First same-sex couple marry in post-ban Northern Ireland

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The government of Northern Ireland allowed its first same-sex marriage on Tuesday, more than three months after a ban outlawing gay unions was lifted.

The couple -- Robyn Peoples and Sharni Edwards -- married in a ceremony at the Loughshore Hotel in Carrickfergus, just outside Belfast.

The government lifted the ban last October and the move took effect Monday.

"We didn't expect to be the first couple, it's coincidental," Edwards said. "Today is our six-year anniversary so we wanted to go ahead with a civil partnership but when the bill was passed, it was perfect timing.

"We feel humbled that our wedding is a landmark moment for equal rights in Northern Ireland."

Amnesty International championed the change.

"Sharni and Robyn's wedding is a landmark moment for equality in Northern Ireland," said Amnesty International Northern Ireland Director Patrick Corrigan.

Activist Sara Canning, the partner of a journalist killed last year, will join lawmakers and other proponents at a parliamentary event Tuesday night to celebrate the law change.

"This really means so much and has brought me some much-needed light in what has been a dark year," Canning said.