WEST HOLLYWOOD - When they woke up Tuesday, Realtors Peter Wolf and Geoff Scowcroft knew they weren't in Valley Village anymore.

Crews were arranging large bouquets of blue and white balloons, rolling out a baby blue carpet and tossing white rose petals on the ground.

Not to mention a dozen or so large television satellite vans pulling up and cameras befitting the arrival of movie stars.

Them. And hundreds of other same-sex couples.

Wolf and Scowcroft, both 46, had just woken up from camping in the park to be among the first to make history.

On Tuesday, they and thousands of gay and lesbian couples statewide - young and old and some together for decades - got marriage licenses and celebrated their weddings on the first day allowed under last month's California Supreme Court decision knocking down the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

"We were married in San Francisco four years ago," said Wolf, who by midmorning had changed into a brown business suit. "We consider that the dress rehearsal, and this one's for real."

For J.B. Payne, 64, and Edwin Goodman, 62, both of Winnetka, it was a chance to fulfill a nuptial dream they thought might never come.

"We've been together eight years, four months and 11 days, and we've been in line since 3 a.m. this morning," Goodman said. "We didn't want to wait one minute longer than we needed to."

Henry Fries, 51, the vice principal of San Fernando High School, and his partner, Richard

Lopez, 46, also received their license, as did David Scott, 38, and Matt Swank, 35, both of North Hollywood.

Scott is a graduate student at the University of Southern California, and Swank is a mental health manager.

Both couples said they plan to marry Saturday in special West Hollywood ceremonies.

"We've been together 10 years," said Lopez, a medical student. "What does this mean to us? Everything. Vindication. Recognition."

For the Valley, the arrival of gay marriage brought with it an unexpected high profile - from the international attention on Robin Tyler and Diane Olson of North Hills, who filed the lawsuit that ultimately changed the state's marriage laws, to the focus on the first full day's applicants.

"You are going to be surprised at how many same-sex marriages there are going to be in the Valley," Wolfe said.

The Rev. Robert E. Goss, pastor of North Hollywood-based Metropolitan Community Church, said he will be officiating at same-sex marriages in the coming weeks, with plans to hold a large wedding ceremony in July.

"It's just that a lot of our members choose to protect their privacy," he said. "Some are still afraid of a backlash."

Some of that backlash occurred to a small degree in the Antelope Valley, where a half-dozen protesters stood outside the county clerk's office in Lancaster, holding signs that read, "The Blood of Jesus can Clean Your Soul," and "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at Hand."

"You are always in God's presence. God sees everything," the Rev. Michael Alexander said. "What's going on right now is blasphemy and an abomination to him."

Upon seeing the protesters, one woman yelled out "I'm just getting a birth certificate" before going inside.Despite the protesters, Linda and Sheena Castellucci emerged smiling and holding hands.

"I'm just so happy," said Sheena Castellucci, 58, a retired sheriff's jailer. "I didn't expect to burst into tears."

The couple had exchanged vows before, once in a church ceremony in 1981 and again in 2002 in San Francisco.

"We are here today, hoping that it sticks this time," she said.

In West Hollywood, many of the couples Tuesday sought out the spotlight, none more than George Takei, who, as Mr. Sulu on the "Star Trek" television series, set out on the Starship Enterprise "to boldly go where no man has gone before."

On Tuesday, the 71-year-old actor literally went where no man had legally been, at least in California. He and his partner of 21 years, Brad Altman, applied for a marriage license.

"Isn't this a glorious California morning to make history?" Takei told reporters. "Last month, the California Supreme Court made history by ruling for equality in marriage, and this morning, we're all here to give flesh and blood reality to that ruling. We're going to make history!"

Takei and Altman then raised their arms, their fingers spread in the Vulcan peace sign popularized by Leonard Nimoy's Spock character on "Star Trek."

The ribbon-cutting ceremony in West Hollywood was surprisingly free of protesters, except for a small group that went ignored, including one man wearing a devil's mask and carrying a sign that read "Pervert Weddings Done Here."

Takei and Altman, his manager, were the first to receive a marriage license at the West Hollywood satellite office set up by the county. They have set Sept. 14 as their wedding date.

"It's going to be the only day like this in our lives," Takei said. "And it is the only day like this in the history of America."

Staff Writer Karen Maeshiro contributed to this report.

tony.castro@dailynews.com