Gay marriage: The chance to finally say ‘I do’

George Harris, 82, (L) and 85-year-old Jack Evans

Soon after the US Supreme Court announced its decision to allow same-sex marriage, couples across the United States lined up to say their vows..

They say love comes to those who wait, but for octogenarian couple George Harris and Jack Evans, it's taken decades to make it official.

The pair who've been together for 55 years, were the first to exchange vows at the Dallas County court after the Supreme Court handed down its decision.

Television crews and onlookers holding mobile phones, crammed into the courthouse to capture the "I do" moment. Harris, 82, wore a dark pin-striped suit, while his new husband plumped for navy blue.

They were introduced in late 1960 through a mutual friend. "George and I met at a party and we were the last ones to leave together. We haven't slept apart since," Jack Evans told the BBC.

This was the couple's second wedding ceremony. In 2014 they were married at the Midway Hills Christian Church in northwest Dallas, by a sympathetic Methodist priest who called for the church to become fully inclusive.

Yasmin Menchaca and Catherine Andrews plan to get married as soon as their parents can make it

But the political tide in Texas was against them and their union was never legal in the eyes of the law.

Evans, who's been fighting for marriage equality for years, believes younger generations have helped turn the tide. "People in my generation considered homosexuality a sin and a disease. Young people today don't care," he said.

Other couples in the Lone Star State are also celebrating the decision. Yasmin Menchaca and Catherine Andrews in San Antonio are planning to get married as soon as they get their families together.

They've been together six years and had been trying to arrange a wedding in Washington state, which already allowed same-sex marriage. Keen to ensure their parents could witness their special day, they'd been waiting until they could afford to make the journey to the West Coast.

Now that's not necessary and they're looking forward to making their relationship legal. "We own a house, a car, a dog," said Ms Menchaca "Just the one thing missing is that".

But celebrations are on ice in other parts of the US. In Mississippi, same-sex couples will have to wait a little longer for their nuptials.

Laurin Locke and Tiffany Brosh hope to make it legal soon.

Tiffany Brosh, 26, and Laurin Locke, 24, applied for a marriage licence, but shortly after they filled out their application they were told they couldn't go through with a wedding yet. The attorney general for the state, Jim Hood, put a stay on issuing licences.

"The Office of the Attorney General is certainly not standing in the way of the Supreme Court's decision," he said in a statement, "We simply want to inform our citizens of the procedure that takes effect after this ruling."

Hood is waiting for a federal appeals court in New Orleans to lift a ban on a gay marriage case from Mississippi before he can proceed, he says.

The couple say they're patient. ``Good things come to those who wait,'' said Brosh.

For others, the decision is bittersweet. The lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, Jim Obergefell, took the case to America's most senior justices, so he could be legally recognised as his late husband John Arthur's partner.

Jim Obergefell took the case to the US Supreme Court in honour of his late partner

The couple married in Maryland, which recognised same-sex marriage, but lived in Ohio, a state which didn't.

It meant Obergefell wasn't legally seen as John Arthur's widower until today. "I love you, this is for you, John," Obergefell said as he held up a photo of his loved one after the court's decision.

So many who've been fighting for this day thought it would never come. It represents a dramatic shift in attitudes across the United States.

"Not in my lifetime. Ten years ago, this is something that we couldn't even imagine. We thought it would never get to Texas," said Jack Evans.

The newlyweds say they plan to celebrate with a martini. "Then we will see how we feel after that."

Follow Rajini Vaidyanathan on Twitter - @rajiniv