Not gonna lie, the title reminded me instantly of that one vine: “You may be verified on Twitter... but are you verified, in the eyes of god?”

The pre-marriage "are you sure you've thought of everything?" community meeting sounds like a remarkably good idea

Can we get a video with Claudia about her thoughts on Quakerism?

Quaker wedding certificates are really cool. In my day job (Quaker archivist in Canada) I have about a dozen certificates from the late 1700s-early 1800s and three of them had so many people in attendance that they had to start signing their names between lines of text in miniscule writing, and right around the edges, and some even curving around other signatures. It's an utter mess of a document to transcribe, but really lovely to see how many people loved the couple.

I'm an atheist and very critical to ALL religions, mainly because of the political/humanitarian implications they have regarding equality, human rights, discrimination/persecution because of race, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs, etc etc. But your Quakerism is one of the few descriptions of religious practice I've heard that kind of ... makes sense. With or without a god of some kind, the thought of "everyone is equal, be kind, and do the best you can because that's the right thing to do", is how I try to live my life and how I think everyone should act. Thank you, Jessica, for teaching me more about this.

"The longest a Quaker marriage has gone on is 69 hours" Me: nice "And that was in 1969" Me: NICE

In Sweden we have the same beautiful tradition of the couple walking in together as they are equal but unfortunately because of American tv people are choosing to be handed over from their father to the husband now. It’s crazy that people don’t understand how beautiful it is to have a equal wedding :(

Honestly, any God that would have a problem with two adults being in a loving relationship and making each other happy isn't a God I'm willing to worship.

every one of your quaker videos I sit there thinking 'i didn't know it was possible to have a religion this good', just such pure ideas of equality and free expression. would love to hear more about quaker history things!

quakers are kind even if it breaks the law

I don't know why but I find your voice very soothing and relaxing 😊😍😴

Well, you made me realize how little I know about religion. Identifying as Queer myself, I just drifted far far apart from judgemental people, and ended up boxing a lot of religions away. Now listening to you talk about your religion is an eye opening thing for me. Thank you Jessica. Your channel is full of awesome and beautiful content, and that I have Stevie Boebi to thank for introducing you to my world.

Thank you for watching! Let me know what topic you would like me to cover next...

This video made me read up on Quakerism in New Zealand (i'm a kiwi!!) and it sounds so cool. The NZ Friends really care about social justice issues. They have a lot of information on their site about prison reforms and also the Treaty of Waitangi (The NZ treaty about indigenous rights) which is awesome. This is their statement on gay relationships "Love has many shapes and colours and is not finite. It cannot be measured or defined in terms of sexual orientation. In Quaker practice we believe that we all are equally called to ministry, through our worship, our daily lives, our service to others and in the activities and celebrations of our meeting. Lesbian and gay Friends have played and will continue to play a significant part in Quaker life, thought and ministry both locally and nationally." I'm an atheist but if I were religious I feel like this would be the religion closest to my values.

Wow! That is the most I have ever heard from a Quaker about the Quaker faith! Also if I was at a wedding that lasted 69 hours I would go insane...

My only experience with Quakerism is my grandparents, who are extremely homophobic, so it is really awesome to have it explained a little more in depth and by a fellow rainbow coloured person (as you so wonderfully called it!). Thank you for all the awesome information! :)

I’m atheist, even though I go to a catholic school, but for some reason I love to watch you talk about your religion. Your voice is so relaxing and you look so beautiful.

Funny old bunch the Quakers, aren't we? Well done for treating our differences with such humour and insight. I've been a Friend since 1987 and with my husband since 1991. We didn't have a Quaker marriage but we have been lovingly accepted by just about everyone in every meeting we've been to. I'm also pleased to report that I occasionally attended Meeting for Worship in Dallas (Deep in the heart of Texas - and the bible belt - unprogrammed) when on business trips and no one there even batted an eyelid when I mentioned my husband.

Quakers just seem like the most chill, loving people... it’s basically the only religion that encourages happiness and love to all from everyone regardless of any factors. It seems like such a lovely way to live and conduct yourself.

