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AP Images/InvisionA mass wedding for 101 same-sex couples took place in Miami during the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival this past weekend, and Guy Fieri presided.
The host of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives officiated the giant ceremony while celebrity chef Art Smith, who has served both Oprah Winfrey and Gov. Bob Graham, hosted the event.
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Smith had planned the event back in January, when gay marriage first became legal in Florida. On Twitter, the chef initiated a contest where the first 101 users to tweet #101gayweddings would have a chance to walk down the aisle at the mass ceremony. Fieri married all of the participating couples at the James Royal Palm Hotel in honor of his late sister, a lesbian.
The “101 Gay Weddings” celebration was named after the 101 Dalmatians animated film to target Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, who had actively fought against lifting the same-sex marriage ban.
“We have our own Cruella De Vil, Pam Bondi. She was determined that she was going to prevent equality from coming to Florida,” Smith told the Associated Press. “For a state known for sunshine, it was living in the darkness when it came to LGBT rights, and it was important to acknowledge that.”
