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Mayor Dyster Performs First Gay Marriage in New York State

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From the New York Times

N.Y. / Region
By By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ
Published: July 24, 2011
Just past the stroke of midnight, 12 years to the day after their first date, Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd were wed in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/gay-marriage-with-a-kiss-and-a-vow-the-day-begins/

From the Associated Press

Midnight vows make NY largest gay-marriage state
CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

Dressed in their wedding attire, Kitty Lambert, left, and Cheryle Rudd, right, pose for a photo for a newspaper photographer before their wedding in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Saturday, July 23, 2011. The Buffalo couple wants Mayor Paul Dyster to pronounce them married one second after midnight _ the moment the law takes effect and makes New York the sixth and largest state to sanction gay marriage. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Gay-rights activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd were legally married the very first moment they could be during a midnight ceremony at Niagara Falls that ushered in same-sex marriage in the state and marked a pivotal moment in the national drive for recognition.

With a rainbow-lit Niagara Falls as a backdrop early Sunday, Lambert, 54, and Rudd, 53, were among the first gay couples to tie the knot with the blessing of the state, which last month became the sixth and largest to sanction gay marriage. Couples in Albany, Hudson and Long Island also exchanged vows just after midnight Saturday, kicking off what was expected to be a Sunday packed with weddings.

Lambert and Rudd, grandmothers with 12 grandchildren between them, have been together for more than a decade and had long been fighting for the right to marry.

The couple, both of Buffalo, smiled broadly as they exchanged traditional marriage vows, promising to love and cherish each other in sickness and in health. A crowd of several hundred people cheered as they were pronounced married and shared their first kiss.

"What an incredible night this was," said Lambert, who wore an electric blue satin gown with a sequined train for the midnight ceremony and carried a bouquet of blue hydrangeas. "This was an amazing night. Everything was absolutely perfect."

Rudd, who wore a white tuxedo with tails and white tennis shoes, said she felt "great relief" at being married because now she's "just like everyone else" and has the same rights.

"It feels great: I'm married," she said with an excited laugh.

Mayor Paul Dyster performed the ceremony, which was attended by some of the state lawmakers whose vote last month made it possible.
http://hosted2.ap.org/txash/Article/Article_2011-07-24/id-75d705babebd481fbb0815ca5e9c1ed7/recordType-Spot%20Development

From NPR

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/24/138654069/same-sex-couples-exchange-vows-in-new-york?sc=emaf
Same-Sex Couples Exchange Vows In New York

by Jeff Brady

Kitty Lambert (right) and Cheryle Rudd are married by Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster in Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Saturday. With a rainbow-lit Niagara Falls as a backdrop early Sunday, Lambert, 54, and Rudd, 53, were among the first gay couples to tie the knot with the blessing of the state, which last month became the sixth and largest to sanction gay marriage.
Enlarge David Duprey/AP

Kitty Lambert (right) and Cheryle Rudd are married by Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster in Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Saturday. With a rainbow-lit Niagara Falls as a backdrop early Sunday, Lambert, 54, and Rudd, 53, were among the first gay couples to tie the knot with the blessing of the state, which last month became the sixth and largest to sanction gay marriage.
text size A A A
July 24, 2011

New York is now the sixth state, along with the District of Columbia, allowing same-sex marriages.
Across the Empire State, couples exchanged vows shortly after midnight. At Niagara Falls, gay marriage activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd were wed in front of the rainbow-lit falls just a second or two after the clock struck 12.

Getting married at midnight requires some creative scheduling. Cutting the cake came hours before they tied the knot. So did the dancing, speeches and entertainment. Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster performed the marriage ceremony as several hundred people looked on.

Most New York couples must wait 24 hours after receiving a license to have a ceremony, but Lambert and Rudd received a waiver. They're both grandmothers in their 50s and they've been advocating for gay marriage in Buffalo, where they live, for at least seven years. Lambert says she wanted to be the first same-sex couple to be legally married in New York.

From The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/07/24/First_Marriages_Start_in_NY/
Cheryle Rudd and Kitty Lambert became perhaps the first couple married in the state when they wed at Niagara Falls as a nearby bell tolled 12 times, The New York Times reports. The legendary falls were lit with rainbow-colored lights, while Rudd and Lambert's wedding ceremony was officiated by Niagara Falls mayor Paul Dyster. The brides were surrounded by 100 friends and family members who cheered as Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" was pumped over speakers.

From Instinct Magazine

http://instinctmagazine.com/travel/niagara-falls-to-go-rainbow-host-same-sex-wedding-ceremony-on-july-25
“This event, which will highlight Niagara Falls on an international level as a premier wedding and honeymoon destination, will serve as a tremendous economic shot in the arm for not only the area’s hotels and attractions, but for the florists, bakeries and restaurants throughout the city," Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster said. “Those who come here will see the efforts made by this administration in reinventing our downtown tourist district and be welcomed into a city that will once again reclaim its title as the honeymoon capital of the world.”