Same-sex marriage now legal in Northern Ireland

People of the same sex are now allowed to get married in Northern Ireland.

It's been legal in England, Wales and Scotland since 2014, now the rules have changed for Northern Ireland too.

The new law came into place last night. It means two men or two women can now enjoy their own wedding.

The first same sex weddings in the country will take place in February 2020.

Why is Northern Ireland different?

Usually the Northern Ireland's devolved government would decide the law themselves.

But the assembly at Stormont has not met for more than 1,000 days because the biggest parties - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin cannot decide on a power sharing agreement.

Same-sex marriages have been allowed in England, Scotland and Wales since 2014, so Northern Ireland is the last part of the United Kingdom to allow the process.

In the Republic of Ireland, a referendum in 2015 voted to legalise same-sex marriage.

Members of Parliament in Westminster passed the law and it came into force at midnight on Tuesday 22 October.

But not everyone agrees with the change. The DUP, some other politicians and some religious groups in Northern Ireland were against it.

What's the background?

Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly have voted five times on whether or not to introduce same-sex marriage.

During the most recent vote in November 2015, politicians there voted to support same sex marriage for the first time, with a narrow majority of 53 votes to 52.

But the move was blocked by the DUP and challenges to that block in court haven't succeeded.

The new laws say the Westminster government must bring in new rules for same-sex marriage by 13 January 2020.

Then because couples have to officially say they want to marry 28 days before they do, the first gay weddings are expected to be held in the week of Valentine's Day.

The first same sex marriages in England and Wales took place on 29 March 2014.

The first in Scotland were on New Year's Eve 2014.