It’s The 1st Day Of SSM & Everyone Got Married While You Were Sleeping

HEY GUESS WHAT: It’s January 9th, 2018, which means it’s officially the first day same-sex couples can get married in Australia.

(Yes, a few couples were given special permission to wed last year without giving a month’s notice to Births, Deaths and Marriages, but that was thanks to extenuating circumstances.)

All across Australia, same-sex couples tied the knot the shortly after midnight.

In Melbourne, Diana and Deanne Ribeiro became wife and wife at a minute past midnight, in the same place they held their commitment ceremony five years earlier.

“It was just magical,” Diana told SBS News. “To be able to come back here and redo our vows and actually make it legal and finally have equality in Australia is amazing.”

In northern New South Wales, Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan became husband and husband a few minutes into the day.

“It’s another way to show your love and appreciation of your partner in front of the people in your life,” Craig told ABC News.

“My Instagram direct messages have blown up with people I have never met, I don’t know, who are just sending love and congratulations, it’s really touching,” added Luke.

In Perth, Gillian Brady and Lisa Goldsmith had their midnight ceremony at WA’s best known gay venue, The Court Hotel, making their 2012 backyard commitment ceremony legit.

“For me it is a momentous occasion because from Tuesday I’ll be able to call her my wife,” Lisa told The West. “Everyone else can and I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to.”

Lisa Goldsmith and Gillian Brady. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)

And this afternoon, another couple, Andrew Chatterton and James Hemphill will say their vows in front of around 100 guests at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

“We’ve found that some retailers are not quite ready yet for same-sex marriages — for starters, it was difficult to explain to a jeweller that I was looking for an engagement ring for a man,” Andrew told The Advertiser.

“But on the flip side, we have also found that despite some initial confusion, many places … have been really enthusiastic about helping us.”

A friggin’ huuuuuge congratulations to all the same-sex couples getting married today.

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