The first legal joining of a same-sex couple will be bequeathed on Phyllis Lyon and Dell Martin, a lesbian couple from San Francisco who have been together for 55 years.  Mayor Gavin Newsom will officiate the private ceremony at his City Hall office with 50 other guests.

They were having their morning coffee when Lyon heard the news on the radio. She rushed across the house to embrace Martin. Not long after, Newsom called to offer congratulations and to ask if they would be willing to be at the forefront yet again.

“Sure,” was the answer they gave.

The couple, who live in the same San Francisco house they bought in do not get out much now. Martin needs a wheelchair to get around. Although they plan to briefly greet well-wishers at City Hall after the ceremony, they are having a private reception for friends and family.

“It’s so endearing because they do seem excited and a little bit nervous,” Kendell said. “It’s like the classic feelings anyone has as their wedding day approaches.”

Because a few other clerk’s offices have agreed to stay open late Monday, other couples planning late afternoon weddings may already have tied the knot before the mayor pronounces Lyon and Martin “spouses for life.”

They don’t mind. They know they already are.

“We get along well,” Lyon said. “And we love each other.”

“I love you, too,” Martin said.

San Francisco rules.

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