This wedding document is created after the traditional Quaker-style marriage certificate with guest signatures. The calligraphy at the top, which tells of the wedding ceremony in detail, was done by hand prior to the wedding. Erasable pencil lines were made in columns for the wedding guests to sign. An attendant stood with the document before the wedding and at the reception, directing the guests to sign across the columns from left to right and row by row, using an archival, fade-resistant pen. The bride and groom also "set their hands" to the document (signed it!) as is the Quaker-style custom. After the wedding, the lines toward the end, which weren't signed, were trimmed down, and a Celtic braid was added as a border, using pen and watercolor. The document was then custom framed, making a keepsake to treasure through future generations. Here you see it just before framing, giving you an idea of the size of the piece (about 19 X 23 inches), which held almost two-hundred signatures.
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