Here come the brides and grooms

Amid cheers and a few protests, for the first time, hundreds of gay couples marry in New York City.

gay marriage 311 R (photo credit: REUTERS)
gay marriage 311 R
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Wedding day in New York City.
Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples line up to get married on the first day that same-sex marriage was made legal in the state of New York.
Freddy Zambrano and Marcos Chaljub were among the first to take their vows.
For Phyllis Siegel and Connie Kopelov, this was a long day in coming.
Applause on the streets after the 76 and 84-year-olds finally tied the knot.
I talked about what it meant to get married after a 23 year relationship.
"It was just so amazing. It's the only way I can describe it. I lost my breath and a few tears, and it's indescribable," said Phyllis Siegel.
New York is the sixth and largest US state to allow gay marriage.
Civil liberties activists say New York's legalization of same-sex marriage sends a message to the US Congress that it must repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
Officials estimate that gay marriage will add some $400 million to New York's strained economy over the next three years.
Not everyone was celebrating. A handful of protesters held signs condemning gay marriage.
But such actions were lost on those who thought this day would never come.