I feel like the two jokes that sum up Quakerism are: Ask 3 Quakers a question about religion and you’ll get 5 answers My meeting has about 10 members and 11 committees

How does divorce work/is divorce received within Quakerism? I know you said Quakers generally viewed marriage as a life long commitment, but there's lots of different possible situations that could happen. I come from a (mostly atheist/scandi Lutheran) family super full of divorce so I get curious about how other groups receive it haha :)

Your lipstick is so sassy and gorgeous! Watching your videos on Quakerism has opened my eyes, I had no idea about this religion (is that the right word?) beyond the name. It sounds like a very accepting and loving thing. So wholesome. That said, is there another side of the coin? Have you ever struggled with aspects of being a Quaker?

My husband and I had a Quaker wedding. The clearness committee process was terrifying. The people were lovely, but goodness, it was nerve-wracking. After that, somebody dropped the ball, and a committee to help us with the rest of the planning/implementation was not formed until 4 days before the wedding. That was great. Our wedding was amazing. A small cousin brought us a picture she colored half way through, our family and friends said the best things, and it ended with my 2 year old nephew coming and sitting on the bench with us. (Side note, my Meeting has a special marriage bench that we cart into the meeting room for weddings and its design is based on a headboard.) We didn't exchange rings, we just wore them to the wedding. In the U.S. the declarations are not standard, the couple can choose what to say, but we pretty much went with what you read out.

Honestly, Quakerism sounds like a witch's circle. I'm not saying this in a horrible way, I myself am a witch and it sounds very similar to my circle. It's a close, loose knit group of people who come together to perform spells and rituals together, while still being able to worship (or in my case, work with) any gods or goddesses that we want to bring into the situation. Its very freeing and your religion sounds great, you should talk to harmony nice or witch of wonderlust to talk about the similarities and differences between your ways of life and thinking.

True fact: Some counties in Pennsylvania (United States of America) allow a self-uniting wedding license also colloquially known as a Quaker marriage license due to our Quaker roots. It's legal throughout the state but some government officials are unaware of legal rulings and will deny a request for one.

Jessica, Your videos about Quakerism have been so precious and special to me! For backstory, I grew up in an extremely Baptist Evangelical church in the Southern part of the US. I went to a university that was still heavily Baptist, but the entire time, I felt very disconnected and like there was something missing in what was being taught and what I was understanding the Bible to believe. I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in English Literature this past May, and I recently got married at the beginning of August. My husband and I both have come to a place in our spiritual walk that we wanted to find something better suited to our understandings and our beliefs. When you posted your first Quaker video, it was honestly a gift from God guiding us in the right direction. After doing research and discussing how we felt about what we've learned so far, we finally visited our local Quaker meeting this past week, and had such a wonderful experience that we are planning on going again tomorrow! Our meeting is very small, as Quakerism seems to not have made as big of an impact in the Southern US as it did up North, but it was still an amazing time. I know that sometimes it can be very difficult to talk about religion on the internet, but I want to thank you so very much for doing so, as it has encouraged me to branch out and find the place my husband and I have been looking for. One question I have that probably doesn't deserve an entire video: How do Quakers feel about converts (if you could call us that ha!), and marriages that take place outside of the meeting? If we wanted to have a ceremony within the meeting as well later on (like some people do vow renewals), would that be appropriate? Anyway, thank you so much for all the amazing videos you make! Blessings to you and Claudia!

"Yay for gay" is my favorite thing ever

"I looked a mess" never have I heard a more blatant falsehood.

Oh my goodness, I am such a fan, and also a queer Quaker... I didn't realize we had the Quaker piece in common, and it makes me so happy to hear you speaking about this part of your experience. Thank you for living so beautifully into your gifts.

Your previous video about Quakerism really inspired me to go to a meeting of friends close to me! I really liked it and will most likely continue to go

hearing about the early same-sex marriages preformed by Quakers is cool, I'd like to know more about Quakers and Activism (that's be a good topic for a Video)

Fun fact: In Pennsylvania in the US, even non-Quakers can have "self-uniting" weddings based on Quaker tradition! This allows them to solemnize their marriage with only witnesses and no officiant, as in Jess and Claud’s wedding. It was a great option for my sister and brother-in law, as a secular couple committed to egalitarian marriage. A couple don’t have be Quaker or even theistic to do this in PA.

