Jonathan Bennett & Jaymes Vaughan Say Their Wedding Was Fit For A Hallmark Film

Although Hallmark movies are often criticized for being unrealistic, sometimes real life can mimic the lovey-dovey storylines that make people love to watch Hallmark movies. Actor Jonathan Bennett has starred in a number of Hallmark movies over the course of his career, so he knows a thing or two about what makes them so special. He said to People that his wedding to TV host and actor Jaymes Vaughan had that same kind of flair.

For their first dance, the duo chose one of Vaughan's original songs that he created for their proposal, titled "Our Song." Bennett told People, "We got to slow dance to the song and I got to hear my husband sing it. Then there were fireworks and all of our friends and family were around us. It was a moment that looked like a Hallmark movie that I'm in. So it was like for the first time I was living my actual Hallmark movie fantasy."

Vaughan agreed that their first dance had a movie magic quality to it. He told the outlet that he'd seen Bennett act in many of his Hallmark movies, and shared, "Now it felt like I got to live in one. There was a point in the wedding where I grabbed him and was like, 'Baby, this feels like I'm on one of your sets, but this is real.'" Vaughan also remarked that Bennett's wedding vows were beautiful and also attributed that to his husband's Hallmark experience.

Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan tied the knot in March 2022. Bennett's mother passed away in 2012 and their sweet ceremony included a tribute to her — white roses as the flower of choice. Vaughan told People, "White flowers were her favorite." They also broke a major tenet of wedding fashion. Usually, when deciding what to wear to a wedding, anything white is off the table. However, Bennett and Vaughan's guests wore all shades of white, also for Bennett's mother.

"It was honestly a dream wedding!" Bennett said. "We kept having to stop and remind ourselves that we weren't on a movie set, but this was actually our real life. If you had told me this was one of my Hallmark movie sets, I would have believed it. It was that perfect."

Bennett has starred in a wedding-themed Hallmark movie before. The film, titled "Wedding of a Lifetime," co-starred Bennett and Brooke D'Orsay as a reunited couple trying to win a dream wedding. Bennett also made history in 2022 for executive producing and starring in "The Holiday Sitter" — the first Hallmark Christmas rom-com to have an LGBTQ+ couple at the forefront.

Jonathan Bennett spoke to Today about "The Holiday Sitter" and said the film was special to him because he didn't see gay couples in the Christmas films he watched when he was younger. He was thrilled to have the chance to make one. Bennett also said, "We never set out to make a gay movie or a queer rom-com. We set out to make a really good romantic comedy that's centered around Christmas. It's centered around love and family, and is a classic fish-out-of-water story, which I love. The only difference is both the leads are men." Bennett also talked about his and Jaymes Vaughan's Christmas plans that year, which included a nostalgic trip to the Hotel Edison — something he and his family used to do. 

Bennett has vocalized what he loves about Hallmark movies in the past, equating them to his hit film "Mean Girls." While filming "Christmas Made to Order" in 2018, Bennett told Glamour, "There's nothing better than to be involved in a movie that brings so much people happiness." He also said Hallmark movies helped him through a tough time. 

After his parents passed away, Bennett didn't feel happy during the holidays. However, the Hallmark movies, along with his friends at the network, helped him through it. On finding happiness during the holidays again, Bennett said, "But then I started being involved in and watching these movies, and it really reminds you that it's all about love."