15,000 gay couples in England, Wales tie the knot since change in law

More than 7,300 same sex couples in England and Wales have said those immortal words "I do" since the law on marriage changed last year, figures released Tuesday in London revealed.

A further 7,732 same sex couples converted their legal civil partnerships to marriage over the same period, the Office for National Statistics announced.

Added together it means more than 30,000 men and women in England and Wales are now in same sex marriages.

ONS said since same sex marriages were legalised there had been a 70 percent drop in the number of couples opting for civil partnerships, a status less than marriage.

Same-sex marriages were made legal on March 29 last year, with some people eager to be the first to tie the matrimonial knot that midnight weddings took place.

The ONS figures revealed that females outnumbered males when it came to walking down the aisle.

Of the same-sex marriages reported to ONS, 55 percent were females and 45 percent male weddings, with 37 being the average age for women and 40 for men.

ONS also said August was the most popular month for same-sex weddings to take place, accounting for more than 844 weddings, an average 27 every day.

The first couple to marry, literally within 60 seconds of the change in the law, were Peter McGraith and David Cabreza. Their marriage at Islington in London came after they had lived together for 17 years.

Northern Ireland is currently the only part on Britain that has not legalised same-sex marriage. Endit