Maine greets gay marriage with midnight weddings

PORTLAND, Maine — The first couples to seek a wedding under Maine’s voter-approved law allowing same-sex marriage have exchanged vows.

The law went into effect Saturday a minute after midnight. Portland, the largest city in the state, held special hours to accommodate couples who didn’t want to wait to get married. Other communities in Maine were doing the same.

Voters approved gay marriage in November, making Maine and two other states the first to do so by popular vote. The law is already in effect in Washington state; Maryland’s takes effect Tuesday.