THE first same-sex marriage wedding at a church in Bury has taken place.

Candice Jackson and wife Suzie tied the knot at Bury Unitarian Church on Friday, April 26 in a ceremony attended by close friends and family, as well as members of the church’s congregation.

The couple said they had always wanted to get married inside a church, and praised the church for its “welcoming” approach.

Conducted by The Reverend Cody Coyne, minister at Cross Street Chapel in Manchester, the ceremony interweaved tributes to two family members – Suzie’s father and Candice’s mother – and a candle was lit in their memory.

Candice said: “It was brilliant, we want to do it all over again.

“It has not really hit us that we are wife and wife yet.

“The church was so welcoming. Quite a lot of the usual congregation came to watch which was really nice.”

The couple’s request to hold their ceremony at the church, in Bank Street, was submitted to the church council for authorisation.

When members took a vote on whether to hold the marriage, it was "overwhelmingly carried".

Anne Mills, the chairman of the congregation of Bury Unitarian Church, and the authorised person for the wedding, said: "We were delighted to be involved in Candice and Suzannah's special day.

“We shared their excitement and joy and were pleased that all went well for them.

“Unitarians have been at the forefront of changes in legislation which made it possible for same-sex couples to marry in church, if they felt that it was important to do so, and this accords well with our religious liberal ideas.

“We were especially happy to host their wedding, as it falls during our 300th anniversary year, and gives us yet more cause for celebration."

The couple, who met through a mutual friend and began dating just under two years ago, will fly out to Cuba for their honeymoon in September.