19 Joyful Pictures Of Florida's First Gay Weddings As Same-Sex Marriage Ban Is Lifted

Florida Courthouses Erupt With Joy As Same-Sex Marriage Ban Is Lifted
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Florida's ban on same-sex marriage ended at midnight on Monday – and gay and lesbian couples wasted no time getting hitched in emotional overnight ceremonies in the US state.

These moving pictures capture joy and emotion, with some courts issuing marriage licenses immediately so that weddings could be held overnight following district judge Robert L. Hinkle's ruling that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

Seventy percent of Americans now live in the 36 states where gay marriage is legal after Florida's 19.9 million people were given the right.

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Juan Talavera (L) and Jeff Ronci show off their wedding rings

One Miami judge even decided not to wait until the ban was officially lifted; Sarah Zabel presided over Florida's first same-sex marriages on Monday afternoon.

"It's been a long time coming. We're just so excited and so happy," said Cheryl Grieb, moments after she married Patti Daugherty, her partner of 22 years, at the Osceola County Courthouse in Kissimmee, near Orlando.

Dressed in matching white trousers and shirts, the couple stood under a canopy of lace and ribbons as a 'countdown clock' marked the seconds before midnight.

That wedding was followed by 27 more in the county in the early hours of the morning.

Outside the courthouse, about 20 protesters held signs reading "God says male and female should be married" and "Sodom and Gomorrah," but same-sex marriage supporters ignored them.

Florida's attorney general Pam Bondi is still appealing for the ban - which was approved by voters in 2008 - to be upheld but the US court rejected her attempt to forbid weddings until a final ruling is made on her appeal.

Gay marriage ban lifted in Florida
(01 of19)
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(L-R) Jonathon Infante-May and his husband Joseph Infante-May embrace after getting married during a ceremony at the Broward County Courthouse on January 6, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene. (credit:Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(02 of19)
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Johnnie Bowls fights back tears as he is married to Will Hill during a ceremony at the Broward County Courthouse on January 6, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene. (credit:Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(03 of19)
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Catherina Pareto (L) and her partner Karla Arguello celebrate on the court house steps after Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel lifted a stay on her July ruling that Florida's same sex marriage ban violates equal protections under the U.S. Constitution, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Miami. Judge Zabel provided a jump-start Monday to Florida's entry as the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, saying she saw no reason why same-sex couples couldn't immediately get their licenses in Miami-Dade County ahead of a midnight launch statewide. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(04 of19)
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John and Shel Goldstein kiss after they were married in a group wedding Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Delray Beach, Fla. Florida's ban on same-sex marriage ended statewide at the stroke of midnight Monday, Jan. 5, and court clerks in some Florida counties wasted no time, issuing marriage licenses overnight to same-sex couples. But they still were beaten to the punch by a Miami judge who found no need to wait until the statewide ban expired. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(05 of19)
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John Goldstein celebrates his marriage to long time partner, Shel Goldstein Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 in Delray Beach, Fla. Florida's ban on same-sex marriage ended statewide at the stroke of midnight Monday, and court clerks in some Florida counties wasted no time, issuing marriage licenses overnight to same-sex couples. But they still were beaten to the punch by a Miami judge who found no need to wait until the statewide ban expired. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(06 of19)
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Cristina Jimenez, left, hugs her future bride, Liz Mabry, as they wait for their marriage license, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Delray Beach, Fla. The couple has been together for 10 years. Florida's ban on same-sex marriage ended statewide at the stroke of midnight Monday, and court clerks in some Florida counties wasted no time, issuing marriage licenses overnight to same-sex couples. But they still were beaten to the punch by a Miami judge who found no need to wait until the statewide ban expired. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(07 of19)
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In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Aaron Huntsman (C) and William Lee Jones (R) kiss after being declared legally married on the steps of the Monroe County Courthouse on January 6, 2015 in Key West, Florida . The couple obtained the first same-sex marriage license issued in the Florida Keys. Huntsman and Jones helped to pave the way for marriage equality in Florida with a lawsuit protesting the state's 2008 ban on same-sex marriage. (credit:Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau via Getty Images)
(08 of19)
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Tarina Golly, left, and Tracy Benjamin apply for their marriage license moments before they were married at the Osceola County Court, early Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Kissimmee, Fla. Florida became the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(09 of19)
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Patrick and Jason Kennedy-Whann hold hands as they say their wedding vows during a group wedding Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 in Delray Beach, Fla. Florida's ban on same-sex marriage ended statewide at the stroke of midnight Monday, and court clerks in some Florida counties wasted no time, issuing marriage licenses overnight to same-sex couples. But they still were beaten to the punch by a Miami judge who found no need to wait until the statewide ban expired. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(10 of19)
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Todd Delmay, right, and his spouse Jeff Delmay hug after they were married by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Miami. Judge Zabel provided a jump-start Monday to Florida's entry as the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, saying she saw no reason why same-sex couples couldn't immediately get their licenses in Miami-Dade County ahead of a midnight launch statewide. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(11 of19)
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A couple holds hands as they attend a wedding ceremony at the Broward County Courthouse on January 6, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene. (credit:Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(12 of19)
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Marlene Pareto, hugs her daughter Catherina Pareto, seated, as Catherine and her partner wait to apply for a marriage license after a Miami-Dade Circuit Judge cleared the way for a gay and lesbian couples to marry, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Miami. Judge Sarah Zabel provided a jump-start Monday to Florida's entry as the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, saying she saw no reason why same-sex couples couldn't immediately get their licenses in Miami-Dade County ahead of a midnight launch statewide. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(13 of19)
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Vanessa Alenier, center, smiles and makes her way past the throng of media after her number was called so that she and her partner Malanie Alenier can apply for a marriage license after a Miami-Dade Circuit Judge cleared the way for a gay and lesbian couples to marry, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Miami. Judge Sarah Zabel provided a jump-start Monday to Florida's entry as the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, saying she saw no reason why same-sex couples couldn't immediately get their licenses in Miami-Dade County ahead of a midnight launch statewide. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(14 of19)
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Jeff Ronci, 53, left, kisses his partner of 15 years, Juan Talavera, 46, as they hold up their marriage license at the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts office, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, in Miami. A circuit judge judge lifted a stay on her July ruling that Florida's same sex marriage ban violates equal protections under the U.S. Constitution. The first gay and lesbian weddings could take place as early as Monday. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(15 of19)
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Juan Talavera (L) and Jeff Ronci show off their wedding rings after picking up their marriage license at the Clerk of the Courts - Miami-Dade County Court on January 5, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene. (credit:Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(16 of19)
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Carlos Noda (L) fixes the flower on the jacket of his husband to be Rich Matthews as they wait to get their marriage license from the Clerk of the Court before being married during a ceremony at the Broward County Courthouse on January 6, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene. (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
(17 of19)
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(L-R) Beverly Linn and Barbara Kelly embrace after getting married during a ceremony at the Broward County Courthouse on January 6, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene. (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
(18 of19)
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Newlyweds Karla Arguello (L) and Catherina Pareto walk out of the Miami-Dade courthouse as the first couple to marry in Florida after Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel presided over the marriage of the couple during a ceremony in the judges courtroom on January 5, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene. (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
(19 of19)
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Jeff Ballard, left, places a ring on the finger of Greg Melvin as they participate in a marriage ceremony with over 40 same sex couples at Orlando City Hall, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Kissimmee, Fla. Florida became the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle's ruling that Florida's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional took effect early Tuesday in all 67 counties. (credit:John Raoux/AP)