Two Alberta men were quick to take advantage of their newfound right to marry each other in the wake of Bill C-38 becoming law.

Rob Bradford and Keenan Carley arrived at a provincial registry to obtain a civil marriage licence less than an hour after the same-sex marriage law was given royal assent on Wednesday.

First, they had to wait for the provincial government to fax a directive to all registry offices instructing them to go ahead and issue marriage licences to same-sex couples.

Staff changed the words "bride and groom" on the licence to "partner one and partner two."

With the document in hand, Carley said, "It's wonderful feeling to know that it can finally be official."

Bradley added: "It means that when we do have that ceremony, it will be legal. That we will be recognized as a married couple by the province of Alberta and the government of Canada. And that's a great thing."

Their wedding ceremony won't take place until the Labour Day long weekend (the licence is valid for 90 days). They said they were more interested in having friends and family present than being first.

The couple had waited two years and three days for the day they could legally marry in their home province.

On July 17, 2003, then-prime minister Jean Chretien announced his government would introduce legislation making same-sex marriage legal.

Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin gave royal assent to Bill C-38 on Wednesday. She filled in for Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson, who is on medical leave.

Canada is the fourth country in the world to sanction same-sex marriage, following similar moves by Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The House of Commons passed Bill C-38 in late June, ending years of heated debate.

The Senate ratified the bill 47-21 in a late-night vote on Tuesday. Three of the 95 sitting senators abstained.

As the debate on the legislation dragged on, Liberal senators threatened to invoke closure and call a snap vote.

But the debate ran its course with the last word coming from Liberal Senator Ione Christensen, who read an e-mail from a Yukon constituent.

"You have no idea what a difference it makes to the human spirit to know that you are treated equally under the law," Christensen said.

All along, there has been fierce opposition to the bill from the Conservative Party, religious groups, and even some members of the government's own ranks.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has promised he won't let the issue rest. He says he'll bring back the same-sex marriage law for another vote if he becomes prime minister.

"There will be a chance to revisit this in a future Parliament," Harper said last month. "Our intention is to have a free vote."

Among the provinces and territories, only Alberta had threatened to fight the new law. But even Premier Ralph Klein backed down on this last week.

"We will proceed to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples, much to our chagrin, following proclamation of the federal Civil Marriage Act," Klein said at a news conference.

Courts across the country have ruled in favour of same-sex marriage rights, saying the traditional definition violated the equality rights of gays and lesbians under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

With a report from CFRN's Dan Kobe