France will see its first legal gay marriage Wednesday, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. EST in the southern city of Montpellier, the Agence France Presse has reported.
40-year-old Vincent Autin and 30-year-old Bruno Boileau have been together for nearly seven years. They will be married by the mayor of Montpellier, amongst hundreds of their guests, worldwide media and a number of police officers that will be keeping an eye on the ceremony to ensure no rabblerousing occurs.
"One day before we say 'YES!'" Autin wrote on his Twitter account, Tuesday. "Overwhelmingly impatient, overwhelmingly happy!"
Mayor of Montpellier-a city known as the "French San Francisco" for its gay-friendly community- Helene Mandroux will marry the two Frenchmen. Socialist government party spokesperson Najat Vallaud-Belkacem also has planned to attend the ceremony.
Montpellier authorities originally made plans to show the marriage on large screens located in the city's center, but decided against it for security measures.
Initially, the wedding was to be held in the town hall's wedding room, but as the guest list grew to include 100 police officers, they moved the ceremony to the bigger reception hall.
Around 500 guests are projected to attend, in addition to upwards of 230 journalists from 100 plus newswires around the world.
Wednesday morning, wedding planners and volunteers organized chairs, decorated the hall and put finishing touches to the ceremony.
At the front of the room, two chairs are stationed where Mayor Mandroux will stand between a framed photograph of French President Francois Holland, and French and EU flags.
The legalization of gay marriage has divided France for months, plaguing the nation with protests, political deliberation and often violent demonstrations. France, although a secular republic, is largely Catholic, and the debate circling gay marriage has incited widespread debate.
The bill was signed into law on May 18, amidst applause from supporters and heavy groans from opponents.
Some anti-gay groups have said they will fight the law. Many gathered in Paris this past Sunday for a protest that ended in a violent stand-off.
Mayor Mandroux told the AFP that the media was most likely surprised by opponents' reaction.
"They were astonished that there could be such violence in the country of human rights," she said. "For weeks there has been a phenomenon of intolerance."
France is the 14 country to recognize gay marriage as a legal institution.
