The measure, a priority of Cuomo (D), had passed the Democratic-controlled State Assembly last week but stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The 33 to 29 vote came after days of tense negotiations, extending the state’s legislative session about a week after its scheduled end and drawing crowds of protesters on both sides of the issue into the Capitol daily. Each morning brought rumors that the issue would finally come up for a vote; each night, the Senate adjourned without a resolution on the issue.

Without a clear indication of how the vote would go, senators finally gathered late Friday after party leaders reached agreement on language that strengthened legal protections for religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage.

Cuomo signed the bill shortly before midnight Friday, and gay couples will be able to wed within 30 days.

“New York has finally torn down the barrier that has prevented same-sex couples from exercising the freedom to marry and from receiving the fundamental protections that so many couples and families take for granted,” Cuomo said in a statement. “With the world watching, the Legislature, by a bipartisan vote, has said that all New Yorkers are equal under the law.”

The decision was welcomed by gay rights groups, who had been hungry for a win after similar measures failed this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.

The bill’s passage also was viewed as a milestone nationally because it was the first time a GOP-controlled chamber has approved gay marriage.

Several wealthy Republicans backed the effort, and it was ultimately Republican senators who cast the tiebreaking votes. Four Republicans joined with the vast majority of the Senate’s Democrats to pass the bill. The Republicans hold a one-member majority in the chamber.

“With the freedom to marry in New York, the nationwide majority for marriage will swell, as even more people get to see why marriage matters to same-sex couples, that gay couples, like non-gay, treasure the chance to affirm and strengthen their commitment, and that ending marriage discrimination helps families and hurts no one,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of the pro-gay marriage group Freedom to Marry, in a statement.

Opponents had poured millions of dollars into the fight and said there would be swift and direct retribution against the lawmakers who voted for this bill. They pledged $1 million toward defeating Republicans who voted for it and backing Democrats who voted against it.

“Marriage loses 33-29 in New York. Sad day for the state and the country. But the fight has just begun,” came a tweet from the National Organization for Marriage, a group that opposes same-sex marriage.