LONDON, Dec. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Britain's first same-sex marriage took place on Monday with a partnership ceremony in Northern Ireland following the introduction of a new law.

    Two women, Shannon Sickles and Grainne Close, exchanged vows at the Belfast City Hall in the capital of Northern Ireland.

    Speaking before their marriage ceremony, Close said to reporters at the entrance they were "in a very privileged position," adding, "For us, this is about making a choice to have our civil rights acknowledged, and respected and protected as any human being."

    The couple were cheered and applauded by supporters as they left the ceremony in a ribboned Hackney cab, but about 40 people staged a protest outside the City Hall, which already has 20 provisional bookings for the services.

    Following the couple's wedding ceremony, a gay couple and another lesbian couple did the same at the hall.

    The first ceremonies in Scotland will take place on Tuesday, and in England and Wales on Wednesday, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported.

    At least 1,200 ceremonies are confirmed as being scheduled across Britain, according to figures from councils compiled by the BBC News website.

    The development came after Britain's Civil Partnership Act became law on December 5, which, for the first time in the country, provides same-sex couples with similar legal rights to heterosexual couples.

    The new law also provides registered gay and lesbian couples with a number of legal rights and entitlements already held by heterosexual couples in civil marriages.

    But unlike heterosexual marriages, the signing of the legal partnership papers does not need to happen in public. Enditem