Same-sex couple mark 10 years since landmark act

Antony and David Lowbridge-Ellis are celebrating nine years of marriage

A West Midlands couple have said marriage was not a part of their "vocabulary" until landmark legislation was brought in a decade ago.

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 introduced civil marriage for same-sex couples, with the first taking place on 29 March 2014.

Antony and David Lowbridge-Ellis, both 41, from Wednesbury, got married 364 days later.

Antony said: "I want people to grow up knowing that it's OK to love who you want to love and you should expect to have the same as what everyone else can have, we shouldn't be any different."

David, a director of school improvement for the Matrix Academy Trust, told the PA news agency: "Growing up gay, I always thought that marriage would never be on the cards."

Knowing he would never marry a woman, he said: "I can't tell you how much I used to hate going to weddings because I felt like this would be something I would never be able to have for myself, so there was a degree of jealousy there."

But that changed when the law changed.

"I thought marriage was not a part of my vocabulary, but then marriage had entered my vocabulary because of same-sex marriage being possible," he said.

Antony and David Lowbridge-Ellis were married on 28 March 2015

Antony, the head of communications for a construction joint venture, explained it was "so important" they mark and celebrate their wedding anniversary every year in order to "increase visibility" for the next generation.

He added: "We always try to do something and our friends and family know it's really special and important to us."