Toronto's WorldPride may be past its halfway mark, but Thursday's GrandPride Wedding at Casa Loma was definitely the festival's most extravagant event to date, with roughly 120 couples tying the knot at Toronto's urban castle.
The wedding ceremony, which began at 3 p.m., lasted about an hour and featured presentations by representatives of 12 faiths, as well as opening remarks from Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly and openly gay Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. It was followed by a reception on the castle's grounds as well as dinner and dancing.
"We have gone through interesting times in Toronto, and I feel like this is a perfect way to kick off WorldPride week," said Ms. Wong-Tam. "We recognize that these rights were hard fought and won and we want to make sure that what we have learned is a gift not just for Canadians, but a gift that everyone can take [back] to their hometowns."
Colin Gunther and Richard Laslett travelled from Australia to take part in the wedding, after 37 years together.
"I was overwhelmed by the love from everybody," said Mr. Laslett, holding back tears.
The GrandPride Wedding by the numbers
120 couples
4,000 glasses of sparkling wine
100 floral arrangements
230 Calla Lily boutonnieres
150 staff members
The staff members that helped to put on the event included security, servers and kitchen staff.
9-piece band
The Sean Jones Band played live music following the ceremony.
1 DJ
Amsterdam's DJ HanSom provided the music for the couples and their guests
100 feet of red carpet
Upon arriving at Casa Loma the couples were greeted by a long red carpet that led them inside the castle's grounds.
3,000 hors d'oeuvres
After the ceremony the couples were reunited with their guests and delved into a number of finger foods that included spring rolls and hamburger sliders.
2,000 miniature desserts
Following the hors d'oeuvres, the couples and their guests indulged in a variety of miniatures and pastries for dessert.
6 industrial misting fans
The fans were propped up along the side of the tent that the ceremony took place in and dispersed mist in an effort to keep the 120 couples cool on a day that was 26 C.
12 officiants from different faiths
The officiants that participated in the event were: Old Roman Catholic, Anglican, Pagan, Unitarian Universalist, Sikh, Humanist, Jewish, United Church, Buddhist, Muslim, New Thought, and First Nations Elder.