Society of Friends Quaker Meeting House Wedding
Charlie and Alex were married in August at The Society of Friends Quaker Meeting House in Barnsley. They then went on to Shaw Lane Sports Club for a celebrant led wedding ceremony and their afternoon reception. It was a wedding unlike any other I’d photographed, and it was stunning.
I met Charlie & Alex just inside the Quaker Meeting House in Barnsley following their legal wedding ceremony. While photography wasn’t permitted during the ceremony I was able to capture the signing of the Marriage Certificate. In a Quaker wedding, everyone present is seen as a witness and invited to sign the certificate – with no restrictions on the amount of people or their age.
This tradition stemmed from the first Quaker marriages. They weren’t recognised in the eyes of the law, but the Quaker community didn’t want to marry in secret. By asking everyone who witnessed the ceremony to give their signature in acknowledgement of the union the civil authorities couldn’t ignore it and they eventually became recognised by law.
After we’d captured some photographs outside the Meeting House, we went on to Shaw Lane Sports Club for a second wedding ceremony. This was led by Tania Fisher, a wedding celebrant and allowed Charlie & Alex to walk down the aisle with their Grandads while their family and friends watched on. During this ceremony they exchanged bespoke vows and wedding rings. Everyone present at Shaw Lane that wasn’t at the Meeting House was then also asked to sign the certificate of marriage.
When everyone had signed their name we went out into the grounds to capture all the group shots and couple photographs. It was such a beautifully sunny day that we were spoiled for choice of backdrops! We used all the available fields and the woodland walk to give Charlie & Alex the widest variety of photographs we could.
Following the speeches it was time for me to leave. It was such an amazing day, and I had a great time capturing all the little moments for these newlyweds.
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Venue: The Society of Friends Quaker Meeting House & Shaw Lane Sports Club
Celebrant: Tania Fisher Celebrant
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