Gay couples can legally marry in Maine as of today. The state was one of three to legalize gay marriage through a ballot initiative in November. As Samantha Fields reports, the first couple married at City Hall in Portland shortly after midnight.

Well-wishers greet gay couples arriving early this morning at Portland City Hall to get marriage licenses - and to get wed.

Michael Snell and Steven Bridges have been together for nine years, and today became the first gay couple to legally marry in Maine.

They were wed by Vital Records Clerk Christine Horne. "By the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I now pronounce you married. You are legally married. Congratulations!"

More than a dozen couples got marriage licenses in Portland between midnight and 3:00 a.m., and a handful married on the spot. The town of Falmouth also opened at midnight for the occasion, and several other cities and towns, including Bangor, Brunswick and Augusta, have special hours today.

 Michael Snell and Stephen Bridges are Maine's first gay couple to become legally married.

Couples wait in line at Portland City Hall to get marriage licenses.

Jamous Lizotte and Steven Jones, who have been together for nine years, get a marriage license at Portland City Hall.

Photos by Samantha Fields.