Bangor - Bev Uhlenhake's wedding day came and went six years ago, but on a November day in 2012, she had a new anniversary to celebrate.

The mother of three said, "Pretty darn exciting, fabulous, couldn't be happier."

For her, Tuesday night's vote legalizing same-sex marriage in the state marked the end of her wait to enjoy the rights of a married couple.

"We just bought a car a couple weeks ago. We put that in each other's names, so that way, in case one of us dies, the car doesn't go into probate. It actually goes to our partner, or wife in this case. Those kinds of things happen automatically if you're married, but they don't happen, you have to think about them, if you don't have that marriage certificate," said Uhlenhake.

Wednesday, her thoughts were on the date when the law actually goes into effect, something that is giving both couples and businesses a reason to cheer.

"We have heard from one so far, and one that has actually confirmed," said Katie Libby, operations manager at the Spectacular Event Center in Bangor.

The function hall is already taking reservations from couples eager to walk down the aisle.

Libby said, "I think it's a whole other market that's really going to open up that the whole wedding industry has been missing out on."

Local photographers, like Anne Schmidt in Bangor, are also picturing a good season ahead.

"If I can get anywhere between just two and three extra weddings a year out of a decision like this, I mean, it's going to be huge," said Schmidt.

At Steven J. Gray Photography, the requests from couples trying to book a wedding session started coming in early Wednesday morning.

"Just today, I received a couple of emails, text messages and we have booked one already," said owner, Steven Gray.

As they celebrate a potential new base of customers, families like Uhlenhake's are just looking forward to a life together that will be just like everyone else's.

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