First same sex marriage australia
Welsh-born woman in Australia's first same-sex wedding
Australia's first same-sex wedding has taken place following the country's vote to legalise gay marriage.
Welsh-born Lauren Price, 31, and Amy Laker, 29, tied the knot in Sydney where they were pronounced "wife and wife" in front of 65 guests.
It had been thought that the first possible date for same-sex weddings would be 9 January because of a four-week waiting period after the ground-breaking legislation was passed earlier this month.
But the brides had special permission to marry without giving a month's notice to the New South Wales registry of births, deaths and marriages under a extraordinary exemption on financial grounds.
Ms Price's family had already making the trip down under from Wales as the couple had planned to marry at the British consulate under UK law before the Australian legislation was passed.
The pair, who met at a Sydney bar three years ago, said they were now hoping to open a family.
"For us being legally married is more about automatically being next of kin this is my child's other mother,
Queensland First with Marriage Equality
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath has today revealed that Australia’s first same-sex marriage was held in Queensland, in December
The marriage &#; between two Queensland women &#; was held on December 15 and allowed to proceed without the time waiting period because one of the women was terminally ill with a rare cancer.
Jo’s family has since asked for their story to be made public.
“This is a love story &#; of the deep bond between Jo Grant and Jill Kindt,” Mrs D’Ath told Parliament.
“This is also an inspiring story &#; of the adj lengths our staff went to, to make this historic marriage happen before it was too late.
“And it’s a story of hope that reframes Queensland as a modern, trailblazing state which recognises equal rights and the most fundamental principle &#; that love is love.”
Mrs D’Ath told Parliament today that Jo and Jill were approved, married, and registered all in one morning, after the Registrar ruled exceptional circumsta
Same-sex marriage: First weddings accept place in Melbourne, Sydney
Two same-sex couples have made history by becoming the first to wed under Australian law.
Lauren Price, 31, and Amy Laker, 29, exchanged vows in Sydney on Saturday, one week after the new laws came into effect.
The ceremony took place in front of 65 guests at a ceremony in Camden in Sydney's south-west.
The first same-sex weddings were expected to happen from January 9 next year but some couples have been eligible for exemptions allowing them to wed earlier.
Ms Price and Ms Laker successfully obtained a waiver exempting them from the one-month waiting period of a wedding because their families were travelling from Wales to be there.
How to beat the one-month wait
Illness, a new profession or a potential jail term are some reasons you can get a waiver.
Friends and family of the couple flew from around the world to be part of the day.
Meanwhile, Amy and Elise McDonald's surprise wedding took place in Melbourne's Carlton Gardens on Saturday in front of about 60 unsuspecting guests.
The couple told the
The first same-sex couple to wed in Australia were only married for 48 days before death parted them
The extraordinary efforts behind the scenes of Australia's first same-sex marriage, allowing a Queensland woman to wed her partner before she died from cancer, have been revealed.
Jill Kindt and Jo Grant had been together for eight years but only legally married for 48 days, after they tied the knot in their garden on December
It was a week after same-sex marriage became legal in Australia, and it has now been revealed to be the country's first.
It was allowed to proceed without the day waiting period because Ms Grant was terminally ill with a rare cancer.
She died on January 30, , just over six weeks from her wedding.
The behind-the-scenes details, and the people who helped make their wedding possible, were mentioned in Queensland Parliament.
Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said Ms Kindt and Ms Grant were approved, married, and registered all in one diurnal, after the Registrar ruled exceptional circumstances.
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