Zina von Bozzay and Peter Mancina planned to marry five years ago, but held off until Tuesday — after same-sex marriages became legal in California. The couple said it seemed wrong to wed when others could not.

“We really felt hesitant about same-sex couples not being able to be married,” said Bozzay, a music composer who resides in the hills above San Francisco’s Castro district. “After the decision was made, we made an appointment right away.”

The couple became the first opposite-sex couple to marry at City Hall on Tuesday, according to City Clerk’s Office employees. City officials said more than a dozen opposite-sex couples made appointments for marriage licenses Tuesday, “about one every half-hour,” they said.

Bozzay and Mancina were scheduled to tie the knot at 10 a.m.

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“We are not wanting to take the limelight away from the couples that really deserve this,” Bozzay said. “But at the same time, we are so happy to be here in solidarity.”

The couple said they didn’t want their marriage to be an “exclusive privilege.” They said marriage should be about love, not gender.

“For a long time, we thought of [marriage] as somewhat of an apartheid institution,” said Mancina, who grew up in Kansas and said he was proud to have moved to a state more accepting of all lifestyles. “It’s nice to take part in something that is finally opening up.”

maldax@sfexaminer.com