Dear Friends, I offer advice about Quaker Weddings and marriage, so the enquiry below is one on which I’d like to offer my thoughts. In England and Wales, marriages have to take place in buildings registered for marriages – unless they are Quaker weddings or Jewish weddings. Quaker Meeting Houses are not registered for marriages, so civil weddings or other church weddings are not possible in Quaker Meeting Houses. There are also complex regulations about civil marriages not taking place in religious venues. Informal celebrations that are not formal weddings are possible in a Quaker Meeting House, but that is a lettings issue. Quote from Handbook for Registering Officers (access from www.quaker.org.uk/ro<http://www.quaker.org.uk/ro> ) 15. Non-Quaker weddings or civil partnerships in Quaker meeting houses Registering officers may be asked for advice when a local meeting receives a request to hold a non-Quaker wedding in a meeting house. This request may, for example, come from a group which hires the meeting house. In England and Wales other groups and organisations cannot hold a wedding in a Quaker meeting house as meeting houses are not registered for marriages or civil partnerships. If a Meeting House is hired out to a church or other faith group for their worship services, then there may be an enquiry from that group about the Quaker Meeting House being used for religious weddings. If your meeting house is asked to consider this, then please contact appropriate Yearly Meeting staff before taking any action. In England or Wales, this would generally only be possible if the Meeting House was registered as a place where marriages could take place. It is possible for a Meeting House to be used as a venue for a wedding reception or for non-official marriage ceremonies, where the actual marriage is going to be a civil marriage or civil partnership taking place at a different venue. This becomes a lettings issue, but it is important that as far as possible it is made clear that such an event is not a legal wedding or civil partnership. I’d be happy to respond directly if Friends have questions on specific issues. Yours, in Friendship (and fully clothed) Michael Michael S Booth Church Government Adviser Quaker Church Affairs he/him I generally work Monday-Thursday Quakers in Britain 020 7663 1023 (direct) michaelsb@quaker.org.uk<mailto:michaelsb@quaker.org.uk> | www.quaker.org.uk<http://www.quaker.org.uk/> Follow Quakers in Britain on Twitter<http://twitter.com/BritishQuakers>, Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/BritishQuakers>, YouTube<https://www.youtube.com/quakersinbritain>, and Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/britishquakers/>. All Quakers in Britain staff can be contacted using their usual email addresses or phone numbers. They may be working from home, in Friends House (London), in the Yorkshire Centre (Leeds) or at a base local to them. The Quaker Centre Bookshop and Café<https://www.friendshouse.co.uk/quaker-centre/> (Friends House, London) are open to the public, following public heath advice. Friends House is open for meetings and events. Swarthmoor Hall is closed for refurbishment. All enquiries welcome to events@quaker.org.uk<mailto:events@quaker.org.uk> or www.friendshouse.co.uk/booking-enquiry<http://www.friendshouse.co.uk/booking-enquiry>. If you would like to support our work, you can give online at www.quaker.org.uk/donate<http://www.quaker.org.uk/donate>. Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Registered charity number 1127633 | Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ From: Judi Brill <judibrill@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, February 19, 2024 11:10 AM To: Wardenship Egroup <wardenship@lists.quaker.eu.org> Cc: Plymouth, LQM <house.quaker@googlemail.com> Subject: [wardenship] Re: Naturalist wedding enquiry Hi Esther Curiously, I was actually speaking with someone on the phone who had called me with the same enquiry for a Naturist Wedding in August when your message arrived! The call came from a withheld number and the caller had quite a pronounced speech impediment. I told him we would be happy to consider a booking for a Naturist Wedding. After he had asked me a number of questions about my personal experience of naturism I asked him if it was relevant to know about my personal involvement, if any. He immediately hung up and hasn’t called back. In friendship Judi Judi Brill Wardenship Egroup Administrator Meeting House Flat 300 Gloucester Road Horfield Bristol BS7 8PDs ///palace.wounds.fill Tel: 0117 942 9142 Mob: 07967 558615 judibrill@gmail.com<mailto:judibrill@gmail.com> On 19 Feb 2024, at 11:02, Quaker House via wardenship <wardenship@lists.quaker.eu.org<mailto:wardenship@lists.quaker.eu.org>> wrote: From: Quaker House <house.quaker@googlemail.com<mailto:house.quaker@googlemail.com>> Subject: [wardenship] Naturalist wedding enquiry Date: 19 February 2024 at 11:02:31 GMT To: Quaker Wardenship Support <wardenship@lists.quaker.eu.org<mailto:wardenship@lists.quaker.eu.org>> Dear Wardens/Managers, Have any of you had any requests and or experience of hiring your Meeting House for a naturalist wedding or event? If so, can you share any suggestions for any additional questions that might need to be raised prior to the hire that would be much appreciated. Our enquiry is for a naturalist wedding in August, date TBC. Kind regards, Esther White Quaker House Manager 01752 600760 house.quaker@googlemail.com<mailto:house.quaker@googlemail.com> www.quakerhouseplymouth.org.uk<http://www.quakerhouseplymouth.org.uk/> Quaker House, 74 Mutley Plain, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 6LF _______________________________________________ wardenship mailing list -- wardenship@lists.quaker.eu.org<mailto:wardenship@lists.quaker.eu.org> To unsubscribe send an email to wardenship-leave@lists.quaker.eu.org<mailto:wardenship-leave@lists.quaker.eu.org>