I attended a Quaker wedding years ago and it was the best wedding I have ever attended. It was so welcoming and you really did feel like you are a part of something special. I still remember. I came across your channel through falling down a KZfaq wormhole. I'm so glad I did. Your happiness and strength are refreshing. Watching the way you two interact with one another makes me thing of my girlfriend and I. Thanks for the great videos.

I was honestly caught off guard when I saw this on my home page haha. I went to a Quaker school from elementery through high and I never hear anyone talk about it elsewhere. I don't really practice anymore but Quakerism will always have a special place in my heart. :) Cool video!

Great video!! How do Quakers treat people with disabilities? For example, could you have a sign language interpreter at the meetings? Are the meeting houses typically wheel chair friendly?

I started watching this channel over a year ago as a British lesbian with an interest in BSL and SSE. Over that time I learnt about your religion, felt inspired and finally made the first step in what feels like the right direction. I attended my first Quaker meeting today (in High Wycombe- shout out to local Friends!) and can honestly say they are the most welcoming people I've ever met. Your story is a beautiful one, thank you for sharing!

I recently went to a Quaker Wedding 👰🏼 party 🎊 and - honestly - that’s was the first time I’ve heard of Quakerism. This video was so helpful and I have learnt a lot from your video, Jessica. You and Claude’s wedding sounded wonderful; I loved the idea 💡 of having wedding rings tied on string on a bouquet 💐. Honestly, I felt like crying for joy when I saw the pictures. Thank you so much for an awesome video, Jessica; keep on making awesome content. 🙂🦋✨

Love this video. I’m Unitarian Universalist, which is often considered a quirky cousin of the Quakers (and the youth group culture takes a lot from Quaker culture although the adults are often far behind). I just got spurned from my congregation for essentially being Too Honest and Not Being Good at Having a Pretense - and not feeling enough shame about such things to change my ways - and now that I’m back in England for a bit (either a week or a month, depending on how convincing my friends are) I’m reminded of how much I loved the Quaker meeting houses when I was here in university. My home-town in the US, Providence, seems to have a fairly good Society as well - certainly very tempted. Your words and history meant a great deal to me. Snerked at the comment about feeling guilty over privileges not shared amongst others! So true. Eck, brain’s not too much in a working place but wanted to drop by a comment. Time to see if I can go and get some food in this biologic-bionic body of mine. Cheers for this video and for speaking about your religion on your channel!

Been waitin’ for this. ❤️

I love how the Quaker marriage declaration begins with, "... I take my FRIEND, so-and-so, as my wife/husband..."

Your explanations of topics are always so easy to understand and so articulate! You would be an incredible teacher and I'm glad that you are using your knowledge and experiences to educate the youtube community on issues that you believe are important. Thanks for all you do!

I love this series! Going through my family tree Quakerism has played a huge part, an ancestor is one of the people who brought Quakerism to America. It’s always felt like part of my family history that I should explore more. After watching your videos it feels like a better fit for me than any religious experience I’ve encountered.

thank you so so much for sharing about your faith!!! I'm Quaker too, and it's so wonderful to see more Quakers sharing what we're all about! I honestly got so excited when I found out you're Quaker, this faith means so much to me and I love being able to see how others live it out in their own way!

Your Quakerism is so full of joy, which is good I was a bit down today. As always you have cheered me up. Thanks 😊😎

I’ve been up all night with nausea and stomach pain and anxiety as a result of the nausea and stomach pain, but I was finally able to calm down and fall asleep when listening to your various Quaker videos... so thank you. Something about the combination of your calm voice and a topic that made me feel calm and tranquil helped me so much tonight. Weird but just wanted to share

I started attending meetings a couple of years ago and only in the last couple of months did I decide to swap over from Catholicism to the Quakers in full. It was a lovely surprise to see your videos on this.

Thank you so much for sharing your faith and your beautiful wedding. I didn’t know much about Quakers but you have shown me how wonderful all different faiths are. Congratulations!

