Over the weekend, the fabulously talented Latrice Royale traveled to New York to officiate her first ever wedding. The response to this from our readers was so overwhelmingly positive that we had to contact Latrice to get more details. Latrice opened up to us about the beautiful ceremony, her thoughts on 'marriage', and how you can get Latrice at YOUR wedding!
The Large and In Charge, Chunky Yet Funky Latrice Royale, how have you been girl?
“Ive been AHHMAZING! Things are just progressing, and getting brighter. I’m happy.”
“Ive been AHHMAZING! Things are just progressing, and getting brighter. I’m happy.”
| We recently posted about you becoming ordained and performing your first wedding. The response was huge, and many people were truly touched. How did you initially decide to do this? “Daniel [whose wedding was performed] is a good friend of mine. Before it was even a possibility, Daniel said ‘I would love for you to come marry us and perform at our wedding ceremony’. I was like ‘Are you serious??’, and he was. Months had passed and Daniel finally said ‘No, I’m really serious about you performing my ceremony’. I said ‘I would be honored, let me get ordained, let me go through the steps to make this all legal’. It was the best thing I ever did. It turned out to be beautiful!” So you would say your first wedding was a success? “It really really was. I was nervous going into it because I had never done a wedding before, but that's what the rehearsal is for. As I was performing at the rehearsal ceremony, I was just being me, and everyone was laughing and having a good time. And it was unanimous that this was the type of ceremony they wanted. They wanted it to be fun and light, and have those moments of cheers. It went wonderful. Then I was like OK I can do this, I know how to do this!” |   |
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 | You are definitely a stand out queen. Was it difficult trying to look as sickening as you always do, but not upstage the actual wedding itself? [Laughs] I warned him. I told him I don't know what you’re planning, but baby there are cameras and I am going to be looking sexy. I wanted my designer to create something really beautiful. Eddie Couture from Chicago made my robe and he did a magnificent job. And of course, my hair was quaffed. My hair guy is Terrell Gardner from Miami. It takes a village to raise this child [laughs], but I have the best team in the world and you gotta keep it going, gotta keep it flowing honey!” |
After seeing the story of you becoming ordained and performing your first wedding, many of our readers expressed interest in you performing at their own ceremonies. So, the big question is: Are there more weddings in the works and who are you willing to perform them for?
“The response has been CRAZY. After the wedding, my office was like ‘do you know what kind of Monday we are having right now??’ I said ‘welllll, this is what happened…things happen on weekends and yeaah!’ I am open to doing whomever. Whoever wants me, I’m there, honey. Contact my office, we will get it all going, and I’ll be there. Trust and believe. I didn't expect it to have such a profound effect on me. And you know, everybody has their thing about marriage, but to see this kind of love exist was so inspiring and so encouraging. I love getting people together. Let's do it!
“The response has been CRAZY. After the wedding, my office was like ‘do you know what kind of Monday we are having right now??’ I said ‘welllll, this is what happened…things happen on weekends and yeaah!’ I am open to doing whomever. Whoever wants me, I’m there, honey. Contact my office, we will get it all going, and I’ll be there. Trust and believe. I didn't expect it to have such a profound effect on me. And you know, everybody has their thing about marriage, but to see this kind of love exist was so inspiring and so encouraging. I love getting people together. Let's do it!
| On Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, you mentioned that you didn’t believe a gay marriage should be called ‘marriage’, is that still true? “I’m glad you actually asked that because I just got asked the same question by a fan. I said I didn't think it should be called ‘marriage’, and I hold true to that. Let me explain why. For me, we cannot act like we have not been separate from society this whole entire time. That's why we have gay pride, and not straight pride. We have gay pride because we are a community within a community. For me, this is a unique situation; it is not the same situation as a man and a woman getting married. It's a man and a man, and a woman and a woman getting married, and I think it is special and unique. So why not identify and celebrate it as something special and unique, and not lump it in with the same thing that has been going on for years. Do you believe, though, that gay ‘marriages’ should have all the same rights and benefits as straight ones? “Absolutely 100%. My thing is strictly the name. Call it something and celebrate it in our own way because it is special to us and unique to us- that's what I’m saying. We should have all the same rights, absolutely. Am I not going to support gay ‘marriage’ because of the name? Of course not! Of course I am going to support it. I just want to celebrate it in our own way, and call it something different. But, yes I believe we should have all the same benefits, rights and legal things. It's a different way of thinking and that's how I am. I’m out of the box. We’ve come a long way, and we’ve got a long way to go. We need to accept the things that are true to us and hold those values- that's what makes us special and unique. |    |
 | Is there anything from your experiences on RuPaul’s Drag Race that helped prepare you to perform weddings? “The whole experience with RuPaul’s Drag Race prepared us for a multitude of situations because we had to do things on the show that were out of the ordinary for us and not what we do in our normal day to day careers. We are usually touring and in the clubs and nightlife, but opening up your style and being able to go down different avenues, that's the whole key to survival: being diverse. You can put me in any situation and I will succeed. I think that's what makes us so marketable.” |
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If you were to have one queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race perform your wedding, who would it be?
“RuPaul. I would absolutely have RuPaul do it. None of those other bitches are worthy to marry me! Sorry, NO! [Laughs]
“RuPaul. I would absolutely have RuPaul do it. None of those other bitches are worthy to marry me! Sorry, NO! [Laughs]
Starring on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4, All Stars, and Drag U, touring the country to perform, and now performing wedding ceremonies, how do you do it all?
I have the best team in the world, and like I said, it takes a village. Managers and staff that are constant and get things done the right way, I wouldn't be able to keep up otherwise. It would be impossible, it really would. No way, no way.
I have the best team in the world, and like I said, it takes a village. Managers and staff that are constant and get things done the right way, I wouldn't be able to keep up otherwise. It would be impossible, it really would. No way, no way.
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What other projects or events can we look forward to seeing you in during the coming weeks?
Just know that I am working on a new single and you’re just going to have to W-E-I-G-H-T for it!
We cannot thank Latrice enough for opening up to us in this interview. She is an inspiration and truly talented queen! Now we just need to find husbands so she can marry us too!
Just know that I am working on a new single and you’re just going to have to W-E-I-G-H-T for it!
We cannot thank Latrice enough for opening up to us in this interview. She is an inspiration and truly talented queen! Now we just need to find husbands so she can marry us too!
