ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) – A group of about 50 people gathered on Oct. 8 for a wedding ceremony at Capron Park in Attleboro.

The setting was basic – a few flower arrangements, a dozen folding chairs. The couple’s 3-year-old son, Mickey, was the ring bearer. Their daughter, 6-year-old Hannah, the flower girl. It was 70 degrees, sunny, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

“It’s clear that God favors gay marriages,” judge Donna Nesselbush said, motioning to the brilliant blue sky, “as we have a great day today.”

The brides were 45-year-old Wendy Becker and 46-year-old Mary Norton, both of Providence, R.I.

They have been together for 18 years. But they hadn’t discussed marriage, Becker said, until the 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that same-sex marriages were legal in the state.

Then, Becker said, the couple decided marriage would be best for the children. “It’s also about being part of this moment in time where we’re close to having equality,” she said.

After at first being denied a marriage license, Becker and Norton challenged the 1913 Massachusetts law that prohibits out-of-state residents from marrying if the union would not be permitted in their home state.

They argued that same-sex marriage is not specifically banned in Rhode Island. Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly agreed, saying in his ruling he saw no evidence of a “constitutional amendment, statute, or controlling appellate decision” making same-sex marriage illegal in Rhode Island.

The decision brought cheers from same-sex marriage advocates and put opponents into a defensive position.

Kris Mineau of the Massachusetts Family Institute, which opposes same-sex marriage, said he feared a legal challenge attempting to force Rhode Islanders to recognize same-sex couples was coming.

“The people of Rhode Island can say, ‘Thank you,’ to the courts of Massachusetts, not the people, for throwing this grenade our way,” he said.

Becker and Norton started planning their wedding almost as soon as the Sept. 29 ruling was issued.

“People take a year to pull off a wedding, so it’s been a busy few days,” Becker said, “but we’ve been emotionally planning since much longer than that.”

They have known each other for 20 years. Becker works at Rhode Island College and Norton at Brown Medical School. And although they have a strong network of friends and family, they wanted to officially commit.

“We’ve always been concerned about: ‘Have we done the right planning? Have we done everything to protect our family?’”

Gov. Mitt Romney directed municipal clerks not to grant licenses to same-sex couples from out of state in March of this year. Eight couples from surrounding states challenged the decision in court. The judge sent the New York and Rhode Island cases back to lower courts. The plaintiffs from the other six states lost.

Romney praised the decision, saying at the time, “We don’t want Massachusetts to become the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage.”

After the decision, Romney sent Attorney General Tom Reilly a letter asking him to reconsider. Reilly refused, saying there was no reason to “further burden Massachusetts courts with an issue that is for Rhode Island to decide.”

So Becker and Norton got married.

Becker’s mother, Marjorie, stood near the women, reminding them to hold their bouquets at their stomachs, not their chests. Her father, William, couldn’t stop saying how proud he was of his daughter and soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

“It’s rare that you can change the world,” he said.

The change is still in doubt.

Rhode Island Sen. Leo Blais said he wants attorneys to review the Massachusetts decision.

The next step for Rhode Islanders in favor of same-sex marriage is to test the waters, according to Jenn Steinfeld, co-chair of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, by seeing if their marriage certificate is recognized at home.

A spokesperson for Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch said he doesn’t plan on making the first move; instead he’s waiting for the state courts or Legislature to address the issue.

Rhode Island Republican Gov. Don Carcieri, a same-sex marriage critic, said through a spokesperson that he has no plans to try to revise the state’s laws.

Becker isn’t a fan of pomp and circumstance; she never wanted a big wedding. But she doesn’t downplay her aspirations for this marriage.

“What I hope happens is that people from Rhode Island go to Massachusetts, get married, come back to Rhode Island and the Legislature sees that there are lots of loving couples, and they’re not impacting anybody else’s relationships and the institution of marriage is not being destroyed.”