A Casual Beach Wedding at Bay Harbor Village Hotel in Petoskey, Michigan

Not only did Leighanne and Samantha chose a June wedding so that the weather would be perfect for their beach wedding at Bay Harbor Village Hotel in Petoskey, Michigan, but they also wanted to tie the knot during Pride Month. "Our wedding revolved around bringing our family and friends to our favorite places, sharing our love and relaxing," explains Leighanne. "Since we were married during Pride Month, we wanted to incorporate the pastel rainbow palette for the color scheme. We also wanted a relaxing vibe and fun environment. My Aunt Karen married us on a beautiful beach in Little Traverse Bay and she did a beautiful job speaking to our family about same-sex marriage and equality." 

In addition to having family officiate the wedding, Leighanne and Samantha also tapped family, specifically Samantha's Aunt Dawn, to handle the day's floral design. "We knew we wanted lavender, roses, hydrangeas, peonies and just a rainbow of brightly colored flowers. We also wanted simple greenery for the tables and the arbor piece. Samantha's Aunt Dawn pulled off the most beautiful bouquets, corsages, flower crowns and all of the arrangements for our wedding. They were so beautiful," recalls Leighanne. 

Looking back on their beach wedding at Bay Harbor Village Hotel in Petoskey, Michigan, the couple reminisces that "the whole day was incredibly special, but the one moment that really brings the emotion was our private vow reading to each other. We choose to keep our promises and vows sacred for just each other. After the ceremony and the surprise rainstorm took our family off the beach, we were able to sneak away and share our words with each other. It was the most memorable moment that only we have together and our amazing photographer was able to capture it for us." 

Leighanne and Samantha also encourage all current to-be-weds in the throes of wedding planning to remember that "a wedding is supposed to be fun! Relax, create the atmosphere you want and for others to remember. You want your guests to have fun, dance and party with you—this is a celebration! Think outside the box and forget some of the traditions. Your wedding will be the only time all of these people come together to celebrate you and that is really special. We could not have pulled off our wedding if it wasn't for our amazing group of vendors. We thank everyone involved from the bottom of our hearts for everything."