A queer couple has made history at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival after saying “I do” in front of a packed theatre audience, marking the first ticketed wedding ceremony of its kind.
Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, co-founders of Awkward Productions, tied the knot on Saturday (16 August) at The Pleasance Grand in front of around 750 people.
The couple, who have been together for a decade, made spectacular entrances: Karp was carried onto the stage, while Martin wowed the crowd by arriving to Charli XCX’s Von Dutch.
The ceremony was full of theatrical flourishes, in true Fringe spirit. Comedian Sooz Kempner serenaded the newlyweds with 2 Become 1, while fellow troupe Recent Cutbacks delivered the rings in a Lord of the Rings spoof. Before that, the best man delivered a dramatic reading of Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA.
After Edinburgh City Council’s Jackie Blackburn officially pronounced them “husband and husband”, the crowd rose to its feet with a standing ovation. The celebrations didn’t end there — Karp and Martin later took to the stage again for their Fringe show The Fit Prince.
Speaking to PinkNews ahead of the big day, Martin revealed how quickly the idea escalated:
“It went from ‘this might be possible’ to ‘we’re doing it’ within, like, three hours.”
