Everything You Need to Know
Clear guidance to help you feel confident about your ceremony.
getting legally married in ontario
- There are only three groups of people who can legally solemnize a wedding ceremony in Ontario. Religious Official, Ontario Municipal Clerk/Designate, Judge/Justice of the Peace.
- There are two types of marriages in Ontario. Here is a quote from the Service Ontario website:
I provide wedding officiant services across Orillia, Midland, Parry Sound, the Muskoka region, and the Greater Sudbury area, offering legally recognized ceremonies tailored to your needs.
To ensure that your marriage is performed properly and legally, an authorized official needs to marry you. There are 2 types of marriage ceremonies performed in Ontario:
Officiant Policy
It is our policy that the officiant you meet and book with is the officiant who will perform your ceremony. However, there are times when they may not be able to make the ceremony. Reasons may include, but are not limited to: traffic, sickness, a death in the family, or the officiant leaves our team.
In the case where the officiant you booked is not available, another member of our team will perform the ceremony. A new officiant will be assigned based on who is available and arrangements will be made to connect the new officiant with the couple if time allows.
Religious marriage
A recognized religious official marries you. Check the religious marriage Officiants list to ensure that the officiant you are interested in hiring is authorized to perform a marriage in Ontario. Registered Marriage Officiants
Civil Marriage
A judge, justice of the peace or authorized municipal clerk marries you, often at a local municipal office or city hall.
On your wedding day you have a wedding themed party until the officiant shows up.
A record of solemnization of marriage is not the same as a marriage certificate.
The officiant is the only professional of the day you MUST have. No officiant = no wedding.
Before you can get a marriage certificate, a marriage needs to be registered. The official who performed the marriage will do this by sending a complete and signed marriage licence to Service Ontario.
There are people in Ontario acting fraudulently masquerading as Wedding Officiants. Always confirm that the officiant you have chosen has a licence to marry in the province.
A marriage certificate will not automatically be mailed to you by the marriage office, you are required to order one.
A marriage certificate is a record of a marriage. It lists the date and place of the marriage, and names of the people who were married.
You can order a marriage certificate about 6-8 weeks after this happens.
If you are unsure if you need a file sized certificate or certified certificate, please check with the Ministry, government agency, or person requesting the document before you order.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about our wedding officiant services (originally adapted from a similar officiant FAQ source):
Bride Name Change Information
- All specific questions related to Marriage Certificates and name changes are handled through the city hall where the Marriage Licence was purchased or by contacting the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario (800) 461-2156.
- All Licensed Officiants are responsible to mail the completed Marriage Licence to Office of the Registrar General in Thunder Bay within 48 hours of your wedding.
- The Record of Solemnization (tear off portion of the licence) is given to each couple on the day of the wedding.
- It is not the practice of the licensing office in Thunder Bay to issue a receipt or acknowledgment of registering your marriage. To receive your official Marriage Certificate YOU must apply for it 12 weeks following your wedding. If YOU do not apply for a Marriage Certificate, YOU will not receive one.
- We will always follow the policies and procedures of the Ontario government and our licensing body.
For more information please visit Government of Ontario site.