DATE: February 20, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Jody Horne-Leshinsky
Broward Cultural Division
PHONE: 954-357-7463
EMAIL: jleshinsky@broward.org
BROWARD COUNTY / Wilton Manors, FL - On Valentine's Day, the City of Wilton Manors and Broward 100 - Celebrating the Art of Community hosted a truly representative community event in celebration of marriage equality and in honor of the County's centennial, with FREE marriage ceremonies at Wilton Manors City Hall.
In a magnanimous show of support from all echelons of the Broward Community, the event sparkled with pride and joyousness. Elevated by the numerous attendances of Wilton Manors city officials -Mayor Gary Resnick and Vice Mayor Scott Newton; Wilton Manors City Commissioners Julie A. Carson, Justin Flippen, Tom Green; and Circuit Court Judge Lisa Porter- the evening's schedule unfolded seamlessly and with many smiling faces and the willing and efficient help of volunteers from the community. While brides and grooms showed up in matching outfits, some with their babies, some having been together for more than 20 years. "With all the voluntary support from the Wilton Manors community, including the Pride Center and the Wilton Manors Historical Society, the Broward County staff and the local businesses," says Broward Cultural Division Director Earl Bosworth, "this event became a shining example of what Broward 100- Celebrating the Art of Community is really all about." The event was designed by Panache; Winn-Dixie sponsored the desserts; Jet's Pizza donated food for the many volunteers and Jammin Xpress rocked the reception as the DJ.
"As a city that leads on LGBT equality, and one with the second largest LGBT population in the U. S. (per the 2010 US Census)," says Commissioner Justin Flippen, "we needed and wanted to find a way to commemorate the arrival of marriage equality to the Sunshine State. With this being the first Valentine's Day in Florida's history where LGBT couples could legally wed, what a perfect day to celebrate love by hosting a wedding, or in our case, four!
"We Do! is first and foremost about celebrating the love shared between couples in our community. We Do! is also an event in another historic celebration, Broward100, the county's centennial. And so this Valentine's Day, Wilton Manors and Broward County have coupled together in celebrating the heart of community - one that legally treats all love as equal." The weddings were held in groups of four and following each ceremony, an elegant reception with light refreshments was held at the Hagen Park Community Center. Both the ceremonies and the reception were FREE.
Special Thanks to Other WE DO! Sponsors: Barefoot Wine & Bubbly; Brian Immke Adept Studio; Delucca Events; Galleria Fort Lauderdale; GPR/Goodman Public Relations; Jammin Express Entertainment; Michael Murphy Photography; Panache Style; Premier Beverage; The Pride Center; Sterling Accounting; Viniq Shimmery Liqueur; & Winn-Dixie
About Broward 100 - Celebrating the Art of Community Partners
'Broward 100 - Celebrating the Art of Community' is a yearlong, community-wide celebration that began in October 2014. Broward 100 will commemorate Broward County's centennial with bold, innovative art and performance projects that attract visitors and bring Broward residents together using our arts, sports and recreation venues, natural attractions and incredible diversity to creatively bridge, bond and build their communities. The celebration will be steeped in historical perspective and more importantly, will look toward the future. For more information, email Broward100@broward.org. Follow Broward 100 on Facebook.com/BrowardCounty100, Twitter.com/Broward100, and Instagram.com/BrowardArts.
About the Broward Cultural Division
Broward Cultural Division is a local arts agency, one of thousands across the U.S. providing financial, technical and marketing assistance to artists and arts organizations. Broward County has more than 1.8 million residents, 13.4 million visitors, 10,000 artists, 6,523 arts-related businesses employing 23,497 people, 823 not-for-profit cultural organizations and 31 cities, some of which operate their own arts councils and public art programs. For more information about the Broward Cultural Division, call 954-357-7457.
About the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
From the seagrass to the sawgrass, Greater Fort Lauderdale boasts more than 34,000 lodging accommodations at a variety of hotels, luxury spa resorts and Superior Small Lodgings reflecting a "beach chic" vibe. Visitors enjoy 23 miles of Blue Wave certified beaches, discover 300-plus miles of inland waterways that run from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Everglades, dine at thousands of restaurants and eateries, get immersed in a thriving arts and culture scene and indulge in top shopping. For more information, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit sunny.org.
Follow Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at Twitter.com/visitlauderdale, Facebook.com/visitlauderdale, Pinterest.com/visitlauderdale and Foursquare.com/visitlauderdale. To have Greater Fort Lauderdale in the palm of your hand, download the free iPhone apps Defrost Your Swimsuit and 'Fork' Lauderdale, and Mild to Wild the LGBT mobile site at sunny.org/apps.
About the Community Foundation of Broward
Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Broward's mission is to provide leadership on community solutions, and foster philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter. A public nonprofit organization with more than 450 charitable Funds and agency endowments representing $173 million, it has distributed $72 million to support community solutions over the past 30 years. As a community leader, it convenes citizens around critical issues, and builds the capacity of the nonprofit sector to respond to these issues. Visit cfbroward.org for more information.
About the City of Wilton Manors
Wilton Manors has been at the national forefront of LGBT equality. As a result of the 2010 US Census, the City of Wilton Manors was named the "Second Gayest City" in the United States. With a large percentage of the population identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, Wilton Manors has been a progressive place to live, work and play for many years. The City of Wilton Manors has embraced its reputation as a destination for the LGBT community and regularly partners with LGBT organizations, and is home to the Pride Center at Equality Park, Broward's LGBT community center. The City is a joint sponsor of the Stonewall Pride Wilton Manors event that takes place every June, during national LGBT Pride Month, on Wilton Drive and attracts over 15,000 visitors. For more about Wilton Manors visit www.wiltonmanors.com.
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