PHOTOS: Australia's First Same-Sex Spouses

The Australian Capital Territory, which includes the nation's capital of Canberra, legalized marriage equality earlier this year and it finally went into effect this weekend. Though the new law hangs in the balance thanks to a a high court challenge to be rendered on Thursday, couples rushed to Canberra to pledge their love. Even if the law is reversed, "the significance of this moment will remain and send a strong signal about what a contemporary 21st-century Australia should look like," ACT attorney-general Simon Corbell told The Guardian.

See pictures of the happy scene this weekend on the next pages.