What to know
- Three couples are tying the knot at Hitched, a group Valentine’s Day wedding in Toronto’s Village focused on queer joy and affordability.
- Organizers say the event aims to make weddings more accessible while celebrating 2SLGBTQ+ love loudly and publicly.
- One couple, Megan and Emmyn, hope their femme-loving-femme and non-binary representation will inspire queer youth and show that love can move fast and feel right.
Glitz, glam, and not one, not two, but three sets of newlyweds — that’s what’s on deck for Hitched, also known as Toronto’s big gay Valentine’s Day wedding.
Is there anything that says Valentine’s Day quite like a big gay wedding? Short answer: No. And that’s exactly what’s going down in The Village this evening, with three sets of lovebirds tying the knot in a group wedding.
The event, hosted at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, is a collaboration between local event organizers Something, drag queen officiant Cherri Burstyn, and Vegas-style wedding venue Two of Hearts Chapel. Something co-founder Megan Appa explained that the organizers came together to make weddings, which are often a huge expense, more accessible for the queer community.
“We wanted just to give queer couples a more inexpensive way to celebrate their love in a really loud, exciting and big way,” Appa explained, adding that providing community support for 2SLGBTQ+ fiancées was also a huge factor.
“We also wanted to provide a space where they’re being cheered on by a room full of screaming people, like a room full of their screaming peers.”
Hannah Stein, founder of Two Hearts Chapel, explained that growing up with a father who worked for the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCCT) exposed her to an abundance of 2SLGBTQ+ love, something that she has integrated into the chapel.
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“MCCT is like the queer church, I guess, of Toronto, so I grew up watching a lot of queer weddings and queer joy and all these different things. Two of Hearts was very much inspired by that love and joy,” she explained, adding that the collaboration with Something and Cherri Burstyn felt like the perfect extension of that celebration of love.
“I think sometimes with the stories of queer love and relationships, they can sometimes be fraught with struggles and all of that, as opposed to celebrating the absolute love that’s there and the normalcy [of that],” she explained.
Cherri, also known as Andy Althoff-Burrows, has been performing weddings both in and out of drag for about five years. He says there is something markedly different about the queer weddings he has performed.
“There’s a recognition that we don’t take for granted the ability to get married,” the officiant explained, adding that there’s also the recognition that this is not possible for many queer people around the world. While Canada has recognized Gay marriage since 2005, only 38 countries around the world have marriage equality.
“So there’s a different element to the celebration, but also this level of joy and expression and kind of a self-awareness and all these things that are just a little bit different.”
(Courtesy: Dimo Studio)
Appa explained that they are excited to put a little bit of queer magic into an occasion that has been dubbed a little too capitalistic.
“You see people saying that it’s just the capitalist holiday, where everyone feels like they have to buy things. So why don’t we celebrate love every day?” she shared. “With a holiday like Valentine’s Day, putting that queer joy back into it. I think it’s important. And like, we don’t really get to celebrate love in this massive, big way every single day.”
Soon-to-be newlyweds: Megan and Emmyn
Megan and Emmyn are one couple who will tie the knot at the Valentine’s Day affair. The duo first connected in an online 2SLGBTQ+ group, meeting in-person at a May Day celebration in 2024. After spending six or seven months getting to know each other as friends, they started dating in Jan. 2025 and became very close very quickly due to a tragedy.
Megan’s cousin passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of their relationship, something that they say didn’t put a strain on their bond, but did speed up their process.
“The first time they met any of my family, aside from my mom, was at the funeral,” she explained. “They were just such a good support, it was handled with such grace.”
So when they first heard about Hitched, they weren’t engaged, but decided to apply, “for the bit.” But soon after applying, they came up with a contingency plan in case they were not selected.
“When you know, you know. And we want to spend the rest of our lives together,” Emmyn explained.
Femme-loving-femme representation
So why a public wedding? Megan explained that both as a queer person and a women’s studies major, she’s aware of how important representation is.
“We’re clearly not two men, and just that kind of representation is something we don’t see enough,” she shared.
While Emmyn, a performer, hopes that this representation is helpful for queer youth.
“I’ve always been in bands, I’ve been in plays and stuff, and just, I’ve always had that feeling that if I can inspire one person, or someone can feel comforted by seeing me present as myself being a non-binary person, then it’s worth it.”
Ahead of the big day, Emmyn shared that it all feels surreal.
“There’s a part of me that thought I would never get married as a young person, because I never thought I’d find my person. So now that I have, I’m just really excited to make it official,” they explained. “Every day I wake up… I want to marry Meg.”
Their bride-to-be agrees.
“It’s gonna feel not real yet, but I think the vow part and exchanging our rings — that’s what I’m most looking forward to.”
And where better to proclaim their love and devotion than Toronto’s big gay wedding? With the fast-tracked, intensely deep love the two share, they say that having a wedding in public felt both deeply intimate and weirdly public.
“It felt like the perfect combination — that intimacy, but on a large scale,” Emmyn explained.
And their advice for other people considering taking the plunge?
“If it feels right, it’s right. Just do it.”If this sounds like the way you want to spend Valentine’s Day, there are still tickets on sale now, but they are limited.
