First couples to say ‘we do’
SAME-SEX couples across Australia were “over the moon” as they tied the knot on the first official day of marriage equality yesterday, once again celebrating the result of a hard-fought campaign.
One of the first ceremonies in NSW took place overnight near Tweed Heads, where athletes Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan timed their proceedings so their marriage would become official minutes after midnight.
“It’s a very surreal feeling,” Craig said in the lead-up to the event. The pair first met three years ago and said they fell in love “straight away” before Craig popped the question at Byron Bay in March.
Same-sex marriage legislation cleared parliament on December 7, nearly a month after it was revealed 61.6 per cent of participants in a voluntary postal survey backed the change.
Amid scenes of jubilation, same-sex couples were quick to lodge formal intentions to wed and while some were granted exemptions to the four-week waiting period, yes- terday marked the first official day ceremonies took place.
In Sydney, two fathers finally walked their daughters down the aisle as long-time loves Casey Capple and Penny-Marie MackenzieSmith said “I do”.
“I’m sure they thought they probably would never get to,” Casey said.
The pair has been together for five years and shared their wedding day with their two daughters Brooklyn, three, and Hadley, aged six-months.
In a more low-key ceremony also in Sydney, Tahleah Wood married Leah Houlden, making their commitment official on paper after committing to each other in March.
The couple is expecting their first child in April and were keen to get the legalities out of the way before things get “too crazy”.
“It’s just confirmation that our relationship is just as equal every other,” Leah said.