Dane & Mike in Salem, MA

After meeting at a party for gay grad students at Dartmouth College, Dane and Mike continued their conversation over dinner the following week. A year and a half later, the happy couple decided to get engaged over an elegant dinner at Home Hill French Inn & Restaurant in Plainfield, New Hampshire. The Groom Dane Rasmussen, 31, VP of a real estate firm The Groom Michael Leslie, 28, resident physician in psychiatry The Date May 21 Dane and Mike’s decision to get married proved particularly timely, since Massachusetts had just ruled to allow same-sex couples to marry that spring. The couple immediately set out to plan a late-spring wedding for 100 guests. To help ease the stress, they hired a wedding planner. “It’s the best investment you can make so you actually enjoy your wedding day!” says Dane. Dane and Mike’s springtime wedding featured a color palette of creamy white, lavender, and yellow -- perfect for their late-spring celebration. -- Anja Winikka