Buoyant gay couples cheered by supporters began marrying Sunday in Manhattan on the landmark day that New York became the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex weddings.

On Sunday, New York became the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex weddings.

New York City officials expected to host hundreds of same-sex weddings Sunday and about 100 couples waited in line on a sweltering morning in Manhattan for the chance to exchange vows at the city clerk's office.

Some people waiting to wed clutched bouquets and wore tuxedos or wedding dresses before they were ushered in the clerk's office for a license and a ceremony in one of the building's simple chapels. Among the first couples to say "I do" were Daniel Hernandez, 53, and Nevin Cohen, 48, Manhattan residents who met in 1998.

"Long time waiting, right?" deputy clerk Alisa Fuentes asked the couple, who smiled and nodded.

The two men, wearing matching navy blue sport jackets, kissed as a group of four friends clapped and news photographers' cameras snapped.

New York's adoption of legal same-sex marriage is viewed as a pivotal moment in the national gay rights movement and was expected to galvanize supporters and opponents alike. The state joined Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, along with Washington, D.C., when it voted last month to legalize gay marriage.

Protest rallies were planned around the state Sunday afternoon.

Clerks in New York City and about a dozen other cities statewide opened their doors Sunday to cater to same-sex couples. In New York City, judges waived a mandatory 24-hour waiting period that allowed couples to exchange vows moments after receiving their licenses.

Initially, New York City officials had projected that about 2,500 couples might show up at the city clerk's offices hoping to get married on Sunday, but by the time a 48-hour lottery had drawn to a close on Thursday, 823 couples had signed up -- 59 more than the city had planned to accommodate. The city will perform ceremonies for all 823.

The first couples got married at the stroke of midnight Sunday in every corner of the state, from Niagara Falls to the capital in Albany to Long Island.

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.

With a rainbow-lit Niagara Falls as a backdrop, Lambert, 54, and Rudd, 53, were among the first gay couples to tie the knot with the blessing of the state. Lambert and Rudd, who have 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 from 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."

In Albany, Mayor Jerry Jennings performed marriages at 12:01 a.m. Sunday in the Common Council's chambers.