A HOTEL near Kidderminster is set to be the first in Wyre Forest to play host to a same-sex "marriage-style" ceremony this weekend.

Lord Lee Morton and David Ronald Smith will exchange vows and cement their love at The Granary Hotel, Shenstone, on Saturday.

The couple were blessed at another local hotel 18 months ago but jumped at the chance to make their commitment official when the Civil Partnership Act came into effect in December.

Lord Lee Morton, who was given his title as a birthday present, and his partner hope to lead the way for others by being the first to take part in a hotel civil partnership in Wyre Forest.

The lavish affair will include 112 guests for the black tie and evening dress wedding.

A gourmet five-course dinner will follow, with an opera singer serenading the guests as the pair sign the declaration of love.

The new act gives same-sex couples the same legal rights as a married couple, including life assurance, next of kin rights and inheritance tax.

Mandy Bonner and Diane Pearson, of Kidderminster, were the first couple in Wyre Forest to tie the knot at the town's register office on December 21.