Gay Partnership Ceremony Held in British Houses of Parliament

For the first time, the British Houses of Parliament in Westminster played host to a gay civil union ceremony.

British Labour minister for Europe Chris Bryant wed his partner, Jared Cranney, in a Saturday ceremony hosted by Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman and John Bercow, speaker of the House of Commons, the Daily Mail reports.

"We never thought this day would come," the couple said in a statement, "and never thought we'd have to worry about cakes and flowers and rings. It's amazing how much things have changed in such a short time.

Gay civil unions were legalized in the United Kingdom in 2004, and more than 50,000 couples have since wed.