First gay couple wed in New York

Jonathan Mintz (2nd L), New York City's consumer affairs commissioner, has a wedding ring placed on his finger by John Feinblatt (R), a chief adviser to the mayor, as they stand with daughters Maeve (L) and Georgia during a marriage ceremony presided by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (C) at Gracie Mansion in New York July 24, 2011. Thousands of gay and lesbian New Yorkers are have been married this weekend, as the Empire State becomes the sixth in the U.S. to embrace same-sex marriage. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Jonathan Mintz (L), New York City's consumer affairs commissioner, and John Feinblatt (2nd R), a chief adviser to the mayor, celebrate their marriage with daughters Maeve (2nd L) and Georgia after being married by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) at Gracie Mansion in New York July 24, 2011. Thousands of gay and lesbian New Yorkers are have been married this weekend, as the Empire State becomes the sixth in the U.S. to embrace same-sex marriage. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

NEW YORK, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Two women became the first couple in New York City to get married on Sunday under the New York state's new law allowing same-sex marriage.

Phyllis Siegal, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85, tied the knot before a city official, with blessing from cheered onlookers.

Siegal and Kopelov were among the hundreds of same-sex couples that luckily won the marriage lottery to wed on Sunday, the day the state's Marriage Equality Act took effect.

The New York City Clerk's Office has been flooded with more than 2,600 requests for marriage licenses since the wording on the online application was changed from "Groom and Bride" to "Spouse A and Spouse B."

But only a third of those requests could be handled. At last, 764 couples, gay or straight, were chosen in random for receiving marriage license at city clerk's offices on Sunday.

With the Marriage Equality Act passing in June and taking effect on Sunday, New York became the six state after Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire, that legally say "yes" to gay marriage.