FREEPORT, Maine – Jenna Eagleton and Caroline Currie have been selected as winners of the 2013 Real Maine Wedding of the Year Contest. They are the first same-sex couple to enter the contest.

As grand prize winners, the Portland couple has won their dream wedding, which will be valued at up to $100,000. The announcement was made Sunday by Alyssa and Nick Planeta — winners of the 2012 wedding contest in Portland — during the final Maine Wedding Association Bridal Show at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport.





The couple met in the fall of 2008 in Portland. They had plans to marry in the fall of 2014. Caroline’s father, who has been sick with leukemia for about five years, told Caroline he wanted nothing more than to walk her down the aisle at her wedding and suggested they move the wedding forward. The couple discovered the wedding contest and it fit their plans for an earlier date, fulfilling Caroline’s father’s wishes, and submitted a video.

“We had so many great couples submit videos for this year’s contest and, as always, choosing a winner was really hard,” says Melanie Brooks, editor of the twice-annual publication. “We were happy to be able to open the contest to same-sex couples this year, thanks to legislation that passed last fall. We’re excited to start planning this amazing dream wedding with Jenna and Caroline.”

The Real Maine Wedding of the Year contest was announced in January. After receiving entries from across New England and hundreds of thousands of votes, a panel of judges and the general public narrowed the field of finalists down to three. Finalist voting took place for about a week to determine the grand prize winners.

The two other finalist couples were Logan Rich and Jake Reynolds of Bangor and Tiffany Vasquez and Patrick Jones of Kennebunk.

The wedding will be held Friday, Oct. 18, in Kennebunkport. Members of the public will be able to vote on aspects of Jenna and Caroline’s wedding at realmaineweddings.com starting in about a month.

The following is an alphabetical list of the vendors participating in the 2013 contest and what they are donating:

Andrea’s Bridal: wedding gown

Blooms Flower Shoppe: wedding day floral arrangements

Bridals by Sandy: bridesmaid gowns

Classic Tuxedo: tuxedos

Coastal Jewelers: wedding bands

Colony Hotel: wedding ceremony location and cocktail hour

Cross Jewelers: bridesmaid jewelry

Day’s Jewelers: bridal jewelry

Dean’s Sweets: rehearsal dinner dessert and gifts

Event Lighting Concepts: reception up lighting design

Flora-Ly: bouquet preservation

Fringe Hair Art: wedding day hair design for bridal party

Let Them Eat Cake: wedding cake

Maine Limousine Service: transportation

Ogunquit Trolley: transportation

On the Marsh Bistro: family reunion location

One Stop Party Shoppe: event rentals for wedding reception

Patrick McNamara Photography: photography

Russell Caron Wedding Photography: photography

Stonewall Kitchen: wedding favors and guest welcome baskets

Sweet T’s Confections: chocolate gifts for the rehearsal dinner

Sweetest Thing Weddings • Floral Design • Events: event planning and design

The Kennebunkport Resort Collection: wedding reception catering

The Music Man DJ Service: rehearsal dinner entertainment

The Nonantum Resort: rehearsal dinner location

Time Pilots: reception entertainment

Village Paperie: invitations and paper goods

Vows for You by Cynthia: wedding ceremony officiant

Wells Reserve at Laudholm: wedding reception location

Wicked Good Ice: ice sculpture for reception

For information, visit realmaineweddings.com.