In Dallas, Texas, a couple for 54 years, Jack Evans and George Harris were the first to marry just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.
Huffington Post reported 85-year-old Evans and 82-year-old Harris finally said 'I do' after decades of waiting for the most special moment of their lives.
"Ten years ago [marriage equality] was not within the realm of possibility," Evans told People Magazine.
The veteran couple founded the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce and The Dallas Way, which documents the history of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community, who have been fighting for gay rights, gender equality, and same-sex marriage.
"Our real focus has been our legacy for the community, that our whole lives have been trying to improve, to encourage the young people to make a difference," Harris said in his D Magazine interview last year. "They think they can walk down Cedar Springs holding hands, and it's just automatically come to that, but there was a lot of struggle to get there."
Evans was in awe with the momentous event saying, "You would have been blown away by the crowd there, there must have been 450 people there, people waiting to get married, reporters. It was amazing. Just amazing."
Photo of the first same-sex marriage today in Dallas Texas, where I reside. This is a real thing happening. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/TogeDOzv6y
— Rob DenBleyker (@RobDenBleyker) June 26, 2015
NBC 5 News reported that 170 same-sex couples are set to get married in Dallas County alone. This is considered a monumental feat as Texas was among the 13 states that banned same-sex marriage before the SCOTUS landmark decision.
However, the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton announced on Sunday that although the marriages between people of the same gender have been legalized nationwide, county clerks are still given the choice to whether or not officiate the weddings of gay couples if it is according to their religious objections.
Judge Dennise Garcia, who officiated the Evans-Harris wedding tweeted on Friday that although she was on vacation and has no docket, she will be marrying as many couples as possible.
I'm headed to court right now to perform ceremonies. Since I'm on vacation, no docket. I'll be there as long as needed. — kdgarcia (@kdgarcia) June 26, 2015
