More than 1,600 same-sex marriages performed
San Francisco forced to turn away hundreds Sunday
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Paul Luber, right, places a ring on the finger of his partner, Steven Johnson, during a marriage ceremony at City Hall in San Francisco.
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As San Francisco churns out licenses, a conservative group is heading to court to try and block them.
Drawing protesters on both sides of the issue, Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
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SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Officials at San Francisco City Hall had to turn away hundreds of people hoping to marry their same-sex partners Sunday as huge crowds of gay and lesbian couples lined up to exchange vows.
In all, 469 couples were married Sunday, bringing the total to more than 1,600 since Thursday.
More than 300 couples were given numbers Saturday to return Sunday, and officials handed out tickets to an additional 80 couples waiting in line Sunday morning, saying no more marriages could be processed by the end of the day.
That left more than 150 couples in line hoping to return and wed Monday, which could be the final day before the city is forced to stop offering such unions.
The marrying mania began Thursday, when Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the county clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses for lesbian and gay couples. He directed that City Hall be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. over the weekend and Monday, which is President's Day, a federal holiday.
Marriage licenses were being doled out at the rate of one per minute. Each couple paid $82 for a marriage application and a $13 license fee. San Francisco does not require a blood test or proof of residency.
On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge James Warren is scheduled to hear a legal challenge from two groups opposed to same-sex marriage. Warren rejected a motion Friday to issue a temporary restraining order against the city, saying the group requesting it -- the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund -- had given insufficient notice of the request.
The Alliance Defense Fund and the Campaign for California Families argue Newsom's action violates California law. But the mayor said he is obeying the state's mandate against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
California voters approved a ballot initiative in 2000 that said the state would recognize marriages between a man and a woman only, The Associated Press reported.
The first of 90 couples to be married on Thursday were Phyllis Lyon, 80, and Del Martin, 83, who have been together 51 years and founded the nation's first lesbian organization, the Daughters of Bilitis, in 1955.
Former President Clinton appointed both to be delegates to the White House Conference on Aging in 1995.
"We have a right just like anyone else to get married to the person we want to get married to," Lyon said.
The issuing of the licenses in San Francisco came as lawmakers in Massachusetts debated a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. After a third attempt to pass the measure failed late Thursday, the legislature recessed its constitutional convention until March 11, when it is expected to take up the issue again.
CNN's Miguel Marquez contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
