Cuc Vu, left, and Gwen Migita were the third couple to apply for a same-sex marriage license in the District of Columbia on Wednesday, March 3. Photo by Sommer Mathis

If you and your partner wanted to be among the first to file for a same-sex marriage license in the District of Columbia, you needed to get up pretty early this morning. Angelisa Young and Sinjolya Townsend, officially the first couple in line today at the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse’s Marriage Bureau office, arrived at 6 a.m., ready to wait. As patiently as they could, anyway.

“I just stayed in the moment as best I could,” Townsend said once she and Young, her partner of 12 years, emerged from the courthouse shortly after 9 a.m. “I’m a little overwhelmed, but I’m just so happy right now.”

During a conference call on Tuesday hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, Young told reporters she could envision herself walking out of the courthouse and dancing. It was a little too cold, windy and damp for dancing on Wednesday morning, as it turned out, but there were plenty of hugs, kisses and excited hand squeezes between the two D.C. residents. They plan to be married March 9.

Reggie Stanley and Rocky Galloway were the second couple in line today, though Galloway didn’t get there quite as early as his future husband — Stanley arrived shortly after 6 a.m. to hold their place in line, while Galloway strolled in at 7:15.

“We have kids, so you know, someone had to take care of the kids,” Galloway said. The couple also expect to be married on March 9, somewhere in Northwest D.C.

“We waited a long time for this,” Galloway said. “Our family will have the same rights and privileges as any other family.”

Rounding out the early birds were Cuc Vu and Gwen Migita, the third couple in line. They arrived at about 6:30, which wasn’t easy for Migita, who actually lives in Las Vegas. Her intended, Vu, lives in D.C. and works for HRC here in Washington, and though they plan to be married as soon as possible, they still have a few marital decisions to make. Like where they’ll eventually live.

“That’s still under negotiation,” admitted Migita.