Same-sex couples will benefit from blessing services for the first time in Church of England parishes that have tried to avoid the decision for more than 20 years. It is currently experimental, and the clergy are not obliged to provide them. Same-sex civil marriages have been legal in England and Wales since 2013.

The religious blessing services could take place in a few weeks after the General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, votes on it on Wednesday, News.ro reported, as cited by The Guardian.

Same-sex couples will be able to enjoy the services offered by the Church with their relatives and friends, this is allowed by the institution. Also, the celebration can be organized with music, readings, confetti and other similar elements.

The decision to introduce the independent services on a trial basis over the coming weeks was taken in response to the campaign by activists.

However, the full process of permitting special services for same-sex marriages can take up to two years.

Stephen Croft, the Bishop of Oxford who proposed the amendment, explained that the services were experimental, autonomous and voluntary, so no clergy would be required to serve.

“I hope that there will be the same joy and confirmation, and that those who come to receive these prayers will feel fully accepted in the life of the church,” the Oxford bishop said, according to the BBC.

Jane Ozann is an LGBT activist who is a member of the General Synod of the Church of England, calling on the Church to reverse its decision and allow same-sex couples to marry. “The Church of England remains deeply homophobic, regardless of what the bishops and archbishops say,” she said, according to the source cited.

On the other hand, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland allow same-sex marriage.

The official position of the Church of England in Wales is to provide licensed blessing services for gay couples, but official marriages are not allowed.