How to get married in Ontario

Summary

1. Complete an application for a marriage licence.

2. Go to City Hall with the application and get the licence.

3. Take the licence to your Officiant on your wedding day or eloping with two witnesses and once signed, you are married.

4. The Officiant will mail the licence to be processed in Thunder Bay at the Marriage Office.

5. You will need to request a copy of your marriage certificate as proof of marriage.

In Ontario, you require a Marriage Licence to become legally married. You can pick the licence up from any City Hall in Ontario within 90 days of the ceremony. Bring the licence to the Marrying Lady on the day of the ceremony and she will have you, your spouse, and 2 witnesses complete the paperwork before she registers it with the Government.

To get a marriage licence, you can download the Marriage Licence Application form before you go to City Hall. Only one applicant needs to go if you have your partner's original pieces of ID and signatures on the form.

NOTE: $$$ Some City Halls offer better deals than others. In Toronto, a licence costs $140 . Ajax, Oshawa, Whitby and Newmarket are all cheaper. Burlington, Oakville,Milton, and King City are more expensive. Tweed, an hour’s drive east of Peterborough, one of the cheapest in the province.)

You will not hear from the Marriage Office if your licence was processed, so please apply for a certificate after the wedding. If you require a marriage certificate urgently, please see my explanation of how to do this here; a sample letter to go with your marriage licence here and a sample letter to fax to the Registrar after you have applied for your certificate online here.