A Hindu woman and her Jewish soulmate have married in what is believed to be the UK’s first interfaith lesbian wedding.

The two women, Kalavati Mistry and Mirriam Jefferson have said “I do” on Saturday in a Hindu ceremony after they met 20 years ago on a training course.

Ms Mistry aged 48 has been keeping her sexuality a secret for many years since it is difficult for a gay Asian person to be accepted in a society.

But her friends and family have been “welcoming and embracing” to Ms Jefferson since she revealed their relationship, she said, adding: “I hope many many gay people, no matter what religion or culture they’re in, are in loving relationships.”

The couple, who both work for an interfaith organisation, married at the Chutney Ivy restaurant in Leicester.

Ms Jefferson revealed they had already had a Jewish wedding in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas, earlier this year.

She told Mail Online: “It’s really nice to now have a Hindu wedding here, because it brings both of us together and completes both of us in my eyes.”

The couple will return to live in the US after the wedding.