Oh my, the idea of having *everyone* sign the certificate is fantastic. I love the belief behind it of the community lifting you/your marriage up 💜 Plus having the physical record of everyone who was there? Priceless!

I'm a religious studies major in America and I think this is so cool. You've made me want to look into classes on the Quaker religion (which says a lot because I usually like east Asian religions more). Please keep making more videos on this!

Jessica, you need to do read for audiobooks. Your voice is just perfect for it and I would love to hear you doing that!

Your wedding photos are incredible! You both look so beautiful and happy. I've really enjoyed learning more about quakerism through your videos!

I’m absolutely loving learning about Quakerism. Thank you for introducing me to it and teaching us so much about it! I love everything about you, Claud and your channel❤️ ( oh, and the other little members off your family)

The wedding ceremony sounds so lovely and inclusive for everyone. 😊

You are so amazing. I’m not religious myself but think i do want to go to some liberal Quaker event just to get to know them better. I’m also in Brighton soon any places that are must see?

Jessica I just wanted to say thank you so so much for opening up and sharing about your religion! My entire life I've been searching for religion, for a community of people that believed the same as me that I could gather with and celebrate those beliefs. I'm 21 and I've explored several different religions and none of them fit. Last week, I discovered your channel through Ash, and I watched your video about Quakerism. Never in my life have I felt the way I felt after that video, it's like the whole world settled into place for me- everything I've carried with me, my beliefs and my love of God, I find in Quakerism. It's outstanding, and the more I learn about it, the more right it feels. I'm so happy and excited!! I can't believe I've never heard about it beyond the oatmeal brand -.- xD I'm in New Jersey in the USA, and I've done some research and found a local liberal meeting that I'm going to tomorrow morning for the very first time! Just typing this I can't wipe the smile off my face ^.^ So yeah, all of that is just to say thank you- thank you thank you thank you! As a queer woman from an atheist family, I never thought I'd find what I've been searching for. Your channel has brought so much light into my life. I hope you're well and can feel the gratitude I'm sending your way across the pond!

These videos on Quakerism are so informative! As an eclectic pagan learning about other spiritual paths is so important to me! A lot of your core beliefs really match up with the things I believe about the world. A persons spiritual path is something so incredibly individual and I'm so inspired by you sharing yours!

"and you know.....gay" 😂😂 Jessica you are so precious 💕💕

American Friend just popping in to say hello, you are wonderful and thank you for all that you do!

Oh my gosh your wedding photos are so beautiful! The one with your mom is my favorite!

This video is so beautiful. The wedding sounds so romantic 💖 Quakerism sounds lovely from what you describe of your experience. I saw your other video about it and it was very informative. My favorite quote from this video is "we don't need to take oaths because we always speak the truth" I love the channel and I wish peace, health and happiness for you and your wife.

going to looking into quakerism now, seems pretty cool, i love the sound a quaker wedding

Fascinating about the no photos during the ceremony. We have a Quaker group here (Australia) who Livestream their meetings for those who cannot attend. I suppose it's different as the camera is set up before hand, then no one needs to monitor or run it.

This celebration and ceremony of marriage sounds beautiful. Also, from your last video, I absolutely adore the idea of reflection during meetings and everyone being able to minister. It makes soo much more sense to me. My husband and I had a simular paper signed by all the guests at our wedding. It took us quite a bit to mat and frame it, too. Lol

I love this! I've never been one of those people who has always had their 'perfect wedding' planned down to the last detail, but this brought up some really salient points that were interesting to think about. Also just wanted to say that I appreciate your efforts towards giving a comprehensive (if at times maddening) view of quaker beliefs.

My Catholic mom recommended a really good Quaker university to my LGBT+ self when I was looking into higher education. I was like, what? And then I learned about Quakers. Good oatmeal. Great people.

I was super excited to find out that there is actually a Quaker meeting house in my small town! I had no idea Quakerism was a thing a few weeks ago

Love you Jess&Claud. You inspire me and make me smile every day xxx Great video Jessica, beautifully balanced informational, reflective sharing, storytelling of your wedding& your personal journey& experiences~ as with all your content really. There really is no person out there in this world who cannot benefit, enjoy or be empowered, enriched or educated through your content which is so special and rare! Xxxx and you look stunning while doing your thing as an added bonus xxxX

Young British Quaker here, I've only just found your KZfaq channel and it's super cool that you talk about Quaker stuff in an interesting way! You're amazing!

