Wedding bells are ringing for Bill Slimback and Bob Sullivan in Vermont today. The two men are among the first same-sex couples to legally marry under a new state law that took effect at 12am.
Vermont is now the fourth state in America where gay marriage is legally recognised. The other states include: Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa. Gay marriage will be legal in New Hampshire on 1 January 2010.
Same-sex marriage in the US can only be recognised at the state level due to the Defence of Marriage Act, which was signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1996 and defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman.
Slimback and Sullivan have been together for 17 years and live in Whitehall, New York. The couple couldn't legally marry in New York so they chose to exchange vows in Vermont.
Slimback, an out-of-work Teamster, said the longtime couple has been "waiting for a chance to actually solidify" their relationship. He said: "It feels wonderful. It's a day I have been long waiting for, and a day I truly honestly thought would never come."
Meanwhile Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's has temporarily renamed their popular Chubby Hubby ice cream to Hubby Hubby to commemorate the new law.
Ben & Jerry's CEO Walt Freese said: "The legalisation of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is certainly a step in the right direction, and something worth celebrating with peace, love - and plenty of ice cream."
