Couples can sign up for a license online, then be verified by any license agent throughout the state. The first couples are starting to take advantage of Hawaii's newfound aloha for gay weddings. 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. "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. "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. Hawaii's Legislature _ overwhelmingly comprised of Democrats _ passed the law last month during a special session. Akao started his company with his business partner less than six months ago, just before Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie called for the special session after the U.S. Supreme Court rulings.
– 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?"