as much time with guests as possible so they will not be sent off the night of wedding. However the next day there will be brunch at the hotel and farewells will be spoken there before the departure for SFO around noon.