For a musical evening, there were many surprises that was not just a mere celebration of music. 33 couples, constituting heterosexual and same sex partners, got married as Queen Latifa led the ceremony and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis sang 'Same Love' with Queen of music, Madonna.
Apparently, Latifa had obtained a temporary license as commissioner of the state of California and that makes all the 34 marriages legal.
"I had to be sworn in as an official. I'm not a minister. If you come see me before 12 o'clock tonight, I got your back. After that, you'll have to take the regular route," Latifah said later on Sunday.
"I look forward to the day when presiding over a historic wedding ceremony like this is just the norm - normal special, not extra, extra special," she said. "To me, it's special for all the couples who married today. And I look forward to dashing off to go sign marriage certificates. It's awesome."
"The weight of it comes down, because it wouldn't matter if you're same-sex couples or heterosexual couples or interracial couples, it doesn't matter to me, this is someone's life committed to one another, and you want to make sure you do it right," adding, "that is what sunk in for me."
Latiffa took her responsibility seriously, but voiced her opinion that she would not want to do get hitched at a musical gala such as the Grammys.
She asked the 33 couples to exchange their vows saying, 'Do you take each other as spouses,' adding, by the power invested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you a married couple.
"I think they're brave. I think they should be celebrated tonight because to have your wedding in front of 100 million people is pretty momentous. And it's been fun at the rehearsals," she said. "Just looking at the joy in their eyes, looking at the playfulness, looking at them look into each other's eyes and do dances. This is really a moment for them. They are very, very happy. And I'm just here. I can say I was here, and that will not leave me."
CEO of The Recording Academy,Neil Portnow, told the Daily News,."We're just very proud of what happened tonight," referring to the wedding arrangements.
Portnow added, "I think it was as elegant and meaningful and powerful as we wanted it to be."
