I now pronounce you . . .
Man and bike? Wedded bliss at Nuit Blanche,
Many marriages end with some version of “you may kiss the bride.”
But for one night, people in downtown Toronto were asked to kiss their ride instead.
These people got married to their bicycles as part of a Nuit Blanche event put on by a local women’s art collective and bike crew.
Kirsten White, code name “Snow White,” helped organize the event with other members of the Deadly Nightshades Midnight Bike Crew. Though the group is usually focused on promoting cycling culture in the city, this event was more of a statement on marriage and marriage equality than about Toronto traffic, she said.
“Marriage, for us, is more about the idea of picking someone in the moment that you care about and that you love,” White said.
“We’re saying the kind of love that should be celebrated now is a little less rigid and a little more free in its will.”
Nuit Blanche participants were married to their bikes, or unicycles or tricycles — White said the group doesn’t discriminate — in front of officiators dressed up as characters ranging from Elvis to Dolly Parton and a mermaid.
The theme was purposefully cho- sen to evoke images of chapel weddings and Vegas, White said.
The ceremonies took place in front of a trailer decorated with an arch made up of bicycle wheels and flowers. Newlyweds-to-be quickly said their I dos before signing a "marriage certificate" and getting their photo taken. Some opted to let the bikes sign the certificates as well, running the front wheels over the paper a few times to get a tire tread signature.
Corey Sullivan was the first in line on Saturday night. The avid cyclist said he wanted to get married to his bike — named Alabama Whirl — partly because of his devotion to it, but also just because he thought it was funny.
“I basically live on my bike. I bike to work, I bike to everything,” he said.
After Sullivan, Dennis DaCosta got hitched to his bike, Earl, whom he had decked out in LED lights for the ceremony. DaCosta opted to give Earl a quick kiss on the handlebars after signing their certificate.
“He’s been a loyal companion. He’s always there when I need him, so why not?” DaCosta said.
For those concerned about the legal ramifications of a bike marriage, White assured none of it was legally binding.
“You’re still able to marry other bikes if you want,” she said.
The group has tried to be a part of Nuit Blanche for several years with different ideas, but hasn’t been accepted until this year. They’re hoping to take the event on tour in the United States.