Same-sex marriages resumed with a flurry in California on Friday when a panel of federal judges, acting in the wake of a historic supreme court ruling, cleared the legal barriers that had been in place since the Proposition 8 ballot measure passed in 2008.

The plaintiffs who brought the challenge to Prop 8 were the first to be married, after the ninth circuit court of appeals issued its order. Many more ceremonies followed, with about 60 taking place at city hall in San Francisco.

Earlier in the week the appeals court had said that it would wait 25 days before lifting the ban, the usual period for a supreme court ruling to take effect. But on Friday it unexpectedly lifted the stay with immediate effect.

Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, of Berkeley, one of two couples who had sued to overturn the ban, were married in a ceremony officiated at city hall in San Francisco by Kamala Harris, the state attorney general. Jeff Katami and Paul Zarrillo, of Burbank, were were married at city hall in Los Angeles a short time later.

Harris declared Perry, 48, and Stier, 50, "spouses for life," but during their vows, they took each other as "lawfully wedded wife". One of their twin sons served as ring-bearer.

Although the couple have fought for the right to marry for years, their wedding came together in a hurry when a three-judge panel of the ninth circuit court of appeals issued a brief order Friday afternoon dissolving, "effective immediately," a stay it imposed on gay marriages while the lawsuit challenging the ban advanced through the courts.

After the ceremony in Los Angeles, Zarrillo told a press conference: "I don't know if you have a word for how 'equal' feels …This is just an amazing feeling." Zarillo and Katami, who had been planning to get married in July, said they would fly immediately to be with the other plaintiffs in San Francisco, where the city's annual gay pride celebrations were getting under way.

Robert and Jeramy Keitamo are married at city hall in San Francisco after the Prop 8 ban is lifted. Photograph: Justin Benttinen/The Guardian

Sponsors of California's same-sex marriage ban called the appeals court's swift action "outrageous."

"The resumption of same-sex marriage this day has been obtained by illegitimate means. If our opponents rejoice in achieving their goal in a dishonorable fashion, they should be ashamed," said Andy Pugno, general counsel for a coalition of religious conservative groups that sponsored Prop 8.

"It remains to be seen whether the fight can go on, but either way, it is a disgraceful day for California," Pugno said.

The supreme court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that Proposition 8's sponsors lacked authority to defend the measure in court once Harris and Governor Jerry Brown, both Democrats, refused to do so.

The decision lets stand a trial judge's declaration that the ban, approved by voters in November 2008, violates the civil rights of gay Californians and cannot be enforced.

Under supreme court rules, the losing side in a legal dispute has 25 days to ask for a rehearing of the case. The court said earlier this week that it would not finalise its ruling in the Proposition 8 case until after that time had elapsed.

It was not immediately clear whether the supreme court would halt the appeals court's action, but Brown directed California counties to start performing same-sex marriages immediately in the wake of it.

Given that word did not come down from the appeals court until mid-afternoon, most counties were not prepared to stay open late to accommodate potential crowds. The clerks in a few counties announced that they would stay open a few hours later Friday.

Tony O'Brian, right, with the equality symbol shaved in his hair, as he marries Alex Rhinehart at city hall in San Francisco. Photograph: Justin Benttinen/The Guardian

A jubilant San Francisco mayor Ed Lee announced that same-sex couples would be able to marry throughout gay pride weekend in his city. Ceremonies continued late into the evening on Friday.

At city hall, crowds gathered before a bust of the famous gay rights activist Harvey Milk, where marriage commissioners performed back-to-back ceremonies to loud cheers and applause.

Tony O'Brian and Alex Rhinehart had been waiting for this moment since getting engaged in January 2010. At about 7.45pm their wait ended.

"It's wonderful to finally be aple to do this," O'Brian said. "I worked on the campaign against Prop 8 and it was devastating for me when it passed. It was the same night that Obama was elected and I was sure we were going to win on Prop 8 but when it passed, it put a total downer on the evening. But that's all over now."

Andrew Snyder and Paul Hamilton met one year ago through an online dating site. Andrew described their romance as a whirlwind, adding: "After the first date I knew he was special and by the third date I told him I was falling in love with him."

They came to San Francisco to celebrate pride weekend, believing that marriage would not be possible until late next month. "We were here one hour when we heard they were taking marriages so we decided to do it," Snyder said,

There were numerous similar tales, with Tracilee Hoffman and Elizabeth Mileti having traveled from their home in Las Vegas, unaware that this would be their first weekend as a married couple.

Deputy marriage commissioner Robin Wirthlin carried out about ten same-sex ceremonies Friday. As she left city hall, two men were standing at the front door holding signs declaring gay marriage to be against God's law and chanting anti-gay slogans. "That's a little pathetic," she said. "There was so much love in there today and I think that's what God would have wanted."

Associated Press in San Francisco contributed to this report

