It is expected to be the showbiz wedding of the year when Elton John marries his partner David Furnish on December 21, 2005, but it will no longer enjoy the symbolism of being among the first legally recognised gay marriages in the UK.

Like everyone else, Elton believed the date to be the earliest allowed under the new Civil Partnership Act. But thanks to confusion at the Registrar General’s office, five Scottish couples are to marry the day before and become the first legally married gay couples in the UK.

The legislation, which comes into force on December 5, 2005, includes a waiting period of at least 15 days after notice is given before a marriage can take place. This stipulation led the five Scottish couples to plan their weddings for December 20, 2005.

However, the Registrar General had misunderstood the legislation, which actually stated the 15-day countdown began “the day after the notice is recorded” – making December 21, 2005, the earliest possible date.

But rather than have the couples rearrange their special day, a decision was taken to give the couples – four from Edinburgh and one from Aberdeen – special dispensation.

Duncan McNiven, Scotland’s Registrar General, said: “It was a minor mistake on our part because we had simply misunderstood what the legislation said. We thought the 15-day rule started on the day the notice was given, but you actually count one day after the notice is given. We had been saying the 20th was the first possible date when in actual fact it was the 21st.

“Giving special dispensation is not an unknown thing, we do about 100 a year. It’s just nice our mistake has meant Scotland is pioneering civil partnerships, even if it is just by a day.”

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