Greek LGBT+ couples were preparing to tie the knot on Friday, one day after a historic parliamentary vote made same-sex civil marriage legal, the culmination of decades of campaigning for equal rights.

The bill was passed with the support of 176 MPs from both sides of the political spectrum.

The law, celebrated by dozens of people on the streets of Athens but opposed by the Orthodox Church and many right-wing politicians, will take a few days to become official.

They contacted the municipality of Nea Smyrni in Athens last week asking for the necessary supporting documents, said Constantinos Anagnostopoulos, a vice mayor in charge of civil marriages in the municipality told state TV.

“From here on, we’ll follow the ministry’s guidelines … to go ahead and run the first wedding,” he said.