Dog the Bounty Hunter's Daughter Lyssa Chapman Marries Leiana Evensen in Hawaii: 'Literally a Dream Day'

The couple were joined by seven of their "closest family members" for the special day

Lyssa Chapman and her new wife, Leiana. Photo: Courtesy of Lyssa Chapman

Congratulations are in order for Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman's daughter Lyssa Chapman.

Lyssa shared the news on Instagram last week that she and partner Leiana Evensen had wed in a Hawaiian ceremony in the Pacific Ocean on June 3.

"Last week Lei and I boarded a boat at 7 in the morning with 7 of our closest family members and we dedicated our love and lives to one another," Lyssa, who has taken on her wife's surname, wrote on Instagram.

"With our feet in the water, we connected ourselves to the power and vastness of the ocean," she wrote. "We were hugged by the majestic Ko'olau mountain range, that will continue hugging us as we live and spend the rest of our lives together at Makaalamihi. There, with uncle David officiating, we stated our declarations of intent, said our vows and began life together OFFICIALLY as wife, and wife. 👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏽"

Lyssa Chapman and Leiana. Courtesy of Lyssa Chapman

Lyssa is the daughter of Dog and his third wife, Lyssa Rae Brittain, to whom he was married from 1982 to 1991.

On her wedding day, she was accompanied by her daughters Madalynn and Abbie as well as her new in-laws Stacy and Carl Evensen.

"It was literally a dream day," she wrote on Instagram. "The best part is @leiana13 is my freaking WIFE !! I'm so happy, blessed, filled with love and gratitude. I never thought I was worthy or capable of this kind of love. The vibration I feel in my body hasn't stopped since I met her and if you're reading this from a dark place know that your happy beginning is out there somewhere too. 🌈"

The newlyweds wading in the water. Courtesy of Lyssa Chapman

In photos from the day, both women are seen wearing white, with Lyssa in a maxi dress and her new wife wearing a white button-down top paired with shorts. The couple also both wore colorful flower crowns around their heads.

"❤️I still can't believe I am lucky enough to be by your side. In life, in love, in adventure, in sickness and in health," Leiana wrote in her own Instagram post. "I will continue to love you with every ounce of my being 🌺 Lyssa Rae Chapman-Evensen II, I fall deeper and deeper in love with you every single day and never know how I could possibly love you any more…until the next day comes💕 "

Leiana and her parents.

Lyssa Chapman and her new wife, Leiana during their Hawaiian nuptials.

L: Caption Leiana and her parents. PHOTO: Courtesy of Lyssa Chapman

R: Caption Lyssa Chapman and her new wife, Leiana during their Hawaiian nuptials. PHOTO: Courtesy of Lyssa Chapman

Lei wished her wife happy birthday on Instagram over the weekend, writing that they had "instant magnetism" when Lei first visited Lyssa's therapy salon as a client.

"on the very first day we noticed we have the same birthday 🥳 same day and same year! Whaaaat?!" she wrote. "Geminis almost always seem to bond but our bond was extra special, extra quick. Lesbians right? 😆 but this was different. This was the real deal! I jokingly told her 'well sounds like we are either gonna love each other or hate each other' 😆 we already knew, it was true love 🌈our love has only grown everyday since and I could not imagine a life without her."

Duane 'Dog' Chapman. Getty Images

Though Lyssa's father was unable to be present at the nuptials, she tells PEOPLE: "He was of course on the phone with me all morning and during. We FaceTimed him a bunch. He was there in spirit and also electronically."

She acknowledges, "It's really, really hard for him to come back to Hawaii" since the death of his fourth wife Beth Chapman (née Smith). The pair married in 2006, rose to international fame on Dog the Bounty Hunter and lived together in a suburb of Honolulu until Beth died in 2019 at the age of 51.

Though her father — who has been married to Francie Frane since September 2021 — has faced allegations of homophobia from Lyssa's half-sister Bonnie (his older child with Beth), Lyssa tells PEOPLE he is fully supportive of her and Lei's relationship.

"My dad's always just loved me and it's not been something we talk about," she says. "I think it's really hard for people who are Christian and do have that belief that marriage belongs to a man and a woman. But when your daughter falls in love with someone and you love that person, you can't just say you don't believe in it."

She added, "I don't want to put words in his mouth because I don't know what his exact feelings about it are, but he's never shown me anything other than support."