Step 2: Plan Your Wedding Ceremony

As part of the City’s COVID-19 response, new wedding bookings will not be accepted. Current wedding ceremony permits in civic centre wedding chambers have been cancelled. Stay up-to-date on all affected City services and when they may resume by visiting toronto.ca/covid19

To get married in Ontario you will need a marriage licence, an authorized marriage officiant and two witnesses.

  • You can obtain a marriage licence by appointment only.
  • Your marriage must be performed by an officiant who is authorized by the province of Ontario to properly and legally perform marriages. For a list of authorized officiants please visit Service Ontario.

There are two types of marriage ceremonies, religious and civil.

Religious marriage ceremony

  • An authorized religious officiant marries you.
    • The officiant may offer different types of ceremonies, including non-denominational.

Civil marriage ceremony

  • A judge, justice of the peace or authorized municipal clerk marries you.
    • This type of ceremony is not currently offered by the City of Toronto.
  • May be offered by other municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area
  • You cannot be married at a court house in Toronto or at any of our offices

If you get married outside of Ontario, your marriage will not be registered in the province. You will not be able to request a marriage certificate from the province of Ontario.

Getting married in another province

  • Check with the Vital Statistics office in the province or territory in Canada where you want to get married.
  • Inquire with the municipality, city or town in which you are getting married for specific information on applying for a marriage licence as policies and procedures may differ.

Getting married outside of Canada

  • Eligibility and marriage requirements differ from country to country. Check with the Canadian representative in the country in which you are getting married for more information.
  • Some countries require proof that you are not currently married, often called a Letter of Non-Impediment.
  • A Letter of Non-Impediment (marriage search) will only confirm whether or not a marriage is registered for you in Ontario.
  • You can apply to do a marriage search online through Service Ontario (see applying for a marriage certificate) or download the request form.

Request for Marriage Certificate or Search