"Our beloved Guardian made it clear that it was the responsibility of the
Baha'i body performing the marriage ceremony to confirm without question
the fact that the living natural parents of the two individuals who are
being married have given their consent to the marriage. It is preferable
that this consent be given in writing, but if this is not possible, or
inadvisable for some reason, verbal consent in the present of witnesses is
sufficient."... "Regarding your question of applying the sanction of
suspension of voting rights to people who marry without the consent of
parents, this should be done from now on. The laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas
are explicit and not open to any ambiguity at all. As long as the parents
are alive, the consent must be obtained; it is not conditioned on their
relationship to their children. If the whereabouts of the parents is not
known legally, in other words, if they are legally dead, then it is not
necessary for the children to obtain their consent, obviously. It is not a
question of the child not knowing the present whereabouts of the parents,
it is a question of a legal thing--if the parents are alive, they must be
asked."