More than 1,000 gay and lesbian couples streamed into city and town halls across the state yesterday seeking licenses to marry, as Massachusetts marked the first day of legalized same-sex matrimony.

Gay couples who arrived at courts around the state yesterday smiling, holding hands, some carrying single long-stem roses, were ushered before judges more accustomed to navigating the tense issues of divorce and child custody than the joyful rush to marry.

Two-thirds of the gays who applied for marriage licenses yesterday were women, and an enormous majority were Mass. residents. 

The Supreme Judicial Court’s decision approving gay marriage threw Beacon Hill into a frenzy. 

As the debate over gay marriages spilled into the western suburbs last week, it was clear that the region, like the rest of the state, was struggling to make sense of the landmark decision. Whether they applauded Tuesday’s ruling or deplored it, area residents agreed that it would be some time before they could gauge its long-term implications.