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Lesbian couples tie the knot in Australia's first same-sex weddings

Jan. 9 had been expected to be the first possible date for gay unions, but the couples were married after being granted permission to waive the notice period.
Image: Amy Laker and Lauren Price kiss after getting married in Sydney
Amy Laker and Lauren Price kiss after getting married in Sydney on Dec. 16, 2017, becoming the first gay couple to legally marry after same-sex marriage was legalized in Australia.Caroline McCredie / Getty Images

Four female couples tied the knot in Australia's first same-sex weddings under new legislation allowing gay marriages.

Jan. 9 had been expected to be the first possible date for same-sex weddings due to a four-week waiting period since the landmark law was passed. But the two couples were married in Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday after being granted permission to waive the notice period.

Lauren Price, 31, and Amy Laker, 29, exchanged vows in Sydney because their families had to travel from Wales in the U.K. to attend what was to have been their commitment ceremony.

Amy and Elise McDonald — who coincidentally already had the same last name — were given an exemption to marry in Melbourne since their relatives also had flown in from overseas.

West Australian couple Anne Sedgwick and Lyn Hawkins wed on Sunday after being together for 40 years. They were given dispensation as Hawkins, 85, is in the final stages of her battle against ovarian cancer.

"Anne has been very supportive through all this and marrying her, it's Anne's way of saying 'Let's finally do this,'" Hawkins told website Perth Now.

Image: Cas Willow and Heather Richards get married in Melbourne, Australia
Cas Willow and her partner, Heather Richards, get married at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on Dec. 18, 2017.David Crosling / EPA

On Monday, Cas Willow, 53, and Heather Richards, 56, married in Melbourne. Willow is receiving treatment for breast cancer, which has spread to her brain.

The couple, who have been together for 17 years, say marriage will make their last precious few weeks or days together "complete."

"It means our relationship won't just be tolerated, it will be accepted," Richards said.