LAS VEGAS - Daniel Carroll and Dayvin Bartolome stood on the steps of the marriage license bureau in Las Vegas, researching where they might tie the knot after 14 years together.
They ran through the options and joked about whether an Elvis Presley or Celine Dion impersonator would be available to perform the ceremony.
In the end, they settled on a location up the street whose quickie wedding offerings include drive-up, chapel and terrace ceremonies. Less than three hours later, they held hands in front of a lighted gazebo at the Vegas Weddings chapel as the officiant declared, "I hereby pronounce you husband and husband."
Carroll and Bartolome were among the first gay couples to wed in Las Vegas on Thursday as same-sex marriages arrived in the self-described wedding capital of the world. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Nevada's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on Tuesday.
About 10 same-sex couples were waiting in line at the Clark County clerk's office as the announcement came shortly after 5 p.m. that gay marriage licenses would be issued, eliciting cheers and tears of joy from the crowd. Officials said the county Marriage License Bureau issued 40 licenses to same-sex couples Thursday.
"It's amazing. This is it," Theo Small said as he stood next to his partner, Antioco Carillo, and looked down at their marriage license, the first issued in Las Vegas.
"We're walking on clouds," Carillo said. "This is unreal."
Opponents have continued to push back against gay marriage, saying such unions are unconstitutional. Days of weddings, court decisions and confusion have followed a Supreme Court decision Monday that denied appeals from several states and effectively made gay marriage legal in some 30 states.
Kansas' most populous county issued a marriage license Friday to a gay couple, believed to be the first such license in the state. But the wedding plans of gay couples across the state remained in limbo, with nearly all of the state's 105 counties refusing to issue marriage licenses.
West Virginia officials began issuing gay marriage licenses Thursday, which prompted frustration in Nevada before couples were allowed to wed.
"Nobody is more frustrated than I am," said Clark County Clerk Diana Alba, apologizing to a handful of gay couples at the Las Vegas marriage license bureau late Thursday afternoon.
Shortly after, however, a judge enforced a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed her to start issuing licenses.
About 430 miles north, Kristy Best and Wednesday Smith became the first same-sex couple in the state to get a license.
Best said in a telephone interview that she and Smith were surprised to get their license when they showed up at the Carson City marriage office with the $75 filing fee they borrowed from Smith's mother. They plan to be married Saturday with a gathering of family and friends.
"We went to see what would happen, and they gave us the license," Best said. "I feel amazing. So happy. Love doesn't discriminate, so why should we?"
Todd Larkin, president of the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, issued a statement late Thursday that said his group plans to ask the entire 9th Circuit for a rehearing and request the U.S. Supreme Court take the case.
"Man-woman marriage is constitutional," Larkin said. "The coalition is confident that, in the end, the constitutionality of man-woman marriage will be upheld."
Shortly after the flurry of weddings, however, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Democratic Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto released a statement that declared "this action brings finality to the issue of same-sex marriage in Nevada."
As Carroll and Bartolome exchanged rings, Bartolome's sister held an iPhone close to their hands so their mother in Hilo, Hawaii, could watch every second of the ceremony.
"I wish I was there," Irene Suzuki said after the ceremony, adding that she understood why they did it with such haste.
"Get married and we'll do the party later," she said she told them.
A look at the most recent developments in same-sex marriage amid a landmark week
Weddings, court rulings and confusion are defining a week that started with the U.S. Supreme Court denying appeals from five states seeking to retain their bans on same-sex marriage. Here's a rundown of the most recent developments:
GOING TO THE CHAPEL
Gay couples in Las Vegas cheered at the marriage license bureau when anticipation became reality, and the county clerk began granting same-sex partners the right to wed Thursday evening.
MOVEMENT IN OTHER STATES
— Alaska: A federal judge will hear arguments Friday on the first gay marriage ban passed in the U.S., but it wasn't immediately clear when there would be a ruling. The state said the question of whether to define marriage to include gay couples should be decided by citizens, not the courts. Voters approved the ban in 1998.
— Arizona: A federal judge has said a 9th Circuit ruling apparently "controls the outcome" of Arizona's gay marriage ban. The state is covered by the appellate court that struck down bans in Idaho and Nevada. Marriages have not begun in Arizona.
— Arkansas: The state Supreme Court refused to delay a challenge to Arkansas' gay marriage ban, rejecting the state attorney general who had asked the court to put the case on hold.
— Idaho: The governor and attorney general have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court it to maintain an emergency delay on gay weddings pending an appeal.
— Indiana: The University of Notre Dame told employees its granting health care and other benefits to same-sex spouses after the Supreme Court's ruling. The Catholic university's move came Wednesday, a day after the state attorney general said marriage licenses must be issued to gay couples.
— Kansas: The state's most populous county issued a marriage license Friday to a same-sex couple, believed to be the first in the state. But nearly all of the state's other counties have refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
— North Carolina: Republican legislative leaders moved to defend the state's gay marriage ban in court. A federal judge appears poised to strike down the ban approved by North Carolina voters in 2012.
— South Carolina: The state Supreme Court ordered lower state courts to refrain from issuing same-sex marriage licenses until a federal judge decides whether the state constitution's ban on the unions is legal.
— West Virginia: Gay couples have begun receiving marriage licenses after the state's attorney general dropped his fight opposing same-sex unions.
CHRISTIE'S THOUGHTS
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says it shouldn't be up to the Supreme Court to decide whether states allow gay marriage. The Republican governor, widely viewed as a contender for president in 2016, says he believes states should have the ability to decide the issue. Christie opposes same-sex marriage but dropped his administration's legal challenge to a lower court's decision allowing it last year. He said he has been upholding the law since then. Christie had avoided commenting on the court's decision at a campaign stop earlier this week.
OOPS
The marriage confusion even tripped up someone who should definitely know better.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy mistakenly blocked the start of same-sex marriage in Nevada in an order that spawned confusion among state officials and disappointment in couples hoping to be wed. Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg confirmed the mix-up Thursday, saying Kennedy's order issued a day earlier was an error that the justice corrected with a second order several hours later.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco declared bans on same-sex marriage in Idaho and Nevada illegal Tuesday. Idaho quickly asked the Supreme Court for a delay, but Nevada planned to allow same-sex weddings to proceed. The trouble arose because Idaho's request to the court included a document from the appeals court that listed case numbers for both states.
WAITING ON CINCINNATI
There also is growing anticipation for a ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati.
A three-judge panel heard arguments two months ago on challenges to gay marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, the biggest hearing of its kind on the issue.
Its eventual ruling could help determine when or even whether the Supreme Court takes up the issue. There has been no indication of a timetable by the 6th Circuit.
SO, HOW MANY STATES ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE?
It's a little complicated. Before the Supreme Court's denial, there were 19 states that firmly allowed gay marriage.
The Supreme Court's action Monday added five states, plus six others that were affected because they were in the same federal circuits that appealed. That would make 30 states allowing gay marriage, but some of them are still trying to block it or haven't yet instituted mechanisms for weddings. And a federal appeals court ruled in favour of gay marriage in Idaho and Nevada, bringing the total effectively to 32, but marriages have yet to take place in Idaho.
So, how many states allow gay marriage? Thirty, give or take a few.
