TRAVERSE CITY Maria Hall, 30, and her fianc Joshua Dillon, 35, have always appreciated the earths natural beauty.

The couple who both grew up in Michigan share a love of travel that has taken them to places including Jamaica, Iceland, and California where they lived for a few years. There, they visited every national park in the state, according to Hall.

The couples affinity for nature rings especially true when it comes to their appreciation of the natural wonder of northern Michigan.

We love the sand dunes. We love the beautiful blue water, said Hall. The ocean is awesome but its not our lakes.

So, when it came time to plan their July 2020 wedding, they knew a beach ceremony with Lake Michigan as a backdrop would best capture their love adventure.

An added plus? The couples out of area family could also soak in northern Michigans majestic views.

To show them how gorgeous really our state is, Hall said. Lets be real, the pictures are going to be beautiful.

Pictures, in this time of COVID-19, will be how most of her friends and family experience her wedding.

And northern Michigan pictures can say 1,000 words if not more, according to Corey Weber, owner of The Weber Photographers.

For him, beach ceremonies are the total visual package.

They really do incorporate every single aspect that is the big draw to northern Michigan, he said.

Some of Webers most popular beach wedding settings include downtown Traverse City, Petoskey State Park, Vans Beach in Leland and a spot in Charlevoix.

But getting married with ones toes in the sand may not be well suited for the risk averse.

After all, there are no guarantees when it comes to the weather.

Its like throwing a dart on a calendar and hoping for 75 degrees and sunny with 5 mph wind and no more, Weber said. Its quite the crap-shoot.

Wind can be a major adversary come wedding day, according to Rev. Crystal Yarlott, the owner of Northern Michigan Wedding Officiants.

In officiant world, were always talking about good ways to keep the pages from our scripts from flipping all over the place, said Yarlott, whose pages were held in place during one ceremony by the couple exchanging vows.

Besides factoring in for the wind, Yarlott recommends keeping umbrellas at the ready, and turning programs into fans to combat potential heat.

Also, if a couple incorporates pets, they should keep in mind the water can be a huge distraction.

Take, for example, the time two tuxedo-clad black labs were on hand.

They (the dogs) were pulling and barking. They wanted to get in the water. she said.

Even with the weather risks, the potential rewards of an outdoor beach gathering can be unparalleled.

During one ceremony, Yarlott said she witnessed the gray clouds repeatedly part to reveal flashes of rainbows.

It was magical, she said.

Some of Yarlotts most popular destinations include Peterson Beach at Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Old Mission Peninsula and Bayside Park in Acme.

If a couple opts to get married on a public beach, despite a permit, they still must share the space with the public.

That means wave runners, sunbathers and picnicking families may be unofficial guests.

We dont cordon off anything. You cant make something inaccessible, said Merrith Baughman, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

There are also certain stipulations that apply to public beaches such as those at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

For example, there is a $150 permit fee, receptions arent allowed, and ceremonies cant be scheduled on certain holiday weekends.

Artificial structures like archways are a no-no, and only a small number of chairs can be used.

Parking restrictions, restroom availability and the number of people allowed all vary.

Thats why Brooke Dumas, owner of Stellaluna Events, recommends booking a private area that comes with its own beach.

Then you are able to have a really intimate ceremony, she said.

Some of her recommendations include the Inn at Bay Harbor, The Homestead in Glen Arbor and The Leelanau School, also in Glen Arbor. Thats where Abby and Neal Kostry exchanged vows in July 2019, surrounded by a ring of greenery on the private schools Lake Michigan beach.

We had visited Traverse City a few years before and fell in love (with the area), said Abby Kostry, a Seattle teacher. We got engaged on Lake Michigan.

With social distancing guidelines in place that limit private and public gathering due to COVID-19, Dumas said many of her clients are postponing or opting for smaller elopement type ceremonies.

Thats Maria Halls plan.

Shes swapped her initial idea for an event with about 100 guests with a plan that includes just the couple and both sets of parents at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Then, next year theyll invite family and friends to northern Michigan to watch the replay of their wedding.{div}We would feel more comfortable with people not traveling and being around each other at this time, Hall said. We were supposed to have many traveling from outside the state, by plane, with children.

We believe everyone will be able to come to next years celebration more safely. We were able to reschedule the venues to next summer, she added. I thought it would be kind of cool to kind of relive that moment.

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Pictures speak volumes as weddings get smaller on area beaches - Traverse City Record Eagle