1. Real Weddings

A Romantic Beach Wedding at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii

Soon after getting engaged to Leonard Gordon Jr. (28 and a physical therapist), Bethany Christian (29 and an occupational therapist) started building

Soon after getting engaged to Leonard Gordon Jr. (28 and a physical therapist), Bethany Christian (29 and an occupational therapist) started building Pinterest boards and making plans. “Giddy and glad, I began looking for wedding ideas and wedding contests to enter,” Bethany says. “What bride-to-be wouldn’t want to win a wedding?” Soon after submitting an application to the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii, Bethany got the news: She won. “We were blessed with a complete wedding package, including airfare, a wedding planner, a ceremony, officiants, musicians, flowers, a photographer, a videographer and an oceanfront suite, all at the Four Seasons Resort in Maui," Bethany says. "Unbelievable.” The couple’s intimate ocean-view ceremony for 20 guests took place in the resort’s Plumeria Garden. “It was easy to decide on an earthy boho Hawaiian wedding,” says Bethany, who also chose a palette that highlighted the area’s natural beauty and honored Leonard’s Notre Dame football days—navy, hunter green, gold and ivory. The breezy reception was held on the resort’s oceanfront lawn under bistro lights and swaying palm trees. “Have faith. Marriage is about faith,” Bethany says. “That's one thing we have taken from this experience.” —Carolyn Meers

Bethany and Leonard's save-the-dates had a travel theme and centered on a map of Maui, Hawaii where their event took place.
“Even before we won a dream wedding in Hawaii, I knew I wanted to capture a mixture of boho, elegance, grace and lace," says Bethany, who wore a Katie May gown and a white blossom flower crown.
Bethany's bouquet was a cascading collection of white and ivory roses, dendrobium orchids and calla lilies.
Leonard wore a Michael Kors Ultra Slim Fit tuxedo. For the ceremony, he accented the look with a traditional Hawaiian lei wrap, made with white orchid and palmy greens.
Bethany and Leonard’s intimate oceanview ceremony for 20 guests took place in the Plumeria Garden at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii. The aisle was strewn with white petals.
Each menu was calligraphed in gold on a large tropical leaf.
Bethany and Leonard hosted 20 guests at their outdoor reception at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii. A long banquet table was set with pineapples and banana leaves calligraphed in gold with the night's menu.
At the reception at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii, a long wooden banquet table was topped with simple white plates as well as fern fronds, lanterns and pineapples.
The banquet table was topped with fern fronds and pineapples. Each table setting included a menu handwritten in gold calligraphy on large leafs as well as a small Hawaiian-themed favor.
The Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii, provided local fare for the reception, including papaya and Hawaiian-style chicken.
Bethany and Leonard cut into a vanilla sponge cake with lemon filling and buttercream frosting, also made by the resort's chefs.