As he got ready for work on Tuesday, Fredy H. Kaplan, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound gay rights activist from the East Village, turned to his 6-foot-1, 250-pound fiancé and made it official. “You’re going to be the bride,” he said.

Mr. Kaplan had spent the morning at his computer, applying online for a marriage license, because Tuesday was the first day that New York City allowed same-sex couples to initiate the process for getting married. But he stumbled on an unexpected roadblock: The city clerk’s online forms offered only the choice of “bride” and “groom.” Mr. Kaplan, 50, a vice president of the Stonewall Democrats, and his partner of six years, Anthony Cipriano, 43, were puzzled, but also amused.

“He said, ‘You’re making me the bride?’ ” Mr. Kaplan recalled. “It was confusing on many levels.”

Same-sex marriage becomes legal in New York State on July 24, and for those looking to get a head start, bewilderment abounds. Not only are city and town officials scrambling to update forms, but there are also other complications. July 24 is a Sunday, when municipal offices are ordinarily closed, so it is not clear whether same-sex couples will be able to obtain marriage licenses that day. And state law requires that couples wait 24 hours after receiving licenses before getting married, but in New York City, officials have pledged to have judges on hand to grant exemptions so couples can wed.

On Tuesday, the confusion over the online applications for marriage licenses were, for some, a reminder that bureaucracy can take some time to catch up with history, even in the Internet age.