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EDINBURGH is the third most popular UK destination for gay weddings, with only London and Brighton staging more ceremonies in the last ten months.
Almost a thousand Scottish couples have been joined in civil partnerships since the ceremonies were brought in last December. Edinburgh hosted 318 of the ceremonies, while Glasgow had about 60.
John Maguire and Laurence Scott-Mackay were the first pair to tie the knot at the capital's Victoria Street register offices and Edinburgh now hosts an average of one civil partnership a day.
Ben Summerskill, of the gay rights campaign group Stonewall, said: "Scotland itself is a very gay-friendly country. It has a reputation for embracing minority groups, including homosexuals.
"Edinburgh and Glasgow are both very gay-friendly but because of its historical appearance, Edinburgh is a more popular location for ceremonies."
The Church of Scotland, which has long opposed homosexuality, has softened in its outlook in recent times. Last year the Kirk was split on the subject of gay weddings after evangelical groups such as Forward Together claimed that the only sex approved by God is between a man and woman who are married.
But the legislation introducing civil partnerships prompted the Kirk's legal questions committee to come up with new rules, making clear ministers will not face disciplinary action for taking services to recognise same-sex unions
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