That Big Top Chef Wedding Was Just as Epic as It Looked
The couples reveal what it was really like to say “I do” on #TopChef.
Thursday's installment of Top Chef was a tearjerker — not because of the elimination results, but rather the incredibly moving wedding featured in the episode. In this episode, the cheftestants headed to Palm Springs where host Padma Laskhmi officiated a wedding for 25 same-sex couples, including guest judge Art Smith and his husband Jesus Salguiero, as well as former Top Chef contestant Rich Sweeney and his husband Steve Farrow.
Padma Lakshmi officiated the wedding of 25 same-sex couples in Palm Springs during Thursday night's episode of Top Chef.
For some of the couples that got married that day, Top Chef was able to give them the wedding they always wanted. That was the case for Daniel Hayes and his husband Steve, who decided to quickly get married before the implementation of Proposition 8 in California in 2008. "While we were happy to be married, we had to do it under stress and worry that our rights would be taken away. We couldn't invite friends or family, it was so last minute," Daniel told The Daily Dish. "For us to take part in the Top Chef episode means that we get to show our family and friends us getting married and proclaiming our love for one another."
Mazel! Newlyweds raise a glass during the wedding reception on Thursday night's episode of Top Chef.
Top Chef superfans Dina and Jasmine Jaffe also jumped at the chance to be married on the show after traveling to California and having a no-frills wedding when the state legalized same-sex marriage again. "Not only was [Jasmine] going to get the big wedding (big gay wedding haha), a fancy reception with amazing food, and a wedding cake (we didn’t have one at ours so this was special), but we were also going to be a part of a show that we have been watching for years! It was surreal. As fans of the show, it meant the world to us that they supported the LGBT community and weren’t afraid to do this," Dina said. "It was a truly amazing experience, one that we will always cherish."
As if the wedding ceremony wasn't beautiful enough, the reception, which featured cuisine cooked up by the cheftestants, was also an affair to remember. "The wine flowed, and we were privileged to sample the chef contestant's culinary pride. We communally shared a highly unique experience for our mind, soul, and palates," Keith Coleman told The Daily Dish about attending the reception with his partner Chris Boada. "If all weddings were like this, I would renew my vows regularly! This memory, however, cannot be matched and will never be as special."
Guest judge Art Smith and his partner Jesus Salguiero (far left) were one of the couples married during Thursday night's episode of Top Chef.
Kelli Knight and her wife Megan got some especially exciting news after they renewed their vows during the ceremony on Top Chef. "After five years of trying, my wife and I are now successfully pregnant (seven-and-a-half months along) after doing IVF back in June," Kelli told The Daily Dish. "We are so thrilled to have renewed our vows and shortly thereafter find out we were pregnant."
You can follow along with Kelli and Megan's IVF journey over through their Instagram, and relive all of the joy — and deliciousness — from the Top Chef wedding in the pics, below.
