Lesbian couple Sumalee Sudsaynet, 64, and Thanaphon Chokhongsung, 59, were the first to wed at Bangrak district office, and the couple showed the media their engagement rings.
“We are so happy. We’ve been waiting for this day for 10 years,” said Thanaphon, wearing a white gown.
The couple met a decade ago through a mutual friend and bonded over their passion for Buddhism and merit-making.
“The legalisation of same-sex marriage uplifts our dignity,” Sumalee told AFP.
“It allows us to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. My emotions today are so overwhelming, I can’t even put them into words.”
Dozens of couples dressed in traditional and contemporary wedding outfits trickled into a large hall in a shopping centre for a mass LGBTQ wedding organised by campaign group Bangkok Pride with city authorities.
Officials helped the couples fill out marriage forms at rows of tables, an administrative step before they could collect their certificates, with hundreds expected to do so over the course of the day.
