Outrage as rector in gay marriage row stages £1,800 'white weddings' for Japanese tourists

The rector who presided at the controversial 'gay marriage' of two priests has caused fresh outrage by conducting £1,800 'white wedding' services for Japanese tourists.

The Rev Martin Dudley has benefited from a craze for Western-style ceremonies among Japanese couples - many followers of Shintoism or Buddhism - by blessing their unions in his London church.

The blessings - which feature traditional music, a white bridal dress, prayers and Bible readings, bouquets and confetti - are not banned by the Church of England but critics say they undermine the dignity of marriage.

Tony Kilmister, a vice-president of the Prayer Book Society, of which the Prince of Wales is patron, said the practice was an outrage and made 'a mockery of the liturgy'.

Mr Dudley is already being investigated by Church of England authorities after The Mail on Sunday revealed he had used traditional prayers to bless the union of two male Anglican priests.

The service, which used a version of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer's Solemnization of Matrimony, took place without the knowledge of the Bishop of London and in defiance of guidelines issued by the Church of England which maintain that a church marriage can take place only between and a man and a woman.

In the past few years, a vast appetite for Western weddings has developed in Japan.

Only about one per cent of the country's 127million population is Christian, yet Christian-style ceremonies now account for three-quarters of unions in Japan.

And each year about 100 couples travel to Britain for blessings in one of five London churches, often as part of specially arranged tourist trips offered by Japanese wedding organisers Watabe.

Some of those opt for St Bartholomew's the Great, where Mr Dudley is rector. Couples who choose the church, which dates from 1123, are charged £1,827 for a basic package, on top of flights and accommodation.

The price includes use of the church, a gratuity to the priest, music, an interpreter, a bouquet and a limousine from the hotel.

It is not known how much of the fee goes to the priest. The hire of a dress and wedding photographs or a DVD of the special occasion are extra.

Anglican clergy who conduct such blessings have defended them by saying they provide an opportunity to introduce the Japanese couples to Christianity.

But one senior London cleric said: 'More often than not, they are an opportunity for money-spinning by the vicar, and something for the photo album for the couple.'

The Church of England said that priests were individually responsible for services that took place in their churches.

But it added: 'Priests would want to satisfy themselves that any couple approaching the Church for a blessing are doing so with a proper understanding of the commitments they are making to God, as well as each other.'