The first same-sex wedding during the Tournament of Roses parade was celebrated in Pasadena. Aubrey Loots and Danny Leclair exchanged marriage vows on New Year’s Day.

Alfreda Lanoix, a lesbian minister, performed the ceremony, and tossed handfuls of rose petals into the air to mark the completion of the ceremony. Spectators cheered on the happy couple.

The ceremony took place at the end of the two-hour parade. The float, sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, looked like a giant wedding cake decorated with white coconut chips. It was accented with 12,000 roses and other floral decorations.

Originally, they had planned for a smaller ceremony, but Leclair asked Loots if he wanted to get married on a Rose Parade float.

"For me, I was moved by the stand that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation was taking," Leclair told Reuters.

They have been together for over 12 years. Loots, originally from South Africa and Leclair, a native of Canada met in Los Angeles. According to the Associated Press, Loots and Leclair own a chain of hair salons.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.