I love learning more about Quakerism! Could you talk a bit on how Quakers view trans and genders stuff? I've heard some religious people say that they don't agree with trans people because they think that how god created you is how you are supposed to be and changing that would be a sin. I'm curious to see how or if this is incorporated in Quakerism.

love you and Claudia (as well as Walter and Tilly ofc) 💛

I just found your channel, You and your spouse are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your special day with us.

Wow this was so insightful. I felt like all the aspects of Quakerism are things I look for in my own spiritual journey. It’s lovely you have found such a safe community!

In my twenties I attended many Quaker meetings with one of my friends. It was always very interesting to hear what people were moved to say! A couple decades later, I attended a Quaker wedding, and it was quite lovely! It was so nice to hear so many people talk about the couple! It had a completely different sort of atmosphere from other weddings because of that participation! My question is do you ever attend Quaker meetings now?

The more I learn about Quakerism the more it fascinates me. And there are aspects I love: The concept of truth telling+ equality is wonderful. The concept of everyone sharing your experience, ministry and teaching and wisdom is great and powerful. But all my negative experiences of religion have not come from scripture or interpretation of scripture...it's been the bad behaviour of people claiming to live the religious life. And my reservation about Quakerism comes from my experience of many people loving the sound of their own voice. In my personal opinion, the only thing worse than a self righteous, judgemental preacher in more structured hierarchical, organised religion would be a self righteous 'equal' using Quakerism to satisfy their need to minister to feel influential or powerful or just to get some attention. Because humans are complicated and not all modest and self aware enough to make decisions beneficial for all at all times.

Quakerism is absolutely fascinating and I’ve never heard about it other than pilgrims to America. Thank you so so much for making this video. In a nationwide protest against gun violence a bunch of kids from my school got into a circle and for hours we sat and when someone felt moved to say something they stood to say whatever they want. It’s wierd it happened naturally but follows that style I love it it is the closest I’ve felt to a spiritual experience

I really enjoy learning about Quakerism, it really hits on a lot of issues I believe and I have actually started reading a lot of materials on Quakers. Thank you for opening my eyes to a whole new world.

I really loved this video! To be honest, I kind of love ALL of your videos, but I find it so interesting to learn about new things. Quakerism is not something I knew much about (I am a recovering Catholic 😉), so I find your videos about it wonderful and very educational. It seems like something I’d be very interested in following/joining, but probably not the American version of it...if that makes sense. You asked if there was any other topics that your viewers would be interested to see...I was thinking about what your thoughts are on “aging in the LGBTQ+ community.” I am over 50 (and disabled, as is my wife) and rarely do I see myself represented on social media or on TV. Honestly, I’m so happy that you are putting yourself out there for the younger generations... I kind of feel like a proud gay auntie, but it would be fantastic (and less isolating/lonely) to see someone like me out here. Thank you for all that you are doing for our communities. 💙🏳️‍🌈 (one more thing: I am dogmom to 6 rescues, and I just love Walter and Tilly, and how much you and Claudia love them...makes my heart sing!!! 🐾❤️).

I know your pain (!) Trying to explain how Paganism works when there are so many different branches with contrasting ideas on EVERYTHING... It's hard! That being said, I'm really enjoying reading your interpretation of Quakerism. It's not one I really covered in my year-and-a-day study, so it's really interesting for me! Can I ask you to cover Quaker divorce at some point? Not to cast a pall, but I'm curious whether there is a natural anti-divorce stance, or whether you're free to come and go. Whether the meeting would try and offer couples' counselling etc

Thank you for this, and for all the other courageous things you do and talk about! My family (especially my daughters) understand more because of you.

