Washington officially joined states like New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia when it legalized same sex marriage on Thursday. At the stroke of midnight, the county clerks office was flooded with marriage license applications.
Under the Washington state law, couples were asked to submit their marriage certificates at least three days prior to the first set of same-sex Washington weddings, which is scheduled to be on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Now that same-sex marriage is a public agenda, many couples who lived in private are excited to exchange vows in public. One of many couples is 85-year-old Pete-e Petersen and 77-year-old Jane Abbott Lighty, who met on a blind date in 1977 and kept their relationship private since then. The couple had been the first one to receive their marriage license in King County, Washington, according to CNN report.
"We've been together 35 years and seen all kinds of change," Lighty who is excited about their marriage told CNN. "It's been a long journey," Petersen added. "We're so excited to know we'll get a license and then get married on Sunday."
"This is a very important and historic day in the great state of Washington. For many years now, we've said, 'One more step. One more step.' This is our last step," Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and Secretary of State Sam Reed certified Referendum 74 on Wednesday told CNN. "To the couples that are here today that will finally be treated with the equality they've deserved for many years, congratulations to each of you."
According to an institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, estimated an increase in the state and local economy between $18.5 million and $88.5 million over the next three years. Other states like Idaho, Montana and Arizona offer same-sex marriage and also a domestic partnership option while others like Oregon and California does not allow the same. It's estimated that there would be nearly 9,500 same-sex marriages in the next three years, according to The Seattle Times.
