Broward County Clerk of Courts Brenda Forman wore a stunning red and white tuxedo Wednesday to present her Valentine's Day gift to the community: a mass wedding ceremony that united 55 couples and transformed part of the downtown Fort Lauderdale courthouse into a festive venue. In rooms where angst-filled litigants and jurors typically gather, Forman and her staff achieved a rare feat, using columns of balloons, flowers and white flourishes to welcome grooms, brides, family members and other loved ones for the first of what is set to become an annual event. "The experience that other people have when they come to the courthouse is always a bad experience," Forman told the Daily Business Review. "I wanted to do something to bring couples together to have a wonderful time. Doing it for Valentine's Day and having a mass wedding ceremony — the first ever to be held here — is grand. It's fantastic." Soft music flowed through the rooms, professional photographers set up a photo-staging area, and county staff created a reception space with dining tables and wedding cake. Against a backdrop set up for photographers, Noel Garcia and his bride, Tiffany, posed for pictures with their daughter, Noelle. The couple's extended family, including siblings and in-laws, joined them for the ceremony. "We picked today because the meaning of Valentine's Day is very special," Tiffany Garcia said. "We figured what better day to do it?" In the next room, newlyweds Luz Maria Gonzalez-Lucero and Angela Maria Lucero embraced and cried softly. "I've been waiting for this for so long. It's an amazing feeling," Gonzalez-Lucero said. "Through all my struggles in the past, I've found an amazing partner. I've told her I was for keeps, and it's for infinity." The pair was one of at least five same-sex couples married at the ceremony. "I'm very blessed to have her, and even more grateful that I was ready for her when she came into my life," Lucero said of her wife. "In my life, I was ready for the lifetime. This is who I was looking for, and I found her." Forman officiated, while her staff served as greeters and coordinators. "This is just an exciting day. It's Valentine's Day. Love is in the air, and I love it," she said. "This is something that I wanted to start, something that I wanted to do, and something that will be going on for quite some time. This is just a great time for people to come together and celebrate their love."