Darius Golds and Magnus Juliano say they both always wanted an untraditional wedding, mirroring their own approach to art and life.
Golds and Juliano are both artists in their own right, meeting nearly 10 years ago through their work in art and fashion design. Four years ago, the couple got engaged in New York City during the Pride parade on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
When the opportunity presented itself to get married on top of a float during their hometown of Columbus' own Pride March, they decided to take it. The Columbus Museum of Art will have the two atop their first-ever float in this Saturday's parade. Golds and Juliano will get married just before the parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. and heads from downtown Columbus to Goodale Park in the Short North.
The couple say they're excited for the big day Saturday, but they know the moment and the visibility of their love will mean a lot to many others in the LGBTQ+ community who will be watching along the parade route.
"I wanted to share our love publicly. And I think visibility is very important for people who share our identities. I didn't see much of representation of two Black men living out loud with one another. This just like a perfect opportunity," Juliano said.
The float itself will look like a ship with a single-mast sail that states "CMoA is loud and proud." The wedding will be officiated by Brittani Gray, a close friend of the couple, who is also a reproductive rights activist.
Juliano helped design t-shirts for the marchers for the museum. That partnership is how Golds got the idea to ask if they could get married on the float.
"(The museum) sent a side email just asking if we were interested in being on the float, just to kind of join the group that they were planning to have. And a light bulb just flickered on for me and I thought of the idea of like, oh, what if we got married on the float," Golds said.
The couple said when they were growing up in Columbus, they would often visit the Columbus Museum of Art.
"It's a full circle moment for me, because I remember going to the Columbus Museum of Art as a kid. And I love the updates, but I remember just being fascinating and being enamored," Juliano said.
Jen Lehe, Columbus Museum of Art's Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement, said the museum has marched in the Pride parade for over a decade. She said she thinks the float and the marriage will be a moving experience for people who go to the parade.
"We love a 'what-if' and this was one of those kind of beautiful serendipitous 'what ifs,' so it's going to be pretty moving I think," Lehe said.
Lehe said initially the vision behind the float being a ship was that the museum, its patrons and its employees go on journeys together. Lehe said once they agreed with Golds and Juliano to hold the wedding, it became a "love boat."
"Leaning into this love boat idea, there are a lot of different connections that we've made and we've had quite a bit of fun with it. We all like puns, so there's been a lot of pun opportunities," Lehe said.
Lehe said this fits with the museum's commitment to amplify the voices and projects of queer artists year round at the museum, including with their Queer Modern exhibit that showcases gay and lesbian artists from the early 20th century to now.
Golds and Juliano said they are each feeling a lot of emotions like being excited and scared.
"Taking in the moment and really not allowing the pressure and nerves to get the best of me. And just reminding myself that this moment is greater than any of my feelings," Juliano said.
"Once I'm actually doing the ceremony, everything would just kind of flow away and I'll be grounded. I think I'm just always someone in general who thinks ahead, thinks in the future. So I'm trying to take the time to celebrate this milestone, but also just thinking about all of the things that we know that we want to accomplish in our lives and all the people we want to inspire," Golds said.
