As of July 24th, 2011, same-sex couples are legally allowed to marry in the state of New York, thanks to the long-awaited Marriage Equality Act being passed by both houses of the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on June 24th, 2011. The act affords the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities to any couple—locals and visitors from the other forty-eight states or from abroad—who would like to get married in the state of New York, meaning that New York City has now become the country's best place to get married—for everyone! That includes folks who want to do it all over again—while New York fully recognizes all lawful marriages that were performed outside of the state, couples who've already tied the knot are more than welcome to recreate the moment (or improve on it) one more time. Couples may obtain marriage licenses from the New York City Clerk to get hitched in whatever fashion they'd like, with a usual waiting period of 24 hours for the license to be issued. If you're someone who likes to plan ahead, you can always apply for the license early; the license will be valid for sixty days after it is issued. After you've obtained the license, the rest is up to the couple, but we'd be remiss in our jobs if we didn't have some suggestions. Great Places To Get Married If you're not going the do-it-at-City-Hall route and have procured your own marriage officiant for the ceremony, here are some great places to do a small ceremony! Brooklyn Botanic Garden River Cafe Top Of The Rock Chelsea Piers Romantic Hotels Dream Downtown Jumeirah Essex House The Royalton Sanctuary Hotel Setai Fifth Avenue Sofitel Trump SoHo W New York Union Square W New York Times Square W New York W New York Downtown