Gay marriage around the world (PHOTOS)

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Sunday was the first official day that same-sex couples in the state of Washington could legally marry, and many took advantage of the newly won right.

The New York Daily News reported that hundreds of gay and lesbian couples picked up their licenses as early as 12:01 a.m.

With the US Supreme Court set to consider the constitutionality of gay marriage, America could be on its way to federally recognizing same-sex marriages.

The issue of gay marriage has also recently seen momentum in Mexico, where the supreme court ruled a ban on gay marriage in the state of Oaxaca unconstitutional, as well as the United Kingdom, where the government plans to publish its plans in regards to the controversial topic.

Here's a look at couples from around the world where gay marriage is now legal.

Lesbians Marion Huibrecht and Christel Verswyvelen celebrate their marriage June 6, 2003 in Antwerp, Belgium. Huibrecht and Verswyvelen became the first homosexual couple to marry in Belgium, celebrating 16 years of official partnership with wedding vows during their civil ceremony.

(Mark Renders - AFP/Getty Images)

Ramon Linaza (L) and his partner Carlos Patino sit during their wedding ceremony in Madrid, 30 November 2005. Linaza, a member of Spain's Green Party is also carrying the HIV virus and this is Spain's first gay HIV marriage. Spain recently changed the law to allow same-sex marriage, much to the chagrin of the church and opposition Popular Party.

(PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU - AFP/Getty Images)

Vernon Gibbs (L) and Tony Hall (R) look at their wedding rings on 15 December 2006, as the first gay married couple of the country in Cape Town. As the first couple to get married under a new South African law, the couple were treated to wedding rings worth a combined 30,000 rand (about 4,300 dollars) by local jewellery company Uwe Koette.

(GIANLUIGI GUERCIA - AFP/Getty Images)

Brazilians Mikelly de Jesus (L), 44, and her bride Leia de Jesus, 29, get ready before a collective gay marriage ceremony, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 13, 2009. The 13th edition of the world's biggest Gay Pride Parade is expected to hold over three million people at the financial centre of Sao Paulo Sunday.

(AFP - AFP/Getty Images)

A gay activist prepares to cut a wedding cake in front of the Portuguese parliament in Lisbon on January 8, 2010, after the approval at first reading a bill to legalize same sex marriages less than 30 years after the country revoked its ban on homosexuality. Lawmakers rejected proposals to allow gay couples to adopt, but otherwise the bill passed with little public controversy in what has traditionally been one of Europe's most socially conservative countries.

(AFP - AFP/Getty Images)

Lol kin Castaneda (L) and Judith Vazquez kiss next to their wedding dresses, in Mexico City, on March 9, 2010. Castaneda and Vazquez were the first women to contract marriage in Mexico City on March 11, 2010. Gay and lesbian couples tied the knot in Mexico, after Mexico City's Assembly passed a law allowing same-sex marriages.

(LUIS ACOSTA - AFP/Getty Images)

Chilean gay couple Giorgio Nocentino (L) and Jaime Zapata pose for the media holding their marriage booklet after geting married in Mendoza, Argentina on July 31, 2010. This is the first foreign couple to marry after Argentina's Congress legalized on July 15 same-sex marriages.

(JUAN MABROMATA - AFP/Getty Images)

Jan van Breda (L) and his partner Thijs Timmermans cut the cake after their wedding, on April 1, 2011 in Amsterdam. The Netherlands celebrated the 10th anniversary of the world's first legally binding gay marriage with another set of nuptials Friday, mixing the formal with the casual.

(AFP - AFP/Getty Images)

Stig Ellins (L) and his partner Steen Andersen pose with a rose after their wedding at Frederiksberg church in Copenhagen on June 15, 2012. Denmark, a pioneer in gay rights, on Thursday saw its parliament vote overwhelmingly in favor of allowing homosexuals to marry in the state Evangelical Lutheran Church. Denmark was the first country in the world to allow gay couples to enter into civil unions in 1989.

(AFP - AFP/Getty Images)

Newlyweds Cathi Korth and Kathryn Antonetti raise a glass during a ceremonial toast at "A Wedding Reception for All," which was attended by hundreds and held at the Paramount Theatre on December 9, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. They have been together for 25 years, 11 months, and 13 days. December 9th was the first day that same-sex couples can legally wed in Washington state.

(David Ryder - AFP/Getty Images)

Brian Foster (L) celebrates on the dance floor with his husband Nathan Roberts during "A Wedding Reception for All," which was attended by hundreds and held at the Paramount Theatre on December 9, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. Foster and Roberts were married on December 9, after more than a year together. December 9th was the first day that same-sex couples can legally wed in Washington state.

(David Ryder - AFP/Getty Images)

Hill Wolfe and Ili Wong watch the festivities as newlyweds exit City Hall on December 9, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. December 9th was the first day that same-sex couples can legally wed in Washington state.

(David Ryder - AFP/Getty Images)

Nancy Monahan, right, a retired Coast Guard petty officer, shares a laugh with her wife, Deb Needham, after their wedding at City Hall on December 9, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. December 9th was the first day that same-sex couples can legally wed in Washington state.

(David Ryder - AFP/Getty Images)

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