text: Could Hawaii Become A Same-Sex Wedding Destination? 
   
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   Starting Monday, same-sex marriage is legal in Hawaii. The state has long been a destination for weddings and honeymoons. And now state officials, as well as hotels and restaurants, are hoping the latest marriage-equality law will spur a new market for wedding tourism. 
   
   Wedding planner Keane Akao is showing off a secluded beach wedding site, one of several on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. 
   
   "You can use the beach for pictures," he tells a couple, "and this is actually called Secret Beach." 
   
   His company, Perfectly Planned Hawaii, offers wedding planning for same-sex couples. Swaying palm trees and clear blue water make for a dream ceremony. 
   
   Akao started his company with his business partner less than six months ago, just before Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie called for a special session to debate same-sex marriage. 
   
   "People now can look at Hawaii as a destination to have their marriage done legally," says Akao, "and for it to be recognized by the federal government, no matter what state they may live in." 
   
   He has received more than two-dozen confirmations since the bill passed last month. 
   
   One couple planning to marry in the islands is Cira Abiseid and Cyrilla Owle. Last month, they celebrated their union in a ceremony with family and friends at home in Conway, Ark. But their home state doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, so Owle says they're going to Hawaii to make it official. 
   
   "I think there's two things that came in effect when planning where we wanted to be married," says Owle. "First, like any couple, we wanted to see where we wanted to go for our honeymoon. So who doesn't want to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon, right? And the second reason was, where could we get a license?" 
   
   "Same-sex couples will be attracted to Hawaii for the same reasons that opposite-sex couples are attracted to Hawaii," says Sumner La Croix, an economist at the University of Hawaii. "It's the great weather, it's the warm water, it's the beautiful scenery. And it's also the aloha spirit." 
   
   La Croix estimates that over the next three years, gay marriage will boost tourism in Hawaii by $217 million. Unlike some other states with marriage equality laws, Hawaii already has a booming tourism industry. La Croix believes that gives Hawaii an advantage. 
   
   "The machinery of marriage is already in place here. There are hotels that are in the marriage business," he says. "They're used to catering to couples who are honeymooning or want to get married or are celebrating a marriage. There are wedding photographers. There are caterers. There's a large number of firms that are specialized in the marriage business." 
   
   In Hawaii, tourism is a $14 billion industry. Now, the island chain is positioning itself for a spike in visitors — among them, Honolulu-based hotel chain Aqua Hospitality. It already offers LGBT travel deals, including the "out and proud" package and the "civil unions romance special." 
   
   Bigger beachfront resorts are also getting in on the action. The Sheraton Waikiki is the only hotel on Oahu providing on-site marriage licenses. General Manager Kelly Sanders says now the hotel is running a new ad campaign in mainland LGBT publications. 
   
   "Yes, there's a revenue opportunity," says Sanders. "There's an opportunity for all of us to really have that great success, but in my mind it's something that should have happened already. And so it's just now being able to really open all of our arms as wide as they can be and say welcome." 
   
   It was Hawaii that back in 1991 touched off the national conversation about same-sex marriage. Then, three couples sued to force the state to issue them marriage licenses. Now, more than two decades later, Hawaii is the latest state to recognize marriage equality. ||||| Six couples tied the knot early Monday, shortly after midnight, when a new law allowing same-sex couples to marry took effect. 
   
   A Waikiki resort was hosting mass ceremonies for anyone wanting to sign up, while a group of clergy who pushed for the new law planned to host a wedding for an openly gay Unitarian minister at a church near downtown Honolulu. 
   
   Hawaii's marriage laws allow couples to register for a license and be married the same day, a process conducive for tourists only in the state a short time. 
   
   Couples can sign up for a license online, then be verified by any license agent throughout the state. 
   
   THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. 
   
   The first couples are starting to take advantage of Hawaii's newfound aloha for gay weddings. 
   
