A second Canadian province gave the green light to same-sex weddings on Tuesday, and Tom Graff and Antony Porcino wasted no time taking advantage of the change.

Within an hour of winning the approval of British Columbia's highest court to wed, the Vancouver couple exchanged wedding vows outside a city courthouse.

"This is a great day for equality for everybody who wants to get married and who doesn't want to get married," Graff told reporters.

The British Columbia Appeals Court had ruled in May that a ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. But it prevented such weddings until July 12, 2004 so that the federal government could amend its laws.

The court lifted that stay on Tuesday because the federal government said it would not appeal a later court ruling in Ontario, where same-sex marriages are already taking place.

That made British Columbia the second Canadian province after Ontario to allow same-sex marriages, and the federal government is preparing legislation that would make them legal across Canada.

Conservative and religious groups have vowed to fight any change in Canada's marriage laws, and they want to appeal the Ontario and British Columbia court rulings to the Canadian Supreme Court.

Graff and Porcino were at the court in downtown Vancouver for the ruling in hopes of getting married, and they immediately embraced each other after learning of the judges's decision from reporters.

"It's a rite of passage. Let's go get the license," a smiling Graff said before leading a gaggle of journalists on a walk of several blocks to a provincial office to fill out the required forms.

Tim Stevenson, an ordained minister and Vancouver city councilor who performed a marriage-like ceremony for the couple seven years ago, conducted the wedding near a statue of Themis, Goddess of Justice.

Stevenson said Tuesday's ruling had simply legalized a decision Graff and Porcino had made long ago.

Several other gay and lesbian couples were at the court for Tuesday's decision, but not all were ready to move as quickly as Graff and Porcino.

"It's been 35 years for us, what's another year. It will just give us more time to plan it out," said Robert Peacock.

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