First gay weddings take place in Australia following legalisation

They had waited long enough.

Same-sex couples in Australia tied the knot over night, after the country voted to legalise gay marriage in the country. Australian athletes Luke Sullivan, 23, and Craig Burns, 29, were among the first to wed, exchanging vows just after midnight in New South Wales. Mr Sullivan said he had received countless messages of support on social media. "My Instagram direct messages have blown up with people I have never met - I don't know who [they] are - just sending love and congratulations, it's really touching," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Antony McManus and Ron Van Houwelingen also wed in the theatre where they met 30 years ago in Melbourne. “Our first wedding was on our sixth anniversary, that was a big deal with family and friends,” Van Houwelingen told the Guardian. “Most of the others have been more protests – we’ve renewed our vows at rallies, married on TV and on radio. They’ve been a statement in the fight for marriage equality.” It comes after a total of 12.7 million people took part in the postal survey in the country back in November, with 61.6% of people saying yes to marriage equality. Speaking at the time, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said his government would aim to pass legislation as quickly as possible. "[Australians] have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality," Mr Turnbull said after the result was announced. "They voted yes for fairness, yes for commitment, yes for love."