Ann Martin, master quill-stress and blogger of all things paper, recently created this absolutely gorgeous quilled marriage certificate for a North Carolina beach wedding. I love the soft, pastel colors found in the quilled paper floral motif and think that this is such a lovely detail to include as part of one’s wedding. The poster-sized certificate can be used in place of the guest book and can be framed and hung in the couple’s home as a reminder of the special day.

Marriage certificates are Quaker by tradition, but the idea is beginning to catch on for all types of weddings. Certificates are often painted, but Ann adds her own special twist by creating motifs in quilled paper, which gives a wonderful dimensional quality to the certificate. Quaker certificates typically feature the couple’s vows in calligraphy and are signed by the couple and two witnesses, as well as guests during the wedding. By signing, guests are pledging their steadfast support of the couple in marriage. In non-Quaker weddings, guests can sign right after the ceremony or when they arrive at the reception.

If you’re interested in having a custom marriage certificate created for your wedding, you can contact Ann via her blog, and she encourages those interested in crafts and diy projects to give it a try yourself. You can check out her Quilling 101 tutorial to get started, and she also has a number of project specific tutorials over at all things paper. Seeing her tutorials really makes me want to break out my quilling paper and tools and create something!

images from Ann Martin; calligraphy by Riva Brown of Living Letters Studio (Wilmington, DE)