The Californian Supreme Court unexpectedly rejected the petitions asking for reconsideration of the May 15 ruling delay. With a 4-3 vote, the court removed the final hurdle standing in front of the legalization of same-sex marriage.

On Wednesday, the day of the Supreme Court’s ruling, numerous gay couples rushed to set their wedding ceremonies for June 17, a historic day for the Californian gay community.

Lawmakers of the Supreme Court also ruled against delaying enforcement of the decision until after the November election, when the citizens of California would have voted to decide whether to reinstate a ban on gay marriage.

The county clerks are preparing for an onslaught of weddings and a change will be made in the protocol of the ceremony - the word "bride" and "groom" on marriage licenses will be replaced with "Partner A" and "Partner B."

According to a survey conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA's School of Law, the number of gay marriages will swell if the anti-gay-marriage initiative is voted in November.

The UCLA study forecasts that about 51,320 gay California couples and 67,513 from out of state will marry in the state during the next three years. The survey hasn’t been released yet, but the info contained in it was provided by The Los Angeles Times.