NYC to Let More Gay Couples Marry on Sunday

Happy news for New York City's gay lovebirds: Officials believe every couple who wanted to get married this Sunday will be able to. Officials were initially worried demand would be too high on the first day same-sex marriages will be allowed, and established a lottery for the 764 available slots. But only 823 couples applied, and the city says it will make room for the additional 59 couples, the New York Times reports. Not surprisingly, most of the lottery participants were gay couples, though a few may have been straight couples.

"Everybody wins," says the City Council speaker in a statement. The only downside is that 74 randomly selected couples who wanted to marry in Manhattan will have to go to a different borough. “It’s a relief to know that we will be able to go forward with our plans,” says one man who will marry his partner in Queens instead of Manhattan. “We’re celebrating not only ourselves, but we’re celebrating the privilege that we’ve acquired.” If couples who did not participate in the lottery show up to marry on Sunday, officials say they will likely not be accomodated. (More gay marriage stories.)