   Dozens of couples were expected to start tying the knot early Monday, moments after midnight, when a new law allowing same couples to marry takes effect in the state. 
   
   Couples at the Sheraton Waikiki began filling out license applications a few minutes after midnight, as license agents huddled around four laptops in a conference room adjacent to a 30th floor lounge where the ceremonies were set to take place. 
   
   Guests sipped champagne, dined on appetizers, listened to piano music and took pictures with each of seven cakes on display for the occasion, one for each of the first six couples getting married and a three-tiered centerpiece cake adorned with pink and white roses. 
   
   "Next," exclaimed Ethan Wung after being the first of the group to complete the license application with his groom, Keola Akana. 
   
   Wung said he and Akana were getting married after entering into a civil union last year so they could receive federal benefits. 
   
   Organizers were waiting for each of the first six couples to finish their paperwork before starting the ceremony. 
   
   The resort was hosting mass ceremonies for anyone wanting to sign up, while a group of clergy who pushed for the new law planned to host a wedding for an openly gay Unitarian minister at a church near downtown Honolulu. 
   
   "It's just exciting and historic and we wanted to be a part of it," Maria Gallo, a Honolulu resident who planned to marry her partner, Beth Creary, said earlier. 
   
   "This is like a confirmation with a group of people here who are sharing our joy," she said. 
   
   Hawaii's marriage laws allow couples to register for a license and be married the same day, a process conducive for tourists to hold ceremonies here. 
   
   Couples can sign up for a license online, then be verified by any license agent throughout the state. Agents have set up shop throughout the islands, from resorts on Maui and the Big Island to hard-to-reach places on Kauai. 
   
   For those wanting to get licenses in person, Hawaii's Health Department planned to open its doors at 8 a.m. local time Monday morning. 
   
   "We started this battle 23 years ago and we get to finish it tonight," said Michael Golojuch Jr., chairman on Honolulu Pride and one of the organizers of the midnight weddings at the Sheraton. 
   
   Hawaii is often credited with starting the national gay marriage discussion, when couples applying for a marriage license led to a court fight the eventually helped prompt Congress to pass the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Part of the law was struck down earlier this year by the U.S. Supreme Court. 
   
   Golojuch said the weddings will touch Hawaii in a good way and that businesses have begun to think about how to embrace the gay community. 
   
   "They opened up their doors to us, their hearts to us," Golojuch said. "That's what we're seeing with a lot of the business community that understands that $217 million is what our economy needs to keep on going." 
   
   An estimate from a University of Hawaii researcher says Hawaii will get a $217 million tourism boost over the next three years as a result of gay marriage. 
   
   Hawaii's Legislature _ overwhelmingly comprised of Democrats _ passed the law last month during a special session. Gov. Neil Abercrombie called for the special session after the U.S. Supreme Court rulings. 
   
   ___ 
   
   Oskar Garcia can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia
target: – After lawmakers approved gay marriage in Hawaii last month, the ceremonies have officially begun. The law went into effect last night at midnight, and six couples were quick to get hitched, the AP reports. At a Sheraton in Waikiki, those looking to tie the knot could join in a giant ceremony. "We started this battle 23 years ago and we get to finish it tonight," says an activist at the hotel. Indeed, Hawaii played a key role in the early gay marriage debate: When same-sex Hawaiian couples sought marriage licenses in the 1990s, a court battle ensued, resulting in the Defense of Marriage Act. In the state, couples can apply for a marriage license and get married in the same day. That could be a boon for destination weddings in a state already well-equipped for tourist ceremonies. A University of Hawaii researcher says the state could see a $217 million increase in tourism thanks to the process. NPR speaks with an Arkansas couple already planning a wedding trip. "There's two things that came in effect when planning where we wanted to be married," says Cyrilla Owle. "First, like any couple, we wanted to see where we wanted to go for our honeymoon. So who doesn't want to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon, right? And the second reason was, where could we get a license?"