Wedding Bells Ring At Midnight For Same-Sex Couples In New York

At the stroke of midnight, New York became the sixth U.S. state to legalize gay marrige.

Gay-rights activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd were declared married in Niagara Falls, joining other couples across the state.

In Hudson, about 30 miles south of the capital, Albany, Linda Mussman and Claudia Bruce legally married after 35 years together.

And in Albany, Mayor Jerry Jennings said he’d marry a handful of couples who wanted to be among the first.

Clerks offices in New York City and many other cities around the state will be open for business Sunday, just to handle to the wave of couples ready to say “I do.”

More than 800 couples entered a lottery earlier this week to secure a chance to take their vows, but city official say people don’t need to worrry, no one will be turned away.

Activists say the early Sunday marriages mark a pivotal moment in the national drive for recognition.

New York’s historic vote to legalize it last month was viewed by advocates and opponents as a watershed that would galvanize both sides.