Spice things up with these steamy flicks.
Updated Oct 14, 2024Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan Reveal the Most Surprising Thing About Their Marriage
The Knot's former cover stars swapped vows in Mexico in March 2022.
Marriage is so fetch. At least, that's the case for Jonathan Bennett and his husband, Jaymes Vaughan. The couple—who appeared on The Knot Magazine's Summer 2021 cover, hosted their destination wedding in Mexico on March 19, 2022. Now, well over a year into married life, the two are happier than ever.
We caught up with the actor and musician to chat about what they've been up to since appearing on the cover of The Knot Magazine, including the most surprising thing they've learned about married life so far. Read up on the latest about Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan's marriage here, and look back on their romantic love story.
In this article:
- Inside Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan's Marriage
- Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett's Wedding Day
- Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan's Engagement
Inside Jonathan Bennett and Husband Jaymes Vaughan's Marriage
As they approach their second wedding anniversary, we couldn't help but ask Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan about the most surprising thing they've experienced in married life thus far—and their answer was nothing short of adorable. "I wasn't expecting the honeymoon phase to last as long as it is," Bennett explains. "We feel like we got married yesterday."
FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT
For Vaughan, though, he tells us that he knew exactly what marriage would be like well before the big day arrived. "There's not anything surprising because I married the right person," he says before adding with a laugh, "Properly vet your fiancés before you marry them!"
It's for this reason, Bennett says, that the honeymoon phase has lasted so long. "There's relaxed comfort in the relationship," he explains. "Once you're married, you just exhale into it. Like, 'Yeah, that's my husband.'"
With the new year on the horizon, Bennett and Vaughan will host the live New Year's Eve broadcast from Times Square through their ongoing partnership with Kay Jewelers (the brand that created their custom engagement ring—but more on that below).
Photo: Courtesy of Kay Jewelers
Although they have made classic resolutions (Bennett vows to spend more time with their dog, while Vaughan wants to get back into making music), they share a sound piece of advice all married couples can learn from. "We want to do things that we haven't done, that we've always talked about wanting to do," the Mean Girls actor muses, encouraging others to do the same. "You have to push yourself in your relationship to make sure that you're always growing as individuals. When you grow as individuals, then you grow as a couple. When you get married, you become an entity, but both of those entities need to be growing on their own. It strengthens your relationship."
Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett's Wedding Day
Looking back, Bennett and Vaughan have nothing but incredible memories from their wedding day. "Our wedding felt like one of Jonathan's movies," Vaughan tells us, referencing his husband's romantic Hallmark Channel films. Adds Bennett: "For the first time in my entire life it felt like I was living in one of my Hallmark films. It was so unreal."
Ahead of the big day, Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan opened up to The Knot about their extravagant wedding vision in their cover story feature. "You know, my initial dream was to have our wedding look like something from The Greatest Showman, with a circus tent and aerialists," Bennett explained. "Jaymes dreamed about getting married in an enchanted forest. We both gave a little and settled on Mexico."
He continued, "We'll be outside, near the ocean, up on this beautiful platform alongside a tropical jungle. Simple and classic with a masculine vibe. And roses. My mom's favorite flower was white roses so we'll incorporate those too. Our reception will be under this clear tent with string lights—very much, 'Leave your shoes at the door and come play in the sand with us.'"
Although the couple had a specific venue in mind, they had to change their plans when the owner refused to marry them because they're a same-sex couple. "We decided in that moment that our wedding was bigger than us," Bennett recalled. "It's our wedding, but it isn't just about us. It's about the LGBTQ+ community. We're really making a point to make this wedding very loud on purpose."
Instead, they found their perfect setting at the Unico Riviera Maya Hotel. "We knew we could go to the UNICO Hotel, because on social and in their marketing, they have shown us that we're welcome there," Vaughan told The Knot. "When we first started talking about having our wedding there, they were excited for us, which is what everyone's wedding is supposed to be."
Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett's wedding day took place on March 19, 2022, in front of 100 guests. The ceremony was officiated by YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, one of Bennett's closest friends.
The grooms looked elegant in classic black tuxes from Express. For a bold, visual pop, they invited their guests to dress in all-white attire.
The couple tossed many traditional elements on their wedding day, a decision they told The Knot about before the nuptials. "We're breaking away from tradition a bit, because what is the point? It's your wedding. You can do whatever you want. There are no rules. We only think there are rules," Bennett mused. "We're not going to have groomsmen or best men. We're just going to have our best girls and guys in our lives, on each side of us, forming one big wedding party."
After the ceremony, the newlyweds changed into matching white suits for the party. The couple and their loved ones enjoyed a lavish spread of Mexican dishes at the outdoor reception space. And, before the night came to a close, Bennett got his wedding wish: a colorful firework display set to the soundtrack of The Greatest Showman.
In a joint Instagram post on their first anniversary, the couple took to Instagram to reveal that they waited until that milestone to watch their wedding video for the first time. "We wanted to hang on to how it felt in the actual moment before we stepped outside of ourselves and saw how it looked to everyone else," they wrote. "Then last night we sat on our sofa in a puddle of tears, holding each other tightly, and relived it all through everyone else's eyes."
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan's Engagement
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan announced their engagement on November 30, 2020. The proposal was a family affair and took place over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Thinking back on the special moment during their cover story interview with The Knot, Vaughan opened up about the challenge to create a unique memory. "Well, when your significant other is in Hallmark movies and romantic comedies you think, 'How am I going to make him feel special?'" he recalled. "We've always tried to find our song and we never could. My background is in music, so I thought, why don't I just write it? Jonathan will always say to me, 'Hey, do you love me?' And I'm like, 'Obviously, you know I love you.' One day, he said it to me and it clicked—this is the song. It's going to be a song that you can put on anytime you need that answer. And just like that, it all came out."
With the perfect plan in mind, Vaughan's next challenge was finding the perfect proposal piece. "Then came the ring," he continued. "There really isn't a precedent for two guys. I knew we were both going to want to wear rings to say we're engaged. But it felt silly to have a ring that we didn't wear later, so I teamed up with Kay Jewelers and designed one."
The band—which is available for purchase—features a thoughtful design element that allows wearers to change up the look. "When you wear the ring diamond-side out, the world sees we're engaged," Vaughan explained. "When we get married, it flips and the diamonds face us, because my world is more beautiful with you in it forever."
Even now, over three years since they designed the band, Bennett and Vaughan continue to receive messages from other couples about the significance of the ring. "We didn't expect the reaction from other LGBTQ+ couples using our ring," Vaughan tells us. "That's why we named it 'Our Ring,' because it's our ring. I get messages on Instagram from couples who got married with our ring, sharing how they personalized it. It's so special not just to us, but to everyone in our community."
Although they won't be changing their bands anytime soon, Vaughan does have an idea for a milestone upgrade in the future. "On our ten-year, I want to do a diamond upgrade," he says excitedly. "There will be more diamonds down the road!"
