PORT ORCHARD — There wasn’t much fuss at the county Auditor’s Office Thursday morning, but there was a lot of joy.

Thursday was the first day marriage licenses were available for same-sex couples, after the passage of Referendum 74. Auditor Walt Washington was there to greet each couple.

“We had a line when we opened up the door [at 8 a.m.],” said Nancy Lawrence, licensing manager. “Everybody was so happy [while] waiting for us.”

Lawrence said she heard from many of the couples that they had not gone to any of the other 15 states that recognize gay marriage because Washington is their home, and they wanted to get married in their home state.

“It was very emotional this morning,” she said. “One gentleman said he didn’t think he’d live to see this day.”

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, 25 couples received marriage licenses. Because of the state’s three-day waiting period, the first weddings will take place on Sunday.