At midnight Thursday (August 1) same sex couples began exchanging vows in Minneapolis, Minnesota as same sex marriage became legal in the state.

Margaret Miles and Cathy Tenbroeke were the first same sex couple to get married at Minneapolis City Hall.

The couple wed at the stroke of midnight with the first male couple being married shortly after the women tied the knot.

"We are married and we have protections and privileges, and rights that we didn't have before. We've always felt loved and supported but we didn't have that," said Margaret Miles.

The ceremonies and celebrations were expected to continue on through the morning with 42 couples scheduled to say "I do" at City Hall.

Similar ceremonies took place in Saint Paul and at the Mall of America's Chapel of Love in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Presented by Adam Justice