Gay Couple Turned Away By 31 Churches Finally Get Married

A gay couple, who were turned away by 31 churches, finally got their dream church wedding. Shane Yerrell and David Sparrey, from Waltham Abbey, got married in Wanstead last month. 

It was 32nd time lucky for the couple who were married at Wanstead United Reformed Church in East London.

 Yerrell, who is deputy mayor for Waltham Abbey and a councillor of Epping Forrest, told SWNS that he had “all but given up” before speaking to Reverend Tessa Henry-Robinson, who agreed to conduct the wedding in the church. 

“I was literally shouting with joy and jumping around the room. She [Henry-Robinson] said, ‘Everyone deserves to marry the person they love’ – and she’s right”, Yerrell said. 

Both Yerrell and Sparrey are Christians and attend church regularly – but struggled to find a venue of their faith that would agree to host the wedding. 

‘We Will Be Grateful To The Church’

Yerrell praised Reverend Henry-Robinson for her acceptance of the pair. She told them “’I can see you love each other; love is love’.” 

“It was the most amazing feeling. The day was so special. That church was a light at the end of a tunnel. They are so brave, and we will always be so grateful to them”, Yerrell added. 

The couple met through a mutual friend in 2014 and got engaged in 2016. According to The Independent, Sparrey proposed on a beach during a family holiday in Crete, and the couple brought the wedding forward by two years.

Yerrell expressed disappointment at the rejections by other churches, stating that he spent up to 15 hours on the phone trying to find a venue before Wanstead United Reformed Church accepted his request. 

Over 100 guests attended Wanstead United Reformed Church to witness the couple’s matrimony, and an additional 40 arrived at the reception, which was held at Waltham Abbey Town Hall. 

Sparrey called the wedding a day that he would “never forget” and described being surrounded by “so much love on the day” as “perfect”. 

‘Churches Are Frightened Of Backlash’

‘We were over the moon when the church agreed to marry us. Everything felt complete. I had hoped Shane’s patience and determination would pay off and it did. We have done it and we didn’t have to settle for something we wanted less. I’m delighted we’re part of that church’s history, we’ve made friends for life”, Sparrey said. 

The electrical engineer spoke on the taboo nature of gay couples being wed in a church that was likely to put queer people off from trying to find a venue that would accept a same-sex couple, but said that it was possible. 

“I think a lot of churches are frightened of a backlash – people saying it isn’t what the Bible says. But I think they could find a way of interpreting that for themselves and making it possible, after all, love is love no matter whether you’re gay or straight,” he said. 

Reverend Henry-Robinson spoke to MyLondon about her pride in marrying the couple, “It is a proud moment for us at Wanstead United Reformed Church to be the first to bring this good news to its community.” This was the first gay wedding ever in the church’s history.