Becca and Brittney are two of the most joyful people I’ve ever worked with — a children’s librarian and a schoolteacher who built their entire wedding day around the things they love most: their community, their faith, children’s books, and a really good brunch.
What Is a Quaker Wedding Ceremony?
A Quaker wedding ceremony — formally called a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Marriage — is unlike any other wedding ceremony you’ll likely attend. There’s no officiant, no predetermined script, and no one running the show. The couple gathers with their community in silence, and together they hold space for reflection — about the couple, about their own relationships with them, and about their own relationship with the divine.
At some point during the meeting, the couple rises and speaks their vows to each other. They sign their marriage certificate — which, in a Quaker ceremony, is witnessed and signed by every person present. After the couple speaks, guests are invited to share messages if they feel led. No one is required to speak. No one is required to stay silent. The community shows up and offers whatever feels true.
The Atlanta Friends Meeting practices unprogrammed silent worship, without paid clergy or prepared ministry of any kind. A Quaker ceremony may be an hour of near-total silence, or it may be filled with messages — it depends entirely on the community and the moment.
For Becca and Brittney’s wedding, it was the latter. Message after message, every one of them a testament to how much their people believed in them.
I wasn’t photographing the ceremony — no photography is permitted during a Quaker wedding, and that’s as it should be. The focus belongs entirely in the room. But I was there, and I can tell you: it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever witnessed.
About Atlanta Friends Meeting
Atlanta Friends Meeting is located at 701 W Howard Ave in Decatur, Georgia — accessible and rooted in the community it’s served since 1943. The meeting is an unprogrammed, non-pastoral Quaker meeting, gathered in the belief that every person has the capacity to know the will of the Divine directly, requiring neither a specific liturgy nor the interpretation of an intermediary.
Because Friends believe that there is that of God in everyone, the Atlanta Friends Meeting welcomes each person, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, marital status, disability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and gender identity.
The meetinghouse itself is worth describing for couples considering it as a wedding venue. It offers simple, icon-free, light-filled spaces, featuring oversized windows in every room, vaulted ceilings, simple yellow pine trim, and is all on one level with step-less entries. The Meeting Room has floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides and a dramatic skylight overhead, seats up to 200 people, and overlooks a private wooded ravine and spacious lawn. It’s a genuinely beautiful space — simple, warm, and full of natural light in a way that photographs beautifully even without ceremony coverage.
Becca & Brittney’s Wedding Day
The First Look
Becca and Brittney had one of the most precious first looks I’ve ever photographed. The classroom divider at Atlanta Friends Meeting was drawn back, and the moment Becca’s mom pulled it aside so they could see each other — the sheer delight on their faces, the way Brittney immediately found the pockets on Becca’s dress, the way they just couldn’t contain it — that was the whole day in a single moment. Pure joy, completely unperformed.
The Ceremony
No photography inside. I stepped out and let their community hold them. By every account, it was exactly what a Quaker ceremony is supposed to be — full of messages, full of love, full of the people who know them best saying the truest things they could think of. Brittney described it as every single message revealing how much joy and faith their friends and family had in them. That’s a ceremony.
The Reception
The reception was a children’s-book-themed community brunch — and it was completely, perfectly them. Picture books on every table for impromptu story times. Games for guests to play. A massive homemade brunch, some of it cooked by the brides themselves. Their first dance was a full reenactment of the elaborate handshake from The Parent Trap, which earned an immediate encore.
It was the kind of reception where you look around and realize every single detail was chosen with intention — not for aesthetics, but because it was true to who they are. That’s the hardest thing to pull off and the most joyful thing to document.
Advice from the Brides
On keeping it simple: “Focus on the community of people you’re bringing together for your wedding and the love and support they’re offering you and your spouse as you begin your marriage.” — Rebecca
On the legal stuff: “We got the legal stuff done way ahead in advance because we were so excited. I was afraid it would take away from the magic of the wedding day. But in the end, it made the wedding day way more chill because, at the end of the day, we were already married. Nothing could ruin that for us.” — Brittney
On anxiety: “I would have gotten that Xanax sooner and started seeing a therapist months ahead of time.” — Rebecca, on what she’d change
FAQs About Atlanta Quaker Weddings
What is a Quaker wedding ceremony? A Quaker wedding is a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Marriage — an unprogrammed ceremony held in community silence, without an officiant or set script. The couple speaks their vows to each other, signs a marriage certificate witnessed by everyone present, and guests may share messages if they feel moved to do so. It’s one of the most community-centered wedding ceremonies that exists.
Can anyone have a Quaker wedding? Couples who are members of a Quaker meeting can marry under the care of that meeting. Non-members who have a meaningful connection to the meeting may also be able to marry there — contact the Atlanta Friends Meeting directly to discuss their marriage guidelines, which were last updated in 2011.
Is photography allowed during a Quaker ceremony? No — photography is not permitted during the ceremony itself. The focus belongs entirely to the community in the room. Couples typically plan portrait time before and after the ceremony to ensure full coverage of the day.
Where is Atlanta Friends Meeting located? Atlanta Friends Meeting is at 701 W Howard Ave, Decatur, GA 30030. It’s the Atlanta area’s primary Quaker meetinghouse and has been active in some form since 1943. You can reach them at atlantaquakers@gmail.com or (404) 377-2474.
Can you rent Atlanta Friends Meeting for a wedding? Yes — the meetinghouse is available for rent for weddings, commitment ceremonies, and other celebrations. The Meeting Room seats up to 200 and features floor-to-ceiling windows and a skylight. Contact the Atlanta Friends Meeting directly for availability and rental guidelines.
Do you photograph Quaker weddings? Yes — and it’s some of the most meaningful work I do. The no-photography-during-ceremony constraint isn’t a limitation; it just means the coverage lives in the moments before and after, which are often the most intimate of the entire day. If you’re planning an Atlanta Quaker wedding, get in touch here.
Ready to Document Your Atlanta Quaker Wedding?
Becca and Brittney’s day reminded me of what weddings are actually for — not a production, but a gathering. A community showing up to say: we see you, we love you, we believe in this. If that’s the kind of day you’re building, I’d be honored to document it. Get in touch here.
Vendors
- Florist – A friend donated paper flowers from her wedding and we made more of our own.
- Caterer – Rebecca!/DIY
- Cakes/Desserts – We didn’t have a cake, and some members of our Meeting brought desserts.
- Venues – Atlanta Friends Meeting
- DJ – Britt made a community Spotify playlist and we asked friends to add songs they thought should be there.
- Hair Stylist/Makeup Artist – Kellyn Willey, https://www.theparisianbubble.com/
- Dress/Clothing – Rebecca, Eshakti; Britt, ModCloth
- Rings – Worthmore Jewelers
