Sir Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, tied the knot today to become one of England's first legally bound gay couples.

The celebrity wedding took place this morning at the Guildhall in Windsor, where the Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker Bowles in April. The private ceremony happened just hours after Britain's civil partnership law allowed gay couples to "marry" for the first time across England and Wales.

The law, which gives homosexual couples the same property and inheritance rights as married heterosexuals and entitles them to the same pension, immigration and tax benefits, came into effect in Northern Ireland earlier this week.

Hundreds of supporters lined the cobbled streets of Windsor to celebrate Sir Elton's union with Mr Furnish. The two men, who met 12 years ago, announced last month their intention to register their partnership at the first opportunity.

The couple, dressed in dark suits, arrived at the Guildhall in a black Rolls Royce shortly before eleven o'clock this morning. Waving, giving thumbs up and bowing their thanks before cheering fans, they headed into the register office for a quiet ceremony, which only Sir Elton's mother and stepfather and Mr Furnish’s parents were expected to attend.

An hour later, the formalities over, Sir Elton, 52, and Mr Furnish, 43, emerged smiling for a further round of photographs and celebratory hugs. The couple were given a wedding cake by two fans before driving away for lunch and to prepare for this evening's £1 million reception, which will take place in an enormous, white, lily-decorated marquee laid out in the grounds of Sir Elton's mansion outside Windsor.

Tonight's party, originally described as an intimate soiree for 50 guests, has swollen to become a huge, fame-filled occasion.

Around 700 people, including Victoria Beckham (her husband was reportedley detained by Real Madrid), Liz Hurley, Donatella Versace, Graham Norton and various members of the Osbourne family have been invited to join Sir Elton and Mr Furnish for pink champagne, roast lamb and a chocolate log.

Lulu is expected to sing. It is unclear whether Rod Stewart will also take to the stage. There are rumours that Sir Elton will perform a wedding night love song for Mr Furnish, who is a Canadian film maker. The dress code is said to be "restrained" and any gifts will be donated to Sir Elton's AIDS charity.

At his monthly press conference, Tony Blair joked that he could not compete with Sir Elton for coverage today and congratulated the happy couple: "I wish Elton and David very well," he said.

Peter Tatchell, the spokesman for the gay and lesbian group OutRage! said today's ceremony "would raise the profile of gay love and commitment".

"Their same-sex civil partnership ceremony will be reported all over the world including in countries where news about gay issues is normally never reported," he said. "This will give hope to millions of isolated, vulnerable, lesbian and gay people especially those living in repressive and homophobic countries."

In all, 687 homosexual couples are scheduled to celebrate their partnerships today in England and Wales. Ceremonies started early this morning, as some couples moved straight from nightclubs or emerged from rushhour traffic to sign their names at register offices up and down the country.

In Brighton, three couples began their civil partnerships minutes after 8 o'clock, signing their relationships into law simultaneously. "I’m really excited! I’m very happy to be one of the first," said Gino Meriano, with his partner Mike Ullett.

Meg Munn, the Deputy Minister for Equality, congratulated the couples. "These relationships have been invisible in the eyes of the law for too long and I’m delighted that today we are starting to recognise them," she said, before adding that she admired "anybody could contemplate forming a partnership at this early hour of the morning".

In Leeds, Michael Rothwell and Terry George, two gay entrepreneurs, signed the register the moment the new law came into force. Mr Rothwell and Mr George arrived at Fibre, a nightclub they founded, in a horse-drawn carriage at 7.45am to be greeted by five Moulin Rouge dancers.

Fifteen minutes later, the couple signed the register in their flat above the nightclub. "I feel quite sickly actually, I’m shaking and it’s very weird," said Mr George. The couple will spend their honeymoon in Brazil.

The registrar, Jean Lee, said she had been "apprehensive" about the service, but was pleased with the result. "Obviously we have not done it before so we wanted to get it absolutely right. We are delighted with how it went," she said.

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