Taylor, left, and Robertson, right, with Gray.

Today, Robert Robertson and Carlos Taylor were joined in matrimony by a very special officiant: Mayor Vincent Gray.

Thanks to the Marriage Officiant Amendment Act of 2013, which went into effect last week, Gray was able to marry couples. Anyone in D.C. can become a temporary officiant by paying a small fee. Today was Gray’s first time officiating a wedding, and he did so at the Wilson Building.

“One of the reasons that this particular ceremony is such a great honor to me is that it represents a cause for which I have been a longtime advocate,” Gray said. “To me, marriage equality and equal rights are matters of basic fairness and justice.”

“This is a day that I’ve actually looked forward to since we legalized same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia,” he continued. (That became the law in the city in 2010.) “I consider this an audition,” Gray joked, later adding that he’d be happy to officiate more weddings.

The ceremony contained many of the traditional elements, including the exchanging of vows and rings. Sisters of both of the grooms read poems. Tears were shed.

Gray was introduced to the grooms by Peter Rosenstein, a non-profit CEO and Washington Blade columnist, who was in attendance. Robertson, a 52-year-old healthcare IT consultant, and Taylor, a 46-year-old IT analyst, met in 1997 at a tree-trimming party and began dating in 1999. They were engaged in 2011 in Adams Morgan, where they reside.

When this DCist editor, who may or may not have become a little weepy during the ceremony, thanked Robertson for allowing the press to attend, he graciously responded, “It’s a big day for all of us.”