North Hempstead Holds Historic Same-Sex Wedding

For same-sex couples, the wait to hear the words "I now pronounce you legally married," has been a long one. But early Sunday morning in the , that phrase was bestowed upon  in the Town's historic ceremony led by .

The Town was one of the first places in the state to host a same-sex wedding after the passage of the New York State Marriage Equality Act one month ago.

Gross, the Town Clerk who decided to open on Sunday to give out marriage licenses on the first official day possible, called the event "monumental" and noted that she "felt like she gave birth or something."

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For Fuertes and Simeone, the decision to be the first couple to get married in North Hempstead was more a question of It was also easier for the Westbury couple to wed closer to home rather than in Manhattan with the lottery system, Fuertes said.

Getting married was important to them because it gives Simeone the ability to be part of Fuertes' health care plan. The couple will be together for 23 years this Wednesday. They were first married three years ago in Quebec.

"The experience is just so amazing," Simeone said after the wedding. "I'm speechless." 

Fuertes called Gross' words "touching," and added: "It's just being able to take care of each other." 

The ceremony was an intimate one – other than being surrounded by TV cameras, photographers and other media. Approximately a dozen people stood outside the gazebo at Mary Jane Davies park in Manhasset to bear witness to the nuptials. One mother brought her 12-year-old daughter to see this historic event.

To celebrate this wedding, Fuertes' mother was on hand. The couple ate cheesecake and drank champagne in a Town building across the street from the park after reviewing their marriage license.

During the ceremony, the couple exchanged traditional wedding vows before the wedding pronouncement. Then came the kiss, followed by embrace.

The pair intend to take Sunday at a leisurely pace and enjoy brunch together, Fuertes said.

"I wish you the courage to keep your loving hearts open to each other," Gross said to the couple during the ceremony.