COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Denmark has married his partner in the Scandinavian country that became the first nation to allow gay couples to formalize their unions in 1989.

Rufus Gifford, the U.S. envoy since September 2013, is a strong gay rights advocate and often appears with Stephen DeVincent, a 56-year-old veterinarian, at his side. The two were married Saturday at the Copenhagen City Hall. Gifford, a 41-year-old Boston native, wrote on Twitter: "26 yrs ago the site of 1st legal gay unions in the world. Humbled and emotional."

Later in the day, he posted a smiling photo of the two, showing off their rings: "In the land that created fairy tales, we just started our own."