In appointing the time and place of the public meeting for worship for the solemnisation of marriage, the registering officer should be consulted in order that he or she may be present. In cases where the registering officer is unable to be present, the Recording Clerk should be consulted.

It is recommended that the meeting making the appointment ensures, by the appointment of a sufficient number of suitable Friends, that the meeting for worship may be rightly held in accordance with our usage.

Although the relationship between Quaker practice and the law is different in England and Wales and in Scotland, it is desirable that our practice should be consistent throughout our yearly meeting.

Friends’ marriages may, subject to the conditions set out below, be solemnised on any day and at any time in a meeting house or other place to which the public has access. If, however, it is proposed to solemnise a marriage outside the hours from eight in the morning to six in the afternoon, or in a place where no regular public meeting for worship is held, the area meeting (in consultation with the registering officer and with the Recording Clerk) should satisfy itself that there are adequate reasons for this, that the public will have access, that a sufficient number of Friends will be able to attend at the time and place proposed to ensure that the meeting for worship is rightly held in accordance with our usage, and that there are no legal impediments. Further details are given in the Handbook for registering officers.

Any exceptional arrangements (for instance, for those who are housebound, detained, or seriously ill and not expected to recover) require close consultation between the Recording Clerk, the registering officer and the official registrar (see 16.36).