Gay Puerto Ricans get hitched in historic weekend celebrating same-sex marriage

SAN JUAN — Dozens of same-sex couples exchanged wedding vows in a emotional ceremony this weekend that celebrated the end to a ban on gay marriages on this socially conservative U.S. island.

Sunday’s wedding ceremony in the colonial district of Old San Juan came more than two months after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalized gay marriage, a decision that also took effect in Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, where local law had previously prohibited same-sex marriage.

Some of the couples included Puerto Rican gay rights activists who had fought legal battles before the U.S. high court’s decision. Organizers of the ceremony described the event as a celebration of their efforts.

Most of the 60 couples that got hitched at yesterday’s ceremony were Puerto Rican, while others were from Venezuela, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Here’s what the historic day looked like.