In January 2014, the 56th GRAMMY Awards® concluded with a surprise finale: Queen Latifah, presiding as minister, wed 33 couples during the Same Love ceremony. Nominated for Song of the Year, Same Love - the hit song by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - became an unofficial anthem for supporters of legalizing same-sex marriage. According to the New York Times, the historic wedding ceremony at STAPLES Center included a diverse range of couples - "gay, straight, old, young, of many races and many colors." Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed Same Love, and were joined on stage by Madonna, Mary Lambert, and Trombone Shorty.
Robyn Monks, a bartender at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, and her fiancé, Adam Gropman, were one of the couples who said "I Do.” Robyn and Adam heard about the opportunity last November and jumped at the chance to exchange nuptials on national television. As a singer and songwriter for the Shaker Sisters, Robyn always dreamed of going to the GRAMMY Awards®, but she never imagined it would be for her wedding. (Robyn and Adam can be seen at 0:10 in the video clip.)
"They kept the details secret until the night before the event," said Robyn. "A 30-second wedding is really the best. It was an emotional event for all participants, as well as onlookers. I walked by Keith Urban, and he was in tears. It is emotional enough to get married for the first time, but to add in millions of viewers around the world made it quite the night to remember."
Following the awards show, all the newly married couples were invited to the after party, featuring performances by Boyz II Men and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Robyn and Adam were overwhelmed by all of the attention they received from the star-studded audience, which included congratulations from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. "So many people came up to hug and congratulate us. I felt like a celebrity all evening," said Robyn with a big smile. It's turning out to be quite a memorable year for the couple - they recently welcomed their first child, a baby boy, to the family.
L.A. is a city of stories. Not just screenplays and novels. But real life stories that can only happen in L.A. A close encounter with dolphins. A brush with a celebrity. A cupcake from a vending machine. It could be an event, an exhibit, a song. But the moment it happens, you can’t wait to tell everyone back home about it. What's your L.A. story?