Katie McConnell and Colby Laflamme of Auburn are the winners of the 2019 Real Maine Wedding of the Year contest. The couple will start planning their $100,000 dream wedding event, which will take place in Portland and Waterford, Maine, on October 16, 17, and 18. 

McConnell and Laflamme were one of 15 couples who created a two-minute entry video on why they wanted to get married in Maine. They were one of two finalists who gathered at the Maine Wedding Association Freeport Wedding Show on Sunday, March 24 for the announcement of the winners.

“The announcement of the winning couple is always exhilarating,” said Reuben Bell, editor of Real Maine Weddings Magazine. “We look forward to introducing Katie and Colby to our incredibly talented Maine wedding partners and start planning their dream wedding!”

“I instantly fell in love with Katie and Colby!” says Fausto Pifferrer of BE Events in Saco. “Their excitement over winning and love for their fellow contestants was remarkable. That is what winning is truly about. I look forward to getting started with their planning!”

This is the ninth year that Real Maine Weddings has given away a $100,000 wedding package. Past winners have held their weddings in Freeport (2011), Portland (2012), Kennebunkport (2013), Bethel (2014), the Midcoast communities of Camden, Rockland, Rockport, and Lincolnville (2015), York (2016), Portland and Peaks Island (2017), and Ogunquit (2018).

Now that the winning couple has been revealed, planning for the three-day event will begin. The public will be given the opportunity to vote on certain aspects of the couple’s wedding, including the wedding gown, rings, and more. You can follow the couple’s journey on the Real Maine Weddings contest blog at www.realmaineweddings.com.