Ruling makes Iowa gay marriage destination

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage created a situation never seen in the state -- suddenly Iowa is a wedding destination.

That April 3, 2009, decision, followed weeks later by the issuing of marriage licenses, led to 1,783 weddings between same-sex couple by the end of the year. Of those, 1,044 of the couples were from outside Iowa.

Same-sex couples came from more than a dozen states to get married in Iowa. The top state was Illinois, with 172 couples. Minnesota was second with 100 couples. Other top states include Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas.

Some want voters to consider amending the Iowa Constitution to ban gay marriage, but that's opposed by Democrats in the Legislature. The earliest the issue could make the ballot is 2014.