Yes, but not every church.  It depends on your religion and if you want a civil marriage you will need to find a church that is no longer used for religious purposes and is licensed by the local Registrar.

If you follow one of these religions you are in luck and will be able to have your lesbian marriage ceremony in a church:

  • Metropolitan Community Church
  • Quaker
  • Unitarian
  • United
  • Unity

Unfortunately, the most popular Christian religions in England, Catholic and Church of England, do not allow same sex weddings and they also own the most impressive churches and cathedrals. However, the Church of England will bless a gay marriage, so you could have a minimalist civil wedding at the Register Office and then a blessing in a church. Interestingly, it is actually illegal for gay weddings to be carried out by the Church of England. This is due to the fact that the church has a unique status with the state and their clergy have a legal duty to conduct marriage ceremonies. If the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 didn’t reflect the canon law of the church it would have been possible for a gay couple to force the church to marry them.

Anyway, I digress. The answer is yes, but it depends.