In this photo provided by the Las Vegas News Bureau, Antioco Carri and Theo Small hold-up their marriage license after being the first couple in line at the Clark County Marriage License Bureau in Las Vegas on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014.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.