BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Retired United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert officiated at a gay wedding Saturday afternoon, sharply criticizing United Methodist church policy during the service.

"This is a great day for the church and I hope it's something we can build on," said Talbert.

Joe Openshaw, 59, and Bobby Prince, 54, were already married Sept. 3 in Washington, D.C., where same-sex unions are legal. They aren't legal in Alabama, but the couple wanted a church ceremony in Birmingham that their friends and families could attend. So they had "a celebration of love" today at Covenant Community Church in Center Point. Covenant is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, which blesses same-sex unions. Openshaw and Prince are members of Discovery United Methodist Church in Hoover, but were told the ceremony could not be done in a Methodist church.

Talbert agreed to officiate the wedding despite a request from North Alabama Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett and other United Methodist bishops that he refrain from doing the ceremony, which is against United Methodist church law. The United Methodist Book of Discipline says that homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching."

Talbert mentioned that rule during the ceremony. "It's wrong, evil, immoral," Talbert said.

Talbert has said there's a chance he could be charged with breaking church law. "I'm choosing to do the right thing, no matter what," he said during the service.

Openshaw and Prince both expressed hope that they were helping change the church.

"I think it will move us toward equality in the church," Prince said. "Little by little, it's going to change."

"It shows that love will prevail," said Openshaw. "All love is equal. All love should be recognized."

Talbert will preach Sunday morning at the 10:30 a.m. service at Brownsville United Methodist Church, 1049 Sunhill Road, where the Rev. Kevin Higgs is pastor. Higgs was the pastoral counselor for Openshaw and Prince. Higgs said the Book of Discipline also has a rule that ministers must serve people of all kinds, including homosexuals.

"The Book of Discipline commands me to be in ministry for Joe and Bobby," Higgs said.

Bishop Melvin Talbert, after conducting a same-sex wedding in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. (Photo by Greg Garrison/ggarrison@al.com)

The ceremony looked like many other wedding ceremonies - except with two husbands and no bride. There were more than 100 family and friends present, crying babies, flowers, prayers, a reading of the "love is patient, love is kind" passage, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. "Why are we here?" Talbert said. "Joe and Bobby, two men created in the image of God, loyal and faithful United Methodists, servants of the church in Jesus Christ, are in love with each other."

Openshaw and Prince walked in together to a harpist playing Pachelbel's Canon in D. They walked out to "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," by Bach, again on harp. In between, they exchanged vows, rings and single-stem red roses.

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