Former ‘N Sync-er Lance Bass hit Atlanta’s the W Midtown Hotel Monday night with his fiancé to help a spirited crowd of several hundred attempt to break a Guinness World Record for largest arms-linked toast.
The event was part of the national #ToastToMarriage campaign, a partnership between SKYY Vodka and Freedom to Marry to raise awareness about marriage equality in states where that right is not available. Atlanta was the first #ToastToMarriage event in the campaign.
After a brief delay after emcee Evelyn Mims of 11 Alive asked the crowd to recruit more friends to come to the event to help break the record, the event began and Bass hit the stage with fiancé Michael Turchin to give a speech and fire up the crowd.
While officials could not confirm yet whether the record was broken, they did say 278 participated in the toast, and that the current world record of 260 was set in Spain. Guinness officials have to review the footage of the toast first to approve the findings.
“It’s so important just for the visibility,” Bass told the GA Voice before the toast, standing alongside his fiancé. “I love that they came up with the idea to get the Guinness Book of World Records here because it’s a fun story to put out there, and to attach it to such a great message—that’s the way that you get people visible for sure.”
Bass and Turchin also confirmed that their wedding would be in Los Angeles “probably” next February and that they are not going small.
“It’ll be big. We know a lot of people,” Bass said before joking, “We have to outdo Kim Kardashian.
“We have plenty of time,” he continued. “It’s going to be a very magical wedding.”
psaunders@thegavoice.com | @patricksaunders