The grooms were joined on the float by a lesbian minister officiating over the wedding and a married lesbian couple who were married in California back in that narrow period in 2008 immediately prior to Proposition 8's passage. The wedding ceremony itself took place at 9:45 AM PST during the 15-second window which the float was anticipated to pass before television cameras during the live parade event.
This was the first same-sex wedding to take place during the Tournament of Roses Parade, but not the first wedding ever. Two separate opposite-sex couples got married on floats during the Rose Parade during past years -- specifically in 1989 and in 2013!
Karen Grube of San Diego, CA, tried getting the Tournament of Roses to remove the AHF's float from their parade. They were unsuccessful, but still hope to prevent gay weddings from appearing at future Rose Parade events. Grube is concerned that same-sex wedding is still not legally recognized in most states and questions whether or not we'll see pot-smoking in future parades. Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage also jumped into this storyline with worries of children watching men marrying men and then hugging and kissing each other. He even used air-quotes around the word "marrying," so you know he means business.
