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.”