Thank you for making this video. I'd only heard of Quakers in school on a off-hand way in history classes in school, and in the Outlander books. I'm so glad you had a video on this-I love your videos, and you explain things so well. Your wedding sounds like it was absolutely lovely. And your video makes me want to do a bit of research on the topic, as well as watch more of your videos. :)

Thank you for sharing this! Your wedding sounds really lovely, I'm not a Quaker but if I ever get married I reckon the ceremony is going to be heavily modeled on what you describe here. Having said that I'd be really interested to see a video about what's involved in becoming a quaker if you wanted to do one?

I have a question about the photography at weddings bit. You mentioned that everyone at the wedding has to be participating but how does drawing differentiate from taking pictures? Both are capturing the moment, just in different ways. I guess the question I'm trying to ask is why is photography not considered participating? Is there a more specific explanation for participation? Is it the shutter sound going off while someone is speaking what makes it distracting? If anyone can shed a little bit of light on this, I'd very much appreciate it! I've never really heard anything about Quakerism so these videos are always a great learning experience!

This video made me really happy! I grew up in a Quaker home, and my parents had a Quaker wedding, their certificate is hanging in our hallway at home and it always makes me happy to look at it. I don’t usually see many people talking about being Quaker outside of meeting, so it’s really great to see someone with a platform like yours talking about it! It also reminds me of my grandmas’ wedding that happened as soon as gay marriage was legalised in NZ; now, neither of them are actually related to me, but I have called them my grandmas since I was little as when we moved to NZ they took on the role pretty quickly, and they were also sort of in charge of our local meeting, so when they had their wedding it was really nice. I hope that one day I’ll be able to have a Quaker wedding, even though I haven’t gone to meetings in a while because of some other circumstances, the Quaker groups have always been an important part of my life. It’s really nice to see your video openly discussing how these weddings work and how different they are from what people thing of as “traditional”!

I was completely ignorant of Quakerism, and honestly always have hesitations when it comes to god, and what you have described has such wonderful and amazing. I love weddings and I always enjoy hearing about people's love and their ways of showing that love toward each other. Thank you for sharing this and making us all a little bit more knowledgeable.

I've only heard of the unorthodox one, the UK conservative one in UK is pretty awesome. If only more religions were like this, the world would be a better place, also your voice is very soothing and calming Jessica. Thnks for sharing and explaining.

Is there any books you would recommend on Quakerism? :)

Very interesting! I love that everyone faces the center, the silent worship until the time is right, and that the couple enter together. Thanks for teaching us this!

Your ceremony sounds absolutely lovely!

God is love - its just that simple

This was such a wonderful, insightful video!! Are there any celebrations for births? Or birthdays? I'm so keen to learn more 😀

Lovely Video . Just came across it today searching for a wedding of young couple that's happening tmwr here in Vancouver Bc. Shared on my Facebook and Vancouver Monthly Meeting page. You did an excellent and joyous explanation of the wedding Quaker style. Thank you

Honestly Jessica is one of my fave you tubers. She's made videos on so many important topics, and she's honestly amazing (and because of her channel I discovered my love for the vintage style) 😀

I really enjoy your videos, they make me feel happy. Probably because of how pretty you are! :) Much love, Jessica!

Thank you for this educational video. Your previous video about Quakerism really sparked my interest in the topic. I'm generally apprehensive about religions, but the form of Quakerism you practise seems a lot less harmful and less exclusive than most other religions. Also #yayforgay :D

I love you two!!! Please just keep making videos about anything. I would even watch you talking about stock shares. Anything. Much love xxx

I’ve been to several Quaker meetings here in the US and I’ve loved them because the silence is so refreshing.

That’s really cool in US history we’re are learning about William Penn who was a Quaker and they were so sweet they were the only ones nice to the Native Americans

Thanks for this awesome video Jessica, it does seem that Quakers are one of the most progressive religions in the world. I believe that everyone has a right to marry the person they love regardless of their gender. Love is love and I supported gay marriage. I’m straight but never been narrow minded about love or anything. I believe we are one race human. God bless you Jessica and Claudia may your lives be blessed

I love learning about all the Quaker info. You’ve made me super interested about it!

Yay! These Quaker videos make me proud to be a Quaker. Quaker weddings are honestly one of my favorite topics to explain to non-Quakers, because they're so different from "normal" weddings.