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I stumbled upon this a while back, and absolutely LOVED this idea. In Quaker marriages, the vows are written out on a beautiful manuscript, which is signed by all the guests attending the wedding. By signing the paper, the guests are pledging to support the couple in their relationship. In the words of this certificate, “As members of a loving community, we set our hands in caring witness to this union.”
Now, this would not be practical at a large wedding. But at our 100-person fete, I think it’s totally doable, and an amazing option in place of a guestbook. How romantic to have a beautiful reminder of your vows and every person who witnessed your wedding hanging in your home.
Are you considering a creative alternative to a guest book?
Good idea! That sounds so sweet. I am considering a big picture frame - with a small picture and a lot of matting for people to sign. That way, I can pick a photo after the wedding to put in there and hang it up somewhere nice. It will be a great reminder of our day!
Wow! What a great idea! I would love to do that!
You might want to have someone take charge of this to ensure you get everyone’s signatures. It means so much that you’d hate to only have half of your guests “support” your marriage! 
Perhaps a friend or cousin could solicite all of the signatures, and then go around to the tables during dinner to make sure that everyone signed! (They wouldn’t have to take the actual paper with them– just remind everyone to sign it before the night is over.)
My photographer offers a picture sign in book. They take all of your photos from your engagement shoot and create a guestbook out of them. This way, instead of just having a bunch of signatures, it will be like our “engagement photo album” & guest book combined!
I LOVE this idea! We were trying to think of ways to include everyone, and this is just too perfect.
I love this idea. We live in the Philly area where his family is from. This would be a great way of incorporating some of his heritage into our Connecticut wedding.
Our plan, at the moment, for the guest book is to have two oars painted and then providing paint pens or permanent markers to sign them. We would then hang them in our home.
Although I loved our guest signing a a photo mat, I really like the idea of the Quarker Marriage Certificate. What a great idea!
I agree, this is a wonderful idea - I may have to steal this 
We are doing this at our wedding! The only thing I’m concerned about is what vows to include on it– we are writing our own and want them to be a surprise to each other. We may substitute a quote or reading that is meaningful to us.
What a beautiful and meaningful tradition. How will you print it to give it an old look? (Because I completely covet all things vintage!)
We had one of these at our small wedding (40 guests). I have to rave about the talented lady who made mine - Sally Sanders was just awesome!
I started with this design: http://www.sallysanders.com/weddings/certificates/nicole.htm
customized all of the wording and the sections for the signatures, had her incorporate a Celtic knot that I had on our invites and adjusted the colors to be more naturally fall. It came in an incredible portfolio that I used to display it at the ceremony and there was even a clear piece of plastic for the guests to rest their hands on to avoid smudges!
@Sheri: GORGEOUS!!! I would love to have Sally make ours… it’s just a little bit too pricey for us. But she is definitely a dream vendor for me. I’m so jealous! :)@Mrs. Avocado: See, that’s the problem. I’m not really sure how I’m going to execute. I love to paint and draw, so I’m pretty sure I could do the decoration myself, it’s just the printing part where I run into trouble…
@Miss Powder Puff Yeah, getting her to make our certificate was one of my big splurges! If you can paint and draw, why not get a big piece of nice paper and make your own like Sally does? She paints on the decorations, writes the text in calligraphy and then draws in the signature lines in pencil. Once the guests sign, you erase the signature lines with a good art eraser and you’re all set to get it framed!
[...] newest obsession is Quaker marriage certificates. If you can remember from my previous post, this is basically a certificate that states your vows, and your intent to enter into marriage. The [...]
Quaker wedding certificates as an obsession? Makes me chuckle. I am a Quaker (no I don’t go about dressed in historical garb or a bonnet) and these certificates have been a part of our weddings for centuries. Here in PA, for marriages under the care of a Meeting, we have a special marriage lisence for legal purposes AND we have the handwritten document signed by all attending the exchange of vows. For us, it is more than a pretty momento. Yes too, they can be written to accomodate as many or as few names as is wanted, as a marriage with Quaker oversight often includes attendance by the Meeting, as it is considered a Meeting for Worship that includes an exchange of vows.
Where can we have one made?
Kristen, the incredible Sally Sanders did mine:
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Mrs. Powder Puff, Chicago Age and Occupation: 25, Preschool Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Career Services Engagement Date: May, 2008 Wedding Date: July, 2009 Blogging Since: November 12, 2008 Venue: Outdoor ceremony, banquet hall reception About Me: I am your typical Midwestern girl attempting to plan a sane, budget-friendly, fun wedding to the man of my dreams. I love shoes, laughing at “Platinum Weddings”, crafts, inspiration boards, candy, and basically anything I can DIY. While weddings can certainly be all-consuming, I honestly can’t wait until the ceremony is over and I can finally call Mr. Powder Puff my husband!
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