Hundreds of same-sex couples are expected to tie the knot across Thailand on Thursday as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality.

Earlier this month, the couple celebrated a lavish wedding with around a thousand guests and today, they will finally make their marriage official, as Thailand becomes the first country in South-East Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. Legal recognition has been a long-time coming for same-sex couples in Thailand. (ABC News: Lauren Day)

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand are expected to tie the knot on Thursday as a new law legalizing same-sex marriage goes into effect in the Southeast Asian nation. Thailand joins Taiwan and Nepal among countries recognizing same-sex unions in Asia.

It is a big day many in Thailand's LGBTQ+ community have long been waiting for, as couples celebrate a law giving them the same legal rights as married heterosexuals.

Come this Thursday, their wedded status will be recognized by the nation as well, when a law that allows members of the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand to get married and have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples takes effect.

Thursday, January 23 marks a major milestone for LGBTQ+ people in Thailand – as same sex marriage will finally become legal. It’s a historic moment, not just for Thailand, as it becomes the first country south east Asia to recognise marriage equality.

Thailand is now the first nation in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, granting LGBTQ couples the same human rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The new law, effective this Thursday,