This year, actor Jonathan Bennett and TV presenter Jaymes Vaughan — who tied the knot in 2022 at a luxury hotel in Mexico — wanted to pay it forward by throwing another couple their dream wedding. So they teamed up with Maybelline to launch a nationwide competition to give one lucky couple the chance to get married at UNICO 20°87.
“We live a very blessed life, and at the time of our wedding last year, we realized that we really wanted to find a way to give that experience to another deserving couple,” Bennett tells PEOPLE. “So after we said ‘yes’ ourselves, we set out on a mission to do it for someone else.”
After dividing the contestants into five finalists, Bennett and Vaughan announced Sarah and Jenna Capps, a couple from Minnesota, as the winners.
“I went in thinking we were never going to win, or if anything, that we could win Maybelline makeup,” Sarah, 36, a service management employee, tells PEOPLE. “I never thought we would win.”
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Sarah and Jenna first met at college in 2005, and the couple – who have two sons, aged 9 and 12 – married five years later. “It was literally love at first sight,” recalls Jenna, 38, a cybersecurity analyst.
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After 10 years of marriage, Jenna came out as transgender to Sarah in 2020. “It was almost like a honeymoon period for us,” Sarah says. “It felt like we were dating again, getting to know each other again.”
Three years later, unbeknownst to Jenna, Sarah entered the pageant so that Jenna could experience marriage as a bride. “This wedding was just a big important part of the next step in our relationship,” says Sarah. “It really felt like we were getting married again.”
“When we first got married, we were so poor,” she continues. “It was in the backyard, a soup kitchen style wedding. None of us [has] never had this complete experience before. So it was magical for both of us.”
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Jenna and Sarah Capps with Jaymes Vaughan (far left) and Jonathan Bennett (far right).
Kelly Balch
As part of winning the contest, Sarah and Jenna were treated to dresses courtesy of David’s Bridal. “They were amazing,” says Jenna, while Sarah notes that as a plus-size woman, it was great to have “tons of options.”
In October, the couple and their loved ones flew to Mexico for the big day.
In addition to receiving VIP treatment at their hotel, Sarah and Jenna met Bennett and Vaughan and had lunch with them for two and a half hours. “They were just genuine, wonderful people,” Sarah remembers.
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Before the ceremony, Sarah and Jenna were glammed up by celebrity makeup artist Kasey Spickard, using Maybelline’s Fit Me products. “The goal for both Jenna and Sarah’s makeup was to accentuate their natural beauty while ensuring the look was timeless and elegant,” says Pickard.
Sarah recalls the makeup process as fascinating and amazing. “Kasey really heard us,” she says. “We thought, ‘We want to look like ourselves, naturally.’ We don’t wear a lot of makeup. And he really needed a lot of time, attention and care.”
“They made me look in the mirror,” Jenna says. “I felt wonderful. It’s not always easy to look in the mirror and love yourself.”
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Jenna (L) and Sarah Capps at their wedding officiated by Jonathan Bennett (C).
Kelly Balch
Bennett organized the wedding on October 24 in front of about 20 guests.
“It’s such a sentimental place for us, and for it to be part of their love story now is really special,” says Vaughan.
At one point, Bennett had the couple face the ocean, then asked the guests, who are considered either family or select family, to stand. The couple were visibly moved after they turned around to see everyone rooting for them. “I was in tears,” Jenna says of the moment. “I actually cried four times just thinking about that moment. It was so amazing.”
“I had my sister, and she had one of her brothers, and that was it,” adds Sarah. “Everyone else was family – friends who were with us through everything. Most of them have been with us since before her transition. We had new friends who met us after her transition and who are nothing but great support – [as well as] all the people who were part of the competition — because I feel like they’ve been part of our lives forever, even though we’ve only known them for two weeks.”
And another surprise, at their reception, Bennett and Vaughan announced that the couple will be able to go on a carnival cruise with their children in the future.
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When they got back to Minnesota, Sarah says she slept for 28 hours because she was so tired — but it was all worth it.
“When I woke up, it seemed like a dream,” she says. “The reason it’s called a dream wedding is because it’s literally a dream come true. It was perfect.”
There was another personal significance to Sarah and Jenna’s wedding in terms of the visibility of the LGBTQ community. “It’s important to me to share my story because I didn’t have a positive image of people like me growing up,” says Jenna. “I didn’t know what was happening to me or why, just that I had to hide from everyone. I ended up hiding from myself. It took years of being in a safe and loving environment before I could reconnect with my I’m making it .. I hope that if even one person sees how happy, fulfilling and loving life can be, they will no longer feel the need to hide.”
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Sarah and Jenna Capps share a kiss at their wedding in Mexico on October 24, 2023.
Kelly Balch
“It’s never too late to go out,” adds Sarah. “Because she came out, [it didn’t] means our relationship is over. Our relationship has grown into something new. I learned a lot about myself. We learned a lot about each other. Our kids have been really wonderful and accepting, and so has our family, and it’s just been a huge improvement for everyone. And so I just think, ‘Yeah, it’s okay’.”
The wedding experience moved both Bennett and his wife. “Spending the week at UNICO with Sarah and Jenna before the wedding really gave us a chance to see their love in action,” says Bennett. “The connection between these two is inspiring. Their love for each other is beautiful.”
“Finding your person who you know will always be there for you — I see them have that and it’s so touching,” says Vaughan. “I’m so happy that these two won the competition and were able to have this experience and let us be a part of it.”
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Source: HIS Education