Change in the marriage law to be celebrated this weekend with first weddings at the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Town Hall.
As the clock strikes midnight, history will be created with the first same sex marriage taking place in Brighton & Hove.
A total of five couples will be married in Brighton & Hove on the first day the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act comes into effect.
The first wedding, at one minute after midnight, will see Andrew Wale and Neil Allard married in the Royal Pavilion. Their wedding will be the first marriage ceremony to take place in the former palace’s Music Room which was only licensed last year.
Andrew said: “As our wedding day draws closer, we become even more aware of how lucky we are to live in a comparatively tolerant part of the world. While we were having our picture taken by a press photographer yesterday in front of the Pavilion, the usual crowds of tourists, students and locals came and went. It must have been obvious to anyone that we were a couple; we held hands, hugged each other and looked in to each other’s smiling eyes. All the reactions from this parade of strangers were either indifferent or positive – some young people put their thumbs up and shouted “Cheese!”, some asked if they could have their photo taken with us – lots of smiles, lots of warmth.”
Later on Saturday morning, Philip Robathan and James Preston will be the first couple to be married at Brighton Town Hall, where the Brighton’s Gay Men’s Chorus will be singing at their ceremony.
Philip and James said: “When the news broke that Same-Sex Marriage had been legalised in the UK, like many other same-sex couples and individuals, we were so happy to learn that the years of campaigning and suffering for equality had finally had the desired effect. We knew that we would make our day as special as possible but to be part of the history by having our wedding on the day it is legal would make it all the more special as we always wanted to be remembered for something and it now looks like this will be it!”
Paul Charlton, chairman of Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, added: “This is such an exciting occasion for us all! It’s within our objectives as a registered charity to promote equality and diversity, and it almost goes without saying that equal marriage is a major step forward for same sex couples in the battle against discrimination. We were lucky enough to have performed at one of the first ever civil partnerships back in 2005, and our members are over the moon to be taking part in this historic occasion.”
There are three other same sex couples marrying later during the day. And everyone is celebrating in their own way.
Nikki and Tania said: “All of the people that we love will be coming to our fabulous home town to celebrate with us as we affirm our love and commitment to each other by way of marriage. We are honoured to be a part of this historical step towards equality”.
Sarah and Emma said: “We are really excited to be getting married in Brighton. The changes in law have been a long time coming and we’re so happy that we are making history by being one of the first same-sex couples to marry. We are emigrating to New York in April so we are really grateful that are friends and family are able to see us tie the knot before we go. It means a lot to us and we can now begin this exciting next chapter of our lives together.”
The fifth couple choosing to marry on the historic day have opted for a very low key and private ceremony.
Brighton & Hove City Council senior ceremonies registrar Trevor Love, said: “This will be a momentous and historic day for the Registration Service in England and Wales, and for all of those couples making their marriage vows together. Brighton & Hove is a popular location for ceremonies and we have been busy keeping people up to date with the latest news about the introduction of same sex marriage. It is wonderful to see this law change being welcomed so enthusiastically in the city.”
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