The brides wrote their own vows and said their I do's in front of a beach gathering of 60 close friends and family members.

Rep. Patricia Todd, Alabama's first openly gay legislator, wed her longtime partner, Jennifer Clarke, on Sept. 14 in Provincetown, Mass.

“It was beautiful. It was perfect,” Todd, D-Birmingham, said of the afternoon ceremony on Cape Cod.

Clarke's 25-year-old daughter, a third-year law student, officiated the ceremony. Clarke sang a love song to Todd during her vows.

The Birmingham legislator admitted that she got teary when they went to get their marriage license in Massachusetts.

“I sat there and thought, 'My God, we can get married. Everybody accepted it and it’s no big deal,’” Todd said.

Clarke said they both got choked up again during the actual ceremony.

The wedding, like all weddings do, had a couple of minor mishaps. Todd, known around the State House for her calm demeanor, confessed to having an uncharacteristic "bridezilla" moment over issues with the planning.

Then she left her vows at the hotel.

“So I had to kind of wing it,” Todd said.

The couple met eight years ago when Clarke clicked on a pop-up ad for the social side of a political web site.

After dating for a year, Clarke moved to Alabama after Todd was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006.

“I call her my Renaissance woman,” said Todd, noting Clarke’s two master’s degrees and singing and drawing talent.

Clarke said in Todd she saw, “a tremendous person who lived into the integrity of her convictions.”

"She had dedicated her life to caring for others. I was so moved by her generosity. She’s the real deal,” Clarke recalled.

Todd is the associate director of AIDS Alabama. Clarke is chief housing officer at YWCA Central Alabama.

Todd said they are both "political animals," although Clarke jokes she sometimes hums the theme to "The Odd Couple" about their differences.

Todd is more casual. Clarke’s the conservative one.

Case in point, when they left for Massachusetts, Todd’s luggage was broken and patched with bits of tape. Clarke’s was sleek black.

Todd and Clarke exchanged rings years ago, but decided to go to a state where they could legally marry.

“Patricia and I said we were not doing this as a statement. This was about sanctifying the marriage and making a public commitment to each other,” Clarke said.

Clarke, before moving to Birmingham, had considered Provincetown her adopted home. When gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts, she worked as a clerk helping couples fill out marriage license forms.

Now she was back filling out her own.

While gay marriage is recognized in Massachusetts, it is not in Alabama. Voters in 2006 overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that specifically forbids the recognition of same-sex marriages or civil unions.

Todd said she intends to push to exercise their rights in Alabama as a legally married couple. She encouraged other same-sex couples to do the same.

The Birmingham legislator said she had received some well wishes from State House colleagues, including a nice text message from Republican Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard.

And like many newlyweds, Todd said they are having fun trying out their official new titles in conversation.

"I'll tell her, 'O.K. wife.' It's sort of cool, I tell you," Todd said.

“It was meant to be. That’s how we look at it,” Clarke said.