U.K. same-sex couples celebrate a decade of legal marriage

When same-sex marriages became legal in England and Wales 10 years ago on Friday, Britons Neil Allard and Andrew Wale could not have tied the knot any quicker.

The couple, now in their 50s, got hitched at midnight on March 29, 2014, the very moment the historic Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 came into force.

"It was fantastic," Wale recalled of their nuptials and the landmark moment in gay rights that paved the way for tens of thousands of similar unions.

"For most of our lives, I don't think we even dreamt that we would be able to be married," he told AFP in an interview.

Allard, 58, and Wale, 59, became one of the first same-sex couples to marry in Britain thanks to the local authority in Brighton on the English south coast.

They won a competition posted by the council on Facebook to get married in a ceremony in the music room of the city's grand 19th-century Indo-Gothic pavilion.

"They were very eager to be the first because there were three couples getting married (elsewhere) at midnight on that day," remembered Wale, who works part-time in theatre.

"I have no idea whether we were actually the first," but someone present had their "finger on the computer buttons ready to hit (and) register the marriage".

Allard remembered that there was lots of noise outside. The couple were slightly nervous as they weren't sure if it was supporters or people opposed to same-sex unions.

"We didn't know what was happening but because it had been streamed live on the TV there was a crowd of people outside the pavilion ready to cheer us," said Allard.

Wale recalled seeing hundreds and hundreds of "really excited" young people who clapped and cheered.

- 'Legally safe' -

"Some of them were thanking us for getting married and stuff which felt so bizarre, but at the same time, really, really wonderful. It really felt important."

The pair had met in 2007 and Wale remembers that saying "I do" to each other felt like "a practical thing almost".

"It was so that we were secure... legally safe, so that we could be each other's next of kin and all those important things that people need to be in place," he said.

The milestone legislation was championed by then-Conservative prime minister David Cameron who has said the act was one of the proudest moments of his premiership.

The first gay marriages in Scotland took place a few months later in December 2014.

Approximately 167,000 people in England and Wales are likely to be in same-sex marriages currently, according to the latest available figures.

On their 10th anniversary, Allard and Wale, who now live in Spain with their two dogs, said it was "nice" to learn to call each other "husband".

"It's tricky, it's hard for somebody of our age," said Wale, admitting the couple still fear homophobic abuse.

They credit the legislation of same-sex marriage for making British society more tolerant.

"There are a lot more gay couples in the media and just around in general life being visible.

"And I think that equal marriage adds to that. The weight of that eventually makes an impact," said Wale.