On June 24th, 2011, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made waves by signing a bill to legalize same-sex marriage — and just one month later, that law finally went into effect. Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of marriage equality in the largest (and arguably most influential) state to allow gay and lesbian nuptials.

So how many have wed since? State Department of Health figures indicate that at least 3,424 same-sex couples (six percent of the total number of weddings) have been married outside New York City as of mid-July, the Associated Press reports. And in New York City, roughly 5,054 marriage licenses were issued since February.

Also falling within this past year was President Barack Obama’s announcement publicizing his support for marriage equality. Even so, no state has yet to follow New York’s legalization of same-sex weddings.

> Read our coverage on the one-year anniversary of the bill’s passing

> We support same-sex marriage! See our guide to gay and lesbian weddings

Over the weekend, Facebook debuted marriage status icons for same-sex couples.

One of the first to use the icons on his Facebook profile was Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who married his partner Sean Eldridge on Saturday.

Another small victory toward equality!

> Planning a same-sex wedding? Check out our Gay Weddings by The Knot!

A year ago yesterday, on June 24, 2011, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law into effect that legalized same sex marriage. New York City celebrated the occasion with the annual Gay Pride Parade (which had, for the first time, legally married same sex people marching in it!). Since then, Maryland and Washington state have passed laws to legalize gay marriage as well, but both states will face referendums in November that may nullify the laws.

But right now, we’re busy reliving our big event from last year, the Pop Up Chapel, where we helped wed 24 same sex couples in Central Park. Congrats to all the couples who’ve gotten hitched in the last year, and here’s to many more!

> Browse 30+ real same sex wedding photo albums

> Get the details about Dick Cheney’s daughter Mary’s wedding to partner Heather

> See our guide to gay and lesbian weddings (we support marriage equality!)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Love trumps politics. This morning, former veep Dick Cheney’s daughter, Mary, married her partner of 20 years, Heather Poe in Washington, D.C. Mary updated her Facebook friends this afternoon: “Very happy to announce that as of this morning, Heather and I are legally married (at least in DC). 20 years to the day after our first date.”

Dick and Lynne Cheney also issued a statement of their own: “We are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized. Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness.” Though he’s a conservative Republican, the former vice president has publicly supported marriage equality since 2009 — even lobbying for Maryland Republicans to legalize gay marriage earlier this year.

And even the tense presidential campaign paused for a moment in honor of the happy occasion. People.com reports that some prominent members of both the Mitt Romney campaign and George W. Bush’s administration “liked” and commented on Mary’s status update.

Congrats, Mary and Heather!

> Love political weddings? Reminisce about Chelsea Clinton’s day with us

> See all our up-to-the-moment celebrity wedding news

> We support marriage equality! See our guide to same sex weddings

To honor the release of Astonishing X-Men No. 51, which features the marriage between openly gay mutant Northstar and his longtime “normal” boyfriend Kyle, Midtown Comics of New York City kept its doors closed Wednesday morning to host its first wedding.

Ohio couple Scott Everhart and Jason Walker were selected out of more than 50 applicants to publicly tie the knot in celebration of the comic book world’s first gay nuptials. Reuters reports that the in-store wedding, complete with a band, balloons and decorations, was followed by a superhero-tune-filled reception at the Eventi Hotel in Chelsea.

It’s no surprise that the self-professed “geeks in love” chose the comic book hub as their wedding locale — the two had one of their first dates at the 2011 Free Comic Book Day industry event, according to the New York Times.

Here’s where the real and comic book world collide: both marriages mark the one-year anniversary of the legalization of gay marriage in New York, and closely follow President Barack Obama’s statement publicizing his support for gay marriage.

Photo: MidtownComics.com

> Love comics? Check out this comic book-inspired save-the-date.

With all the news about same-sex weddings these days, we’re excited to see that one of the happiest places on earth is jumping on the bandwagon! Tokyo’s Disney Resort announced on Tuesday that gay couples are able to hold wedding ceremonies at the hotels on their property. While same-sex couples still can’t officially tie the knot in Japan, it’s exciting news nonetheless.

Not surprisingly, U.S. same-sex couples have been allowed to hold commitment ceremonies at Walt Disney World and Disneyland for years. What is surprising though is that Disney World is actually the most popular wedding destination in the U.S.

Are Disney weddings trending across the world? Could be!

> Find your ceremony venue

> Visit our gay weddings website

In the wake of recent same-sex marriage news (namely, North Carolina passing a ban against gay unions in its state constitution Tuesday), President Barack Obama has gone on the record that he personally supports equality for all couples.

He tells Robin Roberts of ABC’s Good Morning America:

“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed, monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage — at a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

The full interview will air Thursday morning on ABC.

> Find out more about planning a same-sex ceremony.

While the recent news that North Carolina’s proposed ban on same-sex marriage has passed is disheartening, let’s not forget that the country is still making strides, or at least steps, towards legalizing gay marriage. Just the fact that President Obama said outright that he was “disappointed” by the outcome, shows that things might be looking up in the next few years.

To lift your spirits a little bit, here are a list of the states that have passed same-sex marriage laws:

• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• Iowa
• New Hampshire
• New York
• Vermont
• Washington D.C.

> Find inspiration for your own wedding at our niche gay weddings site!