The first ever same-sex couple in Northern Ireland to get married have today walked down the aisle.
Robyn Peoples, 26, and Sharni Edwards, 27 tied the knot in County Antrim on Tuesday following a landmark changed in the law last month.
The couple decided to get married on their six-year anniversary and were originally planning on getting a civil partnership, having secured the date before Westminster MPs backed the new legislation last year.
But when it became clear the first marriages could take place in Northern Ireland this week, they changed their ceremony to a wedding.
The law officially changed on January 13, but couples have to register their weddings at least 28 days beforehand, so the first weddings could only take place this week.
Ahead of the ceremony, Ms Peoples, a care worker from Belfast, said the pair were sending a message to the world that ‘we are equal’.
‘Our love is personal, but the law which said we couldn’t marry was political,’ she said.
‘We are delighted that with our wedding, we can now say that those days are over.
‘While this campaign ends with Sharni and I saying ‘I do’, it started with people saying ‘No’ to inequality. By standing together, we’ve made history.’
Ms Edwards, a waitress from Brighton who did not even know the law was different in Northern Ireland until she moved to Belfast from England, added: ‘We feel humbled that our wedding is a landmark moment for equal rights in Northern Ireland. We didn’t set out to make history – we just fell in love.
‘We are so grateful to the thousands of people who marched for our freedoms, to the Love Equality campaign who led the way, and the politicians who voted to change the law.
‘Without you, our wedding wouldn’t have been possible. We will be forever thankful.’