Couples celebrate 125 same-sex weddings per month one year after plebiscite led to legislation change

MORE than 125 same-sex weddings are being celebrated in Victoria every month, a year since Australians delivered their historic verdict to change the marriage laws.

EXCLUSIVE: More than 125 same-sex weddings are being celebrated in Victoria every month, a year since Australians delivered their historic verdict to change the marriage laws.

A total of 1268 same-sex couples have got married in Victoria since the law changed on December 9 last year.

Figures from the births, deaths and marriages registry show 676 female couples and 581 male couples have married, with their average age about 10 years older than male-female couples on their wedding days.

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Yes supporters celebrate their win in the Same-Sex Marriage Postal survey last November.

The exclusive data also shows East Melbourne, Melbourne, South Yarra, St Kilda and Box Hill have been the most popular suburbs to hold same-sex weddings.

The marriage equality postal survey results, with 61.6 per cent of Australians voting in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, were released on November 15 last year.

Victoria recorded the highest Yes response of any state, at 64.9 per cent, and eight out of every 10 voters responded to the survey.

The survey result drew wild celebrations at the State Library of Victoria.

Wil Stracke, who helped spearhead the Victorian union movement’s campaign for marriage equality, married her partner Lisa Stingel-Stracke in February.

The couple, aged in their 50s, had held a non-legally recognised ceremony about 18 months before the historic reforms passed parliament.

She said the anniversary of the postal survey result had brought back good and bad memories.

“There was an amazing, overwhelming sense of goodwill from the community when we went out to talk to them,” Ms Stracke said.

“But it has also brought back the real terror … it was very high stakes, it felt like we were walking on a tightrope.”

Teegan Daly and Mahatia Minniecon were one of the first same-sex couples married legally without special consideration, 30 days after it was legalised.

Ms Stracke said she didn’t think having her marriage legally recognised would feel different “because it’s really just a reflection of the commitment you’ve already made to each other”.

“But there is something, for us, that’s very special about being with family and friends and making that commitment and having it formalised,” she said.

The new figures show the average age of female couples when they marry is 41.1. The average age for male couples is 44.6, while it is 33.4 for male-female couples.

Eleven couples have registered marriages in the past year in which one person identified their gender as unspecified, indeterminate or intersex.

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Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) and David Tanaka (Takaya Honda) were the first same-sex couple to be married on television, on Neighbours. High-profile SSM supporter Magda Szubanski played celebrant Jemima Davies-Smythe.