Lance Bass Presided Over A Mass Gay Beach Wedding This Morning

If today's news all seems a little depressing, here's a fun one: Lance Bass presided over a giant gay wedding on a Fort Lauderdale beach at sunrise this morning.  

The event, called Love is Love, was a celebration of marriage equality and included 100 couples, both gay and straight. Bass told Refinery29 that as a Southerner — and a newlywed — he was particularly excited to be involved. 

"Marriage equality is something [my husband and I] clearly feel so strongly about," he said. "I really applaud Fort Lauderdale and its partners for coming together on this issue and in such a massive way. Go big or go home, right?"

Florida is the most recent state to legalize same-sex marriage, bringing the total number of states to 36. A judge ruled the Florida marriage ban unconstitutional last August, and a stay recently expired — allowing gay marriage licenses to be issued as of January 6 of this year. 

Legalization in Florida also begins to chip away at the South, one of the last blocks of states where marriage equality is almost entirely absent. A recent case in Alabama suggests equality may be on the way there was well, and the U.S. Supreme Court is set to revisit the issue this spring.

The ceremony was adorable (and a little tacky, as only a mass beach wedding in Florida could be), although the rain kept everyone from fully taking over the beach. Click ahead for some of our favorite pics.