The form below reflects the historic wording of the marriage certificate. It may be modified as the couple desires to reflect their terminology for one another and pronoun usage. At minimum, the certificate includes the full names of the couple, name and location (city and state) of the monthly meeting, date of the wedding, statement of the vows exchanged, signatures of the couple and the signatures of those with oversight of the wedding and other witnesses. The couple prepares the wording of the certificate and reviews it with the oversight committee before the certificate is printed.
Whereas [name] of [Town and State], son/daughter of [names of parents: use mother’s maiden name], and [name] of [Town and State], daughter/son of [names of parents: use mother’s maiden name], having declared their intentions of marriage with each other to ____________________Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends held at _________________, their proposed marriage was allowed by that meeting.
Now this is to certify to whom it may concern, that for the accomplishment of their intention, this _____________day of the _______________month, in the year of our Lord ___________, they, [name] and [name], appeared in a meeting for worship of the Religious Society of Friends, held at _________________, and [first name], taking [first name] by the hand, did on this solemn occasion declare that he took her, [name], to be his wife, promising with divine assistance to be unto her a loving and faithful husband so long as they both shall live; and then in the same assembly [name] did in like manner declare that she took him, [name], to be her husband, promising with divine assistance to be unto him a loving and faithful wife so long as they both shall live. And moreover, they, [name and name], did as further confirmation thereof, then and there, to this certificate set their hands.
[spaces for signatures of couple, with names they will use after the wedding]
And we having been present at the marriage have as witnesses hereunto set our hands.
