A DUNFERMLINE same-sex couple has created history by becoming the first to tie the knot in Fife this week.

Paul Faloona (50) and David Taylor (65), of Edgar Street, were at Dunfermline City Chambers first thing on Tuesday morning to convert their civil partnership to marriage.

The pair, who will have been together 25 years next February, said it was “very special” to make history and have been “overwhelmed” by the kind wishes and congratulations.

A delighted Paul beamed, “It’s lovely. As soon as we heard the law changed, we got in touch with the registrar’s office.

“We heard the news in the evening and contacted them the next day, and we were lucky enough to get the first appointment.

“We were really overwhelmed and quite emotional before we went along to the registrar’s because we genuinely didn’t think this day would ever come.

“You wake up and think, ‘We’re going to get married today’. We both had a tear in our eye.” Paul, a lead advisor in the council’s social work contact centre, and hypnotherapist David, a neurolinguistic programming trainer who runs Power2Change in Dunfermline, met at a friend’s dinner party.

Paul then moved from Surrey to Scotland to be with David, who’s from Perth, once they got together, and they entered into a civil partnership on 18th August 2007.

MSPs passed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill in February, allowing civil partnership to be converted into marriage, and the law came into effect on Tuesday.

Paul added, “For all intents and purposes, the civil partnership was our wedding day but we couldn’t call it a wedding.

“Once the law changed again and we could actually get married, we decided to go down the administrative route, because to be honest we couldn’t really repeat our special day!

“It was a day we never thought we would see. It was really special but it’s been added to – I’ve seen the comments that have been put up on Fife Council’s Facebook page.

“It’s been overwhelming. It’s been so nice that people have been so lovely and welcoming.”