Marriage is a sacred commitment of two people to love one another in faithful partnership with the expectation that the relationship will mature and be mutually enriching. Friends know that marriage depends on the inner experiences of the couple who marry and not on any external service or words. Thus, the ceremony in which the couple enter into this commitment is performed by the couple, in the presence of God, the families, and the worshiping community. Both the solemnity and the joy of the occasion are enhanced by its simplicity.

Raleigh Friends Meeting (RFM) will accept a request for marriage, under the care of the Meeting, of any two people and respond to that request in the traditional manner of Friends as stated in Faith and Practice of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (1997).

With the arriving at clearness for marriage under the care of the Meeting, RFM accepts and encourages an ongoing and mutual responsibility between the couple and RFM, for the care and nurture of the marriage.

Friends acknowledge that the Meeting's understanding of marriage and the legal definition of marriage may be some times at variance. A couple's coming to clarity about marriage involves recognizing the difference between a sacred commitment and a legally recognized one.

Approved the fifth month 16th day